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Payment Troubleshooting - Fix Checkout Issues

7 min read Intermediate For Owner, Manager, Staff Updated about 2 months ago
Quick Answer
For card declines, ask the customer to try a different card or contact their bank. For checkout stuck, wait 30 seconds and refresh. For refund issues, check the original payment status and wait 5-10 business days for bank processing.

Payment Troubleshooting

Payment issues can be frustrating. This guide helps you diagnose and resolve common payment problems.

Card Declined

Why Cards Get Declined

Card declines are decisions made by the customer's bank—not by RecSystems or Stripe. Common reasons:

Decline Reason What It Means
Insufficient funds Not enough money in account
Card expired Card past expiration date
Incorrect CVC Security code entered wrong
Card restricted Bank blocked the transaction
Fraud protection Bank flagged as suspicious

How to Resolve

  1. Ask customer to verify details

    • Card number entered correctly?
    • Expiration date correct?
    • CVC (3-4 digit code) correct?
    • Billing address matches card?

  2. Try a different card

    • Customer may have another card
    • Different card type (Visa → Mastercard)

  3. Contact the bank

    • Customer calls the number on their card
    • Bank can authorize the transaction
    • Then try payment again

  4. Use manual payment

    • Accept cash or check
    • Record as manual payment in system
    • Booking still gets created

Decline Codes Reference

Code Meaning Action
card_declined Generic decline Contact bank
insufficient_funds Low balance Use different card
expired_card Card expired Use different card
incorrect_cvc Wrong security code Re-enter CVC
do_not_honor Bank refused Contact bank
lost_card Card reported lost Use different card

Checkout Stuck or Loading

When Checkout Won't Complete

Step 1: Wait

  • Payments can take 10-30 seconds
  • Don't refresh immediately
  • Watch for processing indicator

Step 2: Check Status

  • If booking shows Reserved — payment worked!
  • If still Pending — may need to retry

Step 3: Refresh and Retry

  • Refresh the page
  • Check if cart still has items
  • Try payment again if needed

Cart is currently being processed

This means another process is working on this cart:

  • Wait 30 seconds
  • Lock releases automatically
  • Refresh and try again
  • May already be paid (check booking status)

Cart is empty

The cart expired or was already completed:

  • Cart holds expire after 15 minutes
  • Check if booking was already created
  • Customer may need to start over

Payment Shows Wrong Amount

Verify Cart Contents

Check what's included in the total:

Component Where to Check
Base rental Unit price × duration
Add-ons Items added to cart
Fees Location fees, service fees
Taxes Based on location tax rate
Discounts Gift cards, promo codes
Deposit Partial payment (if applicable)

Common Causes

More than expected:

  • Add-ons were included
  • Fees or taxes applied
  • Weekend/holiday pricing in effect

Less than expected:

  • Gift card applied
  • Promo code used
  • Deposit payment (not full amount)

Deposits vs. Full Payment

If your account uses deposits:

  • Initial charge = deposit only
  • Full amount shows as Balance Due
  • Balance collected at check-in or later

Refund Issues

Refund Not Appearing

Timeline:

  • Refund processed = instant in RecSystems
  • Funds to bank = 5-10 business days
  • Customer's bank controls final timing

Check in RecSystems:

  1. Open the cart/booking
  2. Look for refund in payment history
  3. Note the refund date

What to Tell Customer:

The refund was processed on [DATE]. It typically takes 5-10 business days to appear on your statement. If you don't see it after 10 business days, please contact your bank with this refund reference: [REFUND_ID]

Refund Failed

Common causes:

  • Original payment already fully refunded
  • Original payment was disputed
  • Stripe account issue

Resolution:

  1. Check original payment in Stripe dashboard
  2. Verify refundable amount
  3. Issue manual refund if needed
  4. Contact support for complex cases

Partial Refunds

You can refund part of a payment:

  1. Open the cart
  2. Enter refund amount (less than original)
  3. Remainder stays with you
  4. Customer sees partial credit

Payment Method Issues

Can't Add Card

Check:

  • Card number has 16 digits (or 15 for Amex)
  • Expiration is future date
  • CVC is 3 digits (4 for Amex)
  • Billing zip matches card

Card on File Not Working

Check:

  • Card hasn't expired
  • Card wasn't cancelled
  • Customer authorized the charge

Resolution:

  • Ask customer for new card
  • Process as new payment

Stripe Connection Issues

Payment processing unavailable

Check your Stripe connection:

  1. Go to Account → Accept Payments
  2. Verify Stripe is connected
  3. Check for any warnings or errors

If disconnected:

  1. Click Connect to Stripe
  2. Complete Stripe onboarding
  3. Payments will work after connection

Test Mode vs. Live Mode

In test mode:

  • Payments don't actually charge
  • Use test card numbers
  • No real money moves

Make sure you're in live mode for real payments.

Manual Payments

When to Use Manual

  • Cash payment
  • Check payment
  • External card terminal (POS)
  • Customer paid separately

Recording Manual Payment

  1. Start checkout or open cart
  2. Select Manual Payment
  3. Choose type (cash, check, other)
  4. Enter reference number
  5. Add notes if needed
  6. Complete the booking

Manual Payment Best Practices

  • Always enter a reference (check #, receipt #)
  • Add notes for context
  • Count cash before customer leaves
  • Keep records for reconciliation

3D Secure / Authentication

What Is 3D Secure?

Extra verification required by some banks:

  • Customer redirected to bank
  • Enter code sent to phone
  • Verify identity
  • Return to complete payment

If Authentication Fails

  1. Customer may have cancelled
  2. Code may have expired
  3. Bank may have rejected

Resolution:

  • Try payment again
  • Customer completes authentication
  • Try different card if issues persist

Getting More Help

Information to Collect

When contacting support about payments:

  1. Cart or booking ID
  2. Customer name/email
  3. Amount involved
  4. Error message (exact text or screenshot)
  5. When it happened
  6. Steps you've tried

Where to Check

What Where
Cart status Open cart in dashboard
Payment history Cart payment section
Stripe payments Stripe dashboard
Refund status Cart payment history

Frequently Asked Questions

The card was declined. What should I do?
Card declines are controlled by the customer's bank, not RecSystems. Ask the customer to: try a different card, call their bank to authorize the transaction, or use a different payment method (cash/check for manual payments).
Payment seems stuck. What now?
Wait 30 seconds—payments sometimes take a moment to process. Then refresh the page. Check if the booking shows as 'Reserved' (payment may have succeeded). If still stuck, try the payment again.
Customer says they were charged but booking isn't confirmed
Check Stripe dashboard for the payment. If payment succeeded, the booking should update within 1-2 minutes. If booking is still pending, contact support with the payment ID.