# My payment failed

Don't panic. Failed payments are common and you can almost always fix them.

## What you'll see

When a payment fails, the portal shows an error from Stripe during the payment, and we may also email you afterward. Typical message:

> Your payment for $X did not go through. Reason: card declined.

You won't be charged. We do not charge a fee for failed attempts.

## Why payments fail

The most common reasons (the underlying decline reason comes from Stripe / your card issuer):

| Reason                | What it means                                                           | What to do                                                          |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Insufficient funds    | Not enough money in the account                                         | Wait until the balance is higher, or use a different account        |
| Card declined         | Your bank declined the charge                                           | Try a different card, or call your bank to confirm the charge is OK |
| Card expired          | The expiration date has passed                                          | Use a current card                                                  |
| Incorrect details     | Typo in card number, expiration, security code, or bank routing/account | Re-check and re-enter                                               |
| Fraud-protection hold | Your bank flagged the transaction as suspicious                         | Call your bank to approve, then retry                               |
| Bank account closed   | The bank account no longer exists                                       | Use a different account                                             |

## Step 1 — Read the error message

Stripe surfaces the underlying decline reason. "Card declined" means call your bank. "Insufficient funds" means wait or use a different account.

## Step 2 — Try again

To retry, go back into the portal and start a new payment for the same amount — there's no separate "retry payment" button. Pick a different card or bank account on the second attempt if the first one declined.

## Step 3 — Try a different method

If a card keeps failing, sometimes a different method works:

* Card failing? Try a different card.
* Bank account failing? Double-check the routing and account numbers, or use a different account.

## Step 4 — Call your bank

For repeated card declines, the issue is usually on your bank's end:

* They may have flagged the charge as suspicious.
* They may have a daily transaction limit.
* They may have a hold for unrelated reasons.

Call the number on the back of your card and say: "I'm trying to make a payment to Modern Collections / ai-collect. Can you approve it?"

## Step 5 — Wait if it's a timing issue

If your bank or card balance will be higher in a few days:

* For one-time payments: come back when you have the funds.
* For plan payments: [contact support](/troubleshooting/contact-support.md). We can sometimes defer a scheduled installment by a few days. See [Modifying your plan](/for-debtors/payment-plans/modifying-your-plan.md).

## Failed plan payments

If a scheduled installment fails, see [What happens if I miss a payment](/for-debtors/payment-plans/what-happens-if-i-miss-a-payment.md). You'll get an email and have time to fix it before the plan goes into default.

## Refunds for "successful" payments that were reversed

Rarely, a payment is accepted at the time but later reversed by your bank (NSF, chargeback). In that case:

* We notify you that the payment was reversed.
* Your balance returns to what it was before the failed payment.
* Outreach may resume.

You can avoid this by making sure funds are actually available before initiating a payment.

## Fees

We do not charge fees for failed payments.

Your bank may charge an NSF fee. If your card issuer treats the payment as a cash advance, they may charge a cash-advance fee. Check with your bank.

## Rate limit

To protect both you and Stripe from a stuck loop, the portal limits payment-intent creation to a small number per minute per debtor. If you've just been clicking "pay" rapidly, you may see a `429 Payment intent rate limit exceeded` response with a `Retry-After` header. Wait the period given and try again.

## TODO

* Screenshot: failed-payment error message.
* Self-serve retry-payment button (planned).

***

Last reviewed: 2026-05-24 by Support Lead.


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