When a family's card is declined at checkout, nothing is charged and no order is placed, but their bank can still show a pending amount for each attempt. These are temporary holds that the bank releases on its own, usually within a few business days. If the family's Account Overview has no order for that date and amount, no payment went through.
Applies to: Org admins helping families with card payments · All plans · Card checkout through Payrix (registration, Store and Donations, Raise donations and Place Order)
Where: Customers > Account Management > Search > (customer) > Account Overview
Why the family sees charges
- The card was declined. Checkout shows the decline in a pop-up, such as "The Billing Zip Code does not match your Credit Card Information. Please update and try again." or a message from the card's bank, and places no order. Some banks still put a temporary hold on the card for the amount of the attempt, and each attempt can leave its own hold, so three tries can look like three charges.
- The card was charged, but checkout couldn't record the order. This is rare. Checkout reverses the charge right away and shows "There was an issue placing your order. Please try again shortly. If you continue to have trouble, please contact TeamSideline support at support@teamsideline.com." No order or registration is created, so the family has to check out again. Their bank may show the reversed charge as pending until it drops off.
- The payment gateway didn't answer. Checkout shows "The payment gateway is currently unavailable. Your credit card has not been charged. Please try your order again at a later time. If you continue to experience this issue, please contact TeamSideline support at support@teamsideline.com." Nothing was charged.
How to check what went through
- Ask the family for the date and amount of each charge they see, whether it says pending, the last four digits of the card, and the message checkout showed. Never ask for the full card number.
- Go to Customers > Account Management > Search and find the family's account.
- Open Account Overview and look for an order on that date for that amount.
- Compare what you find with what the family sees (below).
- Before the family tries again, have them check Order History in their account, so they don't pay twice.
What you'll see:
| On Account Overview | What it means |
|---|---|
| One order for that date and amount | That payment went through. Any other pending amounts for the same total are holds from declined attempts and will drop off. |
| No order for that date | Nothing was charged, or the charge was reversed. The pending amounts will drop off, and the family needs to check out again. |
| Two orders for the same items | The family checked out twice, for example in two browser tabs. Both payments went through (see If it doesn't work). |
If you sign in to your organization's Payrix portal at payments.teamsideline.com, you can also look up the attempts there by date and amount.
What to tell the family
The declined attempts weren't charged. The pending amounts are temporary holds placed by their bank, and they drop off on the bank's schedule, usually within a few business days (often 1 to 3). Their bank can confirm when a hold will be released. If checkout showed "There was an issue placing your order...", that charge was reversed too, and they need to check out again to register.
If it doesn't work
- A charge has posted (it no longer says pending) and there's no matching order on Account Overview. Contact TeamSideline Support with the date, the amount and the card's last four digits. Support matches the charge in Payrix and can void or refund it if it has no order.
- The family checked out twice. Whether to refund the extra payment is your organization's decision. Void or refund it with Add Transaction on Account Overview and cancel the extra registration, so the account and your reports match. See How to Void a Transaction (and How a Void Differs from a Refund).
- The card keeps being declined. The family calls the number on the back of the card or uses another card. For what each decline message means, and when TeamSideline Support can help with Payrix's fraud protection, see Why are card payments failing or being blocked at checkout?
- A hold is still there after several business days. The family asks their bank about it. If the bank says a payment went through and there's no order on Account Overview, contact TeamSideline Support as above.
Good to know
- Card details are entered into Payrix's secure card fields, and TeamSideline keeps only the last four digits of a card. Support matches charges by date, amount and those four digits.
- No email goes to the family or to your organization about a declined attempt or a reversed charge. The message on the checkout screen is the only notice.
- A hold belongs to the cardholder's bank. TeamSideline and Payrix can't release it sooner.
- TeamSideline Support can see the decline messages from a family's recent attempts, which helps when the family doesn't remember what checkout said.
- If your organization collects for several associated organizations through their own payment gateways, one checkout places a separate order for each gateway. If a later one fails, the earlier ones may already be charged and recorded, so check Account Overview before the family tries again.