A payment on your Virtual Dollar Card can be declined for different reasons. Some declines attract a fee and count toward your card being terminated. Here is how it works.
Declines that attract a fee and count toward termination
Your card balance is too low for the payment.
Your card is not active, for example because it is frozen.
Declines for other reasons, such as an unsupported platform or a merchant you have switched off in “Manage Merchants”, are not charged and do not count.
The decline fee
Each decline that counts attracts a $0.50 charge.
Regular cards: the fee applies from the first decline.
Platinum cards: your first 5 declines in a row are free. The fee applies from the next one.
The fee is taken from your card balance. If your card balance is too low, it is taken from your Cardtonic Wallet.
If your wallet is also empty, the fee is taken the next time you add money to your wallet. You can’t create a new card until it is paid.
When your card is terminated
Regular cards: after 5 declines in a row.
Platinum cards: after 10 declines in a row, including the free ones.
All cards: after more than 20 declines in one calendar month, even if you had successful payments in between.
A successful payment starts the “in a row” count again. It does not reset the monthly count.
Please note: Freezing your card does not stop declines from counting. If a merchant keeps trying to charge a frozen card, each attempt can attract the fee and count toward termination.
How to avoid it
Fund your card with enough for the payment before you pay.
To stop a merchant or a subscription from charging your card, cancel it with the merchant, then switch the merchant off in “Manage Merchants”. See: How to activate or deactivate merchants (Manage Merchants)
Check your recent card activity for declined payments.
We send you an email when a decline fee is charged.
If your card is terminated, see: My card was terminated. What happens to my balance?
Contact support via in-app chat if your card was terminated and you think a decline was counted by mistake.