A "declined 51" code on a card transaction means Insufficient Funds (NSF), indicating the cardholder doesn't have enough money or available credit to cover the purchase amount, either because the account is overdrawn or the transaction would exceed the credit limit, requiring the customer to use a different card or contact their bank.
The [51] Decline code error means that there are insufficient funds on your credit card to process the payment. To fix this issue, submit your payment using a different credit card or call your credit card issuer (the phone number is usually on the back of your card).
51 - Not sufficient funds. There are insufficient funds.
Response Code: 51 - Insufficient Funds. The customer's card issuer has declined the transaction as the credit card does not have sufficient funds.
Insufficient Funds: This decline code indicates that the customer's bank account or credit card does not have sufficient funds to cover the transaction. For example, Code 51 signifies that the cardholder has surpassed their available balance or credit limit.
What Does Decline Code 51 Mean? Code 51 typically indicates that there are insufficient funds in the cardholder's account to process the transaction. This should be handled by requesting that the customer use an alternate method of payment, if available.
Declined payments
Try the following:
51 – Insufficient funds
The customer's issuing bank has denied the transaction because either the customer is already over their credit limit or that transaction will put the customer's credit card over the limit.
All American Express numbers start with 34 or 37; most MasterCard numbers start with 51, 52, 53, 54, or 55 (they also have some other potential starting numbers which we won't concern ourselves with for this problem); and all Visa numbers start with 4.
Your card may be declined for a number of reasons: the card has expired; you're over your credit limit; the card issuer sees suspicious activity that could be a sign of fraud; or a hotel, rental car company, or other business placed a block (or hold) on your card for its estimated total of your bill.
ACH Return Code R51, also known as "Item Related to RCK Entry Is Ineligible or RCK Entry Is Improper," is a standard code used in Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions. This code indicates that an ACH transaction contains a Represented Check Entry (RCK) and that there is an issue with the associated RCK.
Depending on the reason for the block, you can unblock your credit card by calling the bank or credit card company and discussing the issue. You may need to go through extra steps such as: Answering security questions to confirm your ID. Negotiating your credit limit.
Shopping online
Make sure you have entered the right card details including the expiry date and the 3-digit security code at the back (CVV). You may also be asked to enter a billing address and account holder name. You can view your card details in the app.
The insufficient funds notification typically occurs because the card's displayed available funds do not reflect the true available balance in the connected debit account or credit line.
The decline code 57: Transaction Not Permitted—Card typically means that the card issuer has declined the transaction because the cardholder has attempted to make a transaction that their card does not allow.
The credit card declined code 51 is one of the most common responses a merchant receives. Decline code 51 is the processing response for insufficient funds or an exceeded credit limit. When you get this decline code, it's not a good idea to try to process the card again without voice authorization.
Code 51: Insufficient Funds
This could be due to a low account balance or reaching your credit limit. To resolve this, you use a different alternative payment method, contact your card issuer to increase your credit limit, pay down your balance, or check your balance before future transactions.
A card decline is when a card payment isn't authorized or accepted. There are many reasons a credit or debit card might be declined – for example, the card has expired, there are insufficient funds, or one of the parties in the payment ecosystem detects fraudulent activity.
If a customer's card is declined, it's not likely the transaction will go through a second time.
There are many reasons why your card can be declined, including: You have reached your credit card limit. You are using an expired card. Your card is not accepted by the merchant.
There are several reasons why a debit card may be declined even if you have money in your account. Common reasons include travel and reaching your daily purchase limit. Stay on top of your cards and consider using budgeting apps to help avoid debit card denial.
A debit card may be declined for many reasons, including: Daily or weekly transaction limit has been reached. The account doesn't have enough funds available (e.g. a recent deposit may be on hold) Card details or PIN were entered incorrectly.
Soft declines are temporary issues like insufficient funds or authentication required. They can usually be retried successfully. Hard declines are permanent failures, such as a stolen card or invalid account, and should not be retried without changes from the customer.
The most common methods to unblock an ATM card include the following: