If your payment is being declined or you cannot add a card, the table below covers the most common causes and what to do for each. If you are unsure which error applies to you, start with the checklist below before working through the table.
Before you start troubleshooting, check the basics:
Is your card a Visa or Mastercard? Other payment methods (Discover, PayPal, etc.) are not accepted.
Is your card still active (not expired or cancelled)?
Do you have enough funds to make a payment?
For a full list of accepted payment methods, see: Payment Methods on Fanvue.
Rejection Reasons
The table below lists the most common payment failure errors with a description and recommended action:
Error | Description | Solution |
Transaction declined by the authorisation system / Access denied to the authentication system | Your bank has declined the transaction. This is a generic refusal - Fanvue does not receive a specific reason from your bank. | Contact your bank; ask them to approve transactions to Fanvue and "Whitelist" the merchant. (You may need to speak to your banks fraud team as general customer support are not commonly trained in resolving this) |
Transaction declined (limit exceeded) / Amount limit exceeded / Insufficient funds | There are not enough available funds on the card to complete the purchase. | Add funds to your card balance and try again, or use a different card. |
Transaction declined (suspecting manipulation) / The transaction was declined due to suspected fraud | Your bank/issuer has declined the transaction due to unusual activity | Contact your bank; ask them to approve transactions to Fanvue and "Whitelist" the merchant. (You may need to speak to your banks fraud team as general customer support are not commonly trained in resolving this) |
3D Secure timeout | You did not complete the 3DS verification within the time window (typically 2 minutes). | Try again and complete the 3DS prompt without closing the payment window. Do not navigate away until verification is finished. |
Transaction declined (restricted card) / Your request has been declined because the request type is not permitted on the card / Transaction declined (transaction not permitted) | Your card is restricted to certain merchant categories and cannot be used for this type of transaction. | Use a different card - a standard Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card is recommended. |
Address verification failure (AVS) | The billing name or address you entered does not match what your bank has on file. | Check your billing details in Settings > Wallet&Payment Methods. The name must exactly match what your card issuer holds — including spelling, spacing, and postcode. |
Invalid or expired card | The card has expired, been cancelled, or the account associated with it has been closed. | Add a new, active card in Settings. |
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) required | Your bank requires additional identity verification before approving the payment. | Follow your bank's SCA process - usually approving a push notification in your mobile banking app or entering a one-time code. |
Transaction declined (account blocked) / Transaction declined (card blocked) | Your bank account is temporarily unable to transact | Try another card or contact your bank |
Prepaid or gift card declined | Prepaid and gift cards frequently lack the billing name or address data required by our payment processor, or the name on the card does not exactly match your name on the card issuer's record. | Ensure the name on the prepaid card exactly matches your name on the card issuer's record. For reliable payments, we recommend using a standard credit or debit card. |
Unsupported card type (e.g. Discover, PayPal, Cash App) | Only Visa and Mastercard (credit and debit) are accepted as card payments. Other card networks are not supported. | Use a Visa or Mastercard card, or pay using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or the Fanvue crypto wallet. See our Payment Methods article for the full list. |
Please tell the cardholder to call the issuer. Do not retry transaction / Transaction declined for unknown reason | Unknown failure reason | Try another card or contact your bank |
Transaction declined (invalid CVV) / Transaction declined (wrong expiry date) | Incorrect card details | Check your card details and try again |
The combination of street1 and street2 must not contain only numbers | Incorrect billing details | Check your billing information and try again |
Technical Error in 3D system | Error with banks 3DS system | Try another card, or wait 5 minutes and try again |
Lost or stolen card | The card has been reported as lost or stolen and is blocked for transactions. | Use a different, active card. If you believe this is an error, contact your bank to resolve the flag. |
What is 3D Secure and why does verification fail?
3D Secure (3DS) is a security layer added by card issuers to verify your identity before an online payment is approved. When triggered, you will be asked to complete one of the following:
Approve a push notification in your mobile banking app
Enter a one-time code sent by your bank via SMS or email
Answer a security question or enter a PIN, etc
3DS is mandatory for the majority of the card payments on Fanvue. Common reasons it fails:
The verification window timed out - you have approximately 2 minutes to complete it once prompted
You closed the payment window before verification was finished
Your bank's authentication app requires a separate install (common with some German banks - see note below)
Still failing after completing 3DS?
If 3DS keeps failing even when you complete it promptly, contact your bank and confirm that 3D Secure is activated on your card and that Fanvue is not blocked on their end.
Note for German bank customers (Sparkasse and similar)
Some German banks, particularly Sparkasse, require a separate authentication app (distinct from the main banking app) to complete 3DS. If you see a "Transaction not permitted to cardholder" error, this is typically a 3DS issue specific to how your bank handles online payments.
For step-by-step instructions on resolving this: How to resolve "Transaction not permitted to cardholder" errors (German banks)
I see a charge, but it shows as pending - what does that mean?
If a charge appears in your bank account as "pending" but has not been fully processed, this usually means it is an authorisation hold rather than a completed payment; no funds have actually left your account yet. Your bank will automatically release the amount within a few days if the transaction does not complete.
My account has been blocked from making payments
In some cases, repeated failed payment attempts may result in a temporary payment block on your account. If you are unable to make any payment and you believe your account has been blocked rather than your card being declined, reach out to our live support team at the bottom right of your screen or at [email protected]. Include your registered email address/account handle and describe what you see when attempting to pay (including any error message shown on screen). Our team will review your account and advise next steps.