Payhawk card transactions may occasionally fail due to a range of reasons, including card configuration issues, insufficient funds, merchant-related problems, or policy restrictions.
By following this guide, you can identify ways to ensure smooth and uninterrupted spending.
Stay informed with push notifications
If a card transaction has failed and you haven't received a notification from Payhawk, make sure you have activated your push notifications. For more information, see the article about push notifications for failed card transactions.
Enabling push notifications
To ensure you're notified of failed or successful transactions in real time:
Make sure your mobile device is connected to a stable network.
Open your phone's settings (e.g., Settings > Notifications on iPhone).
Enable notifications for the Payhawk app.
Once push notifications have been enabled, you’ll receive:
Real-time notifications for completed or failed transactions.
Weekly reminders for pending expense submissions (sent every Monday at 7 AM GMT).
Still not receiving push notifications?
If notifications are enabled but you didn’t receive one for a failed transaction, the issue may lie with the merchant’s system. In such cases, check the Activity tab of your card or contact the merchant directly.
Using the Payhawk app to diagnose issues
To check the reason for a failed transaction, view your card activity:
Open the Payhawk app.
Tap Cards and authenticate.
Select the desired card and tap Transactions.
Tap on the desired transaction to view its details and failure reasons.
Visa 3D Secure (3DS) verification issues
Some merchants use Visa 3D Secure protection for verifying card transactions. If you do not receive a verification prompt, try the following troubleshooting steps:
Open the Payhawk app manually to check for the prompt.
Retry to execute the card transaction in case of delays or connectivity issues.
If the issue persists, contact Payhawk Support for further investigation.
Asking the Payments AI Agent
The Payments AI Agent can help you with the issues you’re experiencing.
You can directly start conversing with the Payments AI Agent in the Payhawk web portal, mobile app, or Slack:
Tell the Payments AI Agent what is the issue by asking your question.
The Agent will ask for any necessary information so it can provide you with the relevant response.
Once the necessary data is collected, the Agent will summarize the state of your issue.
For more information, see the article about getting the best out of the Payments AI Agent.
When to contact Payhawk Support
If you’ve tried the above steps and the issues persist - especially if the merchant can't assist you - contact the Payhawk Support team over chat or email at support@payhawk.com. The more information the Support team has, the easier they can troubleshoot the issue.
Do not share the full card details of your card with anyone. Not even Payhawk.
When you contact Payhawk Support, provide them with the following details to help the team investigate further.
Last 4 digits of the card, for example, XXXXXXXXXXXX4444.
Day, time, and location of the attempted transaction.
Name of the merchant.
Amount.
Any error message that has been displayed.
If possible, send a print screen of the receipt or any error messages.
Information about whether you have contacted the merchant.