00 = approved; everything else is a decline or advice reason. Below is the full table (standard codes plus common scheme extensions), sorted by code for quick lookup.
| DE39 | Meaning |
|---|---|
00 | Approved / completed |
01 | Refer to card issuer |
02 | Refer to issuer, special condition |
03 | Invalid merchant |
04 | Pick up card |
05 | Do not honor |
06 | Error |
07 | Pick up card, special condition |
08 | Honor with identification |
10 | Partial approval |
11 | Approved (VIP) |
12 | Invalid transaction |
13 | Invalid amount |
14 | Invalid card number |
15 | No such issuer |
19 | Re-enter transaction |
20 | Invalid response |
21 | No action taken |
22 | Suspected malfunction |
25 | Unable to locate record |
28 | File temporarily unavailable |
30 | Format error |
31 | Bank not supported by switch |
33 | Expired card, pick up |
34 | Suspected fraud, pick up |
36 | Restricted card, pick up |
38 | Allowable PIN tries exceeded, pick up |
39 | No credit account |
40 | Requested function not supported |
41 | Lost card, pick up |
43 | Stolen card, pick up |
51 | Insufficient funds |
52 | No checking account |
53 | No savings account |
54 | Expired card |
55 | Incorrect PIN |
56 | No card record |
57 | Transaction not permitted to cardholder |
58 | Transaction not permitted to terminal |
59 | Suspected fraud |
60 | Contact acquirer |
61 | Exceeds withdrawal amount limit |
62 | Restricted card |
63 | Security violation |
65 | Exceeds withdrawal frequency / SCA required |
68 | Response received too late |
75 | Allowable PIN tries exceeded |
76 | Unable to locate account / original |
77 | Inconsistent data, reconcile error |
78 | Blocked, first use / inactive account |
79 | Already reversed |
80 | Invalid date / no action |
81 | PIN cryptographic error |
82 | CVV failed / issuer unavailable |
83 | Unable to verify PIN |
84 | Invalid authorization life cycle |
85 | No reason to decline / account verified |
86 | Cannot verify PIN |
87 | Purchase amount only, no cashback |
88 | Cryptographic failure |
89 | Authentication failure |
91 | Issuer or switch inoperative |
92 | Unable to route / no routing to issuer |
93 | Cannot complete, violation of law |
94 | Duplicate transmission |
96 | System malfunction |
| DE39 | Meaning |
|---|---|
N0 | Force STIP / SCA |
N3 | Cash service not available |
N4 | Cash request exceeds issuer limit |
N7 | Decline for CVV2 failure |
P2 | Invalid biller information |
Q1 | Card authentication failed |
R0 | Stop payment order |
R1 | Revocation of authorization order |
R3 | Revocation of all authorizations |
Z1 | Offline declined |
Z3 | Unable to go online, offline declined |
A soft decline is a temporary condition β the same transaction may succeed if retried later. A hard decline is final: this card or transaction simply won't work, and auto-retrying it wastes attempts and can trip issuer fraud controls. Always classify by code before any automatic retry: Every code on this page is also in the searchable DE 39 lookup β paste a code there and it tells you soft or hard decline, and what to do next.
19 re-enter transaction, 51 insufficient funds, 91 issuer or switch inoperative, 96 system malfunction.14 invalid card number, 41 lost card, 43 stolen card, 54 expired card, 57 transaction not permitted to cardholder, 59 suspected fraud.Whether β and how often β a soft decline may be retried is scheme and issuer policy; retry windows and caps vary, so encode the classification in configuration, not in code.
π Want to see DE39 in a live message? Open the parser tool and paste one β it auto-translates DE39. Related: ISO 8583 field quick reference.