On rare occasions, an auction charge can fail when the donor’s credit card is unable to be processed, usually due to an expired or canceled credit card. If this happens, the winning bidder whose charge failed is notified via email and SMS text message (if they opted into receiving SMS notifications) that they won the bid but there was trouble processing their payment. They are instructed to contact the email address provided as auction contact so their payment can be attempted again.
There are two options you can take when addressing failed charges:
You can choose to retry the charge to the same credit card on file
You can update the bidder’s credit card on file and then retry their charge
Consult with the bidder as to how they would like to handle the failed charge, then follow the steps below.
Steps
Visit your campaign’s Dashboard and select Auction from the left side menu.
Find the auction item with the failed charge and click on it to pull up the auction item snapshot.
Click the three dot menu on the auction item snapshot.
If the bidder would like the charge attempted a second time, select Retry charge from the menu. You will be notified immediately if the charge was successful or if failed again. If the charge fails a second time, proceed to updating their credit card on file.
If the bidder would like to edit the credit card on file, select Edit card on file from the menu. Input the credit card information provided by the bidder, then select Save and Retry to reattempt the charge. The page will refresh to show the charge has been paid if their new credit card was valid.
If the bidder has additional items with failed charges, visit those item snapshots, click the three dot menu, and select Retry charge. If a new credit card has been updated, the charges should successfully process upon retry.
When the item is successfully charged, the bidder will receive an email confirmation and SMS text message confirmation, if they opted in to receiving SMS notifications. In your Dashboard and Winning Bidders Report, the status of the item will update to Paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the bidder update their credit card information on their own, rather than having me update it in the dashboard?
Yes. You can direct bidders to visit the auction URL, select the Edit my info button at the top of the page, and input a new credit card. After they save their changes and notify you their card is updated, you can simply retry their charge, which should process successfully.
Is there a way to determine why the charge failed?
You can reference your Stripe account to view the charge attempt. Failed charges are displayed in your Stripe account and often provide a code that indicates if the credit card has expired, if the CVV code provided was incorrect, or if the bank declined the charge. Sometimes the reason for decline is unclear and if the bidder wants to learn more, they can inquire with their credit card company or bank.