If an Altitude Card purchase did not go through, it is usually one of five causes. Work through the checks below.
Common reasons a card is declined
Reason | What to check | How to fix |
Not enough available balance | The card's available balance is lower than the purchase, or pending authorizations are holding funds. Some merchants also authorize more than the purchase price, so you need a little headroom above the amount. | Deposit funds into the card account, or wait for pending transactions to settle or reverse. |
Spending limit reached | The purchase is over the per authorization limit, or the rolling 7 day, 30 day or all time limit is used up. Pending authorizations count against the limit too, so an open hold (a hotel or rental deposit, for example) reduces what the card has left until it settles or is released. | Check the card's spend against its limit and raise it if appropriate. |
Card is not active | The card is frozen, canceled, not yet activated, or still pending setup or approval. | Unfreeze the card, finish activation, or issue a new card if it was terminated. |
Restricted merchant or country | The purchase is in a merchant category or country that is not permitted. These are platform rules, not your card's settings. | Review the Altitude Card Prohibitions List and Supported countries. |
3DS check not completed | The merchant asked for a one-time code (3D Secure) at checkout and it was not entered before the check expired. Some merchants decline the purchase at that point. | Try the purchase again and enter the code when prompted. See View and use your card details. |
Adding funds, changing a spending limit, unfreezing a card or issuing a new one are admin-only. If you are a cardholder, ask a card admin to make these changes.
Why a hold can be larger than the purchase
Some merchants (restaurants, bars and fuel) authorize up to around 20% more than the purchase amount to cover a possible tip or incidental. That extra amount is held against your available balance until the purchase settles, usually the next business day (T+1), when the unused part is released.
Hotels and car rentals go further: they usually pre-authorize an estimated total or a deposit up front, which can be well above the final bill, and the full amount stays on hold for the length of the stay or rental – sometimes weeks. You are only ever charged the final amount, but the card needs enough available balance to cover the full hold at the desk, or the authorization is declined.
Tip: Keep a little buffer above the price for everyday purchases, and fund the card for the full expected hold before booking travel. See How card holds and pre-authorizations work.
Still not working?
If none of these apply, contact support and include the merchant name, the amount and the date of the attempted purchase.
Note: A healthy total balance does not always mean spend is available. Pending authorizations and rolling limits both reduce what a card can spend right now.
Still stuck? Email [email protected] with the transaction date, amount and merchant and we will look into it. You can review the transaction any time in Altitude under Cards.