All information contained in this article may also be found in the document Action Codes.

What is an Action Code?

When a transaction is initiated to obtain authorization for a purchase, an action code is sent by the issuing bank and provides reasoning as to why the card is approved or declined. Codes can identify a card as lost, stolen, has expired, having insufficient funds, and much more. In addition to the issuing bank sending an action code, the processor of the transaction may also pass codes back to the merchant.

Action Code Tables

Visa

AMEX

MasterCard

Discover

NCR