American Express Payment Decline Code
American Express Decline Code 117: Invalid PIN
Category Authentication or PINRetry Guidance Conditional Decline (Editorial Classification)By Payment Defender Editorial TeamUpdated July 17, 2026Last reviewed July 17, 2026
What American Express Decline Code 117 Means
American Express declined the transaction because the PIN entered was incorrect or invalid.
Where the Response May Come From
This response comes from American Express. The PIN provided did not match the value on file for the account.
Common Reasons for This Response
Common causes include a mistyped PIN, a forgotten PIN, or an entry error at the terminal.
Should the Merchant Retry the Payment?
A careful re-entry of the correct PIN may succeed, but repeated failures can trigger a PIN-attempts block.
Recommended Merchant Action
Ask the customer to carefully re-enter their PIN, or to use another payment method if they are unsure of it.
What to Tell the Customer
Ask the customer to re-enter the correct PIN or contact American Express if they have forgotten it.
How to Reduce Similar Payment Failures
Clear PIN-entry prompts in card-present environments may reduce entry errors and avoidable declines.
Important Limitations
Decline-code meanings vary by processor, gateway, and payment environment, and American Express does not always disclose the specific reason behind a response. The retry classification on this page is Payment Defender editorial guidance, not an official network rule. Merchants should confirm handling with their processor or gateway.
Related Decline Codes
Sources and Review Information
- American Express: American Express Merchant Regulations
- PayPal Braintree: Braintree Processor Response Codes
Last reviewed July 17, 2026
Raw network-response codes are supplemental to the complete processor or gateway response. Meanings and recommended actions can vary by issuer, processor, gateway, card network, payment method, region, and merchant configuration.