Visa Payment Decline Code
Visa Decline Code 05: Do Not Honor
Category General DeclineRetry Guidance Conditional Decline (Editorial Classification)By Payment Defender Editorial TeamUpdated July 17, 2026Last reviewed July 17, 2026
What Visa Decline Code 05 Means
The issuing bank declined the transaction without providing a specific reason. Do Not Honor is one of the most common decline responses and indicates the issuer chose not to approve the authorization request.
Where the Response May Come From
This Visa response comes from the issuing bank's authorization systems, and reflects an undisclosed issuer decision not to approve the authorization.
Common Reasons for This Response
Common causes include issuer risk rules, temporary account restrictions, unusual spending patterns, insufficient available funds not otherwise reported, or issuer suspicion about the transaction context.
Should the Merchant Retry the Payment?
Treat this as a conditional decline: a later attempt may succeed only after an undisclosed issuer decision not to approve the authorization is resolved or the cardholder acts, so resubmitting the same request unchanged is unlikely to help.
Recommended Merchant Action
Because this decline reflects an undisclosed issuer decision not to approve the authorization, ask the customer to contact their issuing bank or try another payment method, and watch for clustering by issuer.
What to Tell the Customer
Ask the customer to contact their bank or try another card.
How to Reduce Similar Payment Failures
Tracking how often an undisclosed issuer decision not to approve the authorization appears by issuer and BIN can help you spot avoidable declines and apply account-updater data.
Important Limitations
Decline-code meanings vary by processor, gateway, and payment environment, and issuers do not disclose the specific reason behind this 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
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.