Visa Payment Decline Code
Visa Decline Code B1: Surcharge Amount Not Permitted
Category Invalid Payment DataRetry Guidance Conditional Decline (Editorial Classification)By Payment Defender Editorial TeamUpdated July 17, 2026Last reviewed July 17, 2026
What Visa Decline Code B1 Means
Visa response code B1 indicates a surcharge amount is not permitted on this transaction as submitted.
Where the Response May Come From
This Visa response comes from the issuing bank's authorization systems, and reflects a surcharge that is not permitted on this transaction.
Common Reasons for This Response
Common causes include applying a surcharge where it is not allowed, an incorrect surcharge configuration, or a card or region that prohibits the surcharge.
Should the Merchant Retry the Payment?
Treat this as a conditional decline: a later attempt may succeed only after a surcharge that is not permitted on this transaction is resolved or the cardholder acts, so resubmitting the same request unchanged is unlikely to help.
Recommended Merchant Action
Because this decline reflects a surcharge that is not permitted on this transaction, verify and correct the submitted payment data, then resubmit or refresh any stored credentials.
What to Tell the Customer
Ask the customer to re-check their details and try again.
How to Reduce Similar Payment Failures
Tracking how often a surcharge that is not permitted on this transaction appears by issuer and BIN can help you tighten input validation and refresh stored credentials.
Important Limitations
Decline-code meanings vary by processor, gateway, and payment environment, and issuers may not disclose the precise 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.