AbeBooks Help Center

Why Was My Credit Card Declined?

Sometimes an order may be cancelled because your credit card is declined. Only your credit card issuer or financial institution can confirm the specific reason for a declined credit card. Possible reasons include:

  1. The credit card number or expiry date was incorrect when you tried to buy the book.
  2. Insufficient funds on your credit card.
  3. As a security measure, some credit card companies reject transactions when a large number of online purchases are attempted within a short time. This may occur if you’ve ordered multiple books from multiple booksellers.
  4. Some credit card companies reject international charges as a security measure. AbeBooks is located in Canada and uses credit card processing services located in the US, Canada, and Europe.
  5. Technical issues originating with your bank or credit card company, or with AbeBooks or our credit card processing services, can occasionally result in a declined card.
  6. You attempted to use a VISA, MasterCard, or American Express branded gift card. There may be terms and conditions specific to the card that prevented the transaction from completing.

When a credit card has been declined, regardless of the reason, AbeBooks cannot reinstate the order, nor can we re-process the credit card transaction. The book is automatically re-listed for sale on AbeBooks.

If your credit card information is saved within your AbeBooks account, verify the details by going to My Account and clicking on [Manage My Credit Cards] under My Personal Info.

This page displays the details of the card(s) you have stored, and allows you to edit, add, or delete credit cards on your account. For security reasons, the full credit card number will not be displayed; if you are concerned that the number itself might contain errors, you will need to delete the card and enter the details again.

If the card details are correct, contact your credit card provider for additional information.

Once you have verified your card details and contacted your card provider, you can search for the re-listed book and order again.