Decline Code 62: Restricted Card
Decline code 62 indicates that the card has restrictions imposed by the issuing bank that prevent the transaction from being processed. These restrictions can be geographic (card only works domestically), merchant category-based (certain types of purchases blocked), or spending-pattern based. This is a hard decline because the restriction won't change between retries. Recovery requires either the customer requesting the restriction be lifted or providing an alternative card that doesn't have the restriction.
Affected Percentage
~3% of all declines
Recovery Rate
40-50% with outreach
Recommended Action
Do not retry
Common Causes
Geographic restriction
The card is limited to domestic transactions. International charges are blocked. This is common with basic debit cards in many countries.
Merchant category restriction
The card blocks transactions with certain merchant category codes (MCCs). Some corporate cards restrict non-business purchases, or banks block categories they deem high-risk.
Online/e-commerce restriction
Some banks allow customers to disable online/card-not-present transactions as a security measure. The physical card works at POS terminals but is blocked for online purchases.
Parental or corporate controls
Cards issued as part of family plans or corporate expense programs often have restrictions set by the account administrator limiting where and how much can be charged.
Recommended Retry Strategy
Timing
Do not retry. The restriction is a policy on the card that won't change with time. Contact the customer to either remove the restriction or use a different card.
Max Retries
0 — the restriction is persistent
Reasoning
Card restrictions are set at the account level and don't expire or reset. Retrying wastes processing fees and delays the real solution: having the customer adjust their card settings or use a different payment method.
Best Practices
- 1
Contact the customer promptly and explain that their card has a restriction that's blocking the payment. Be specific if possible (e.g., "it may be an international transaction restriction").
- 2
Provide clear instructions for how the customer can check and adjust card restrictions through their bank's app or by calling their bank.
- 3
Offer alternative payment methods — a different card, bank transfer, or digital wallet may not have the same restrictions.
- 4
If you see many restricted card declines from a specific country, consider adding a local payment processor or payment method for that region.
- 5
For corporate cards, suggest the customer check with their company's finance team about adding your merchant category to the approved list.
How Rezoki Handles This Automatically
Rezoki identifies restricted card declines and immediately routes them to the customer outreach workflow, skipping retries entirely. The outreach email is tailored based on available signals — if the BIN data indicates a foreign card and your business is in a different country, the email specifically mentions potential international transaction restrictions and provides step-by-step instructions for enabling them. If the card appears to be a corporate card, the email suggests checking with their company's finance department. Rezoki always offers a payment update link with alternative payment methods.