Fluid Pay Response Codes: Approvals, Declines, Errors

If you use Fluid Pay to accept payments online, you may have seen response codes after a transaction attempt. These codes tell you whether a payment was approved, declined, or failed due to a system issue. Knowing what these response codes mean can help you reduce card declines, troubleshoot failed payments, and protect your revenue.

What Are Fluid Pay Response Codes?

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Fluid Pay is a popular payment gateway solution that lets merchants accept payments online. Every time a customer tries to make a payment, Fluid Pay returns an alphanumeric response code. These codes help you quickly understand what happened.

They fall into three categories:

Approved transactions (100 – 199)
Declined transactions (200 – 399)
Error codes (400 – 499)

There are also two additional codes (0 and 99) that indicate unknown or redirected actions.

Approval and Exception Codes (100 – 199)

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These codes mean a transaction was approved or is awaiting an additional step.

Code	Status	Description
100	Approved	The payment went through. Funds were captured.
101	Pending	The transaction needs customer verification.
110	Partial Approval	Only part of the payment was accepted.
0	Unknown	The system couldn’t confirm the result.
99	Redirect	Sent to another processor for further action.

If you receive a partial approval (code 110), you may need to follow up with the customer to resolve any outstanding issues. For unknown or redirected results, verify the statues with your payment processor before fulfilling the order.

Credit Card Decline Codes (200 – 399)

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These codes point to cardholder-related issues. They include expired cards, low balances, and failed security checks, like 3DS.

Code	Status	Description
200	Do Not Honor	Issuer declined without a clear reason. Ask for a different card.
202	Expired Card	The card is no longer valid. Request an updated card.
203	Insufficient Funds	The customer didn’t have enough money.
204	Stolen Card	Do not retry. Treat as high risk.
205	SCA Decline	The customer failed to verify their identity.
208	Lost Card	High fraud risk. Do not retry.
212	Credit Limit Exceeded	Ask for another card or a smaller amount.
221	Invalid Card Number	Customer likely mistyped. Have them check the details.
227	Security Violation	Failed CVV or address match. Ask them to re-enter details.
230	Do Not Try Again	Hard decline. Recommend another payment method.

Some declines are temporary, others are a definitive no. The key is to clearly guide your customer and avoid repeated attempts on cards marked as lost or stolen.

Error Codes (400 – 499)

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These are technical codes that usually aren’t related to the customer, but to payment gateway integrations.

Code	Status	Description
400	General Error	Retry or contact support.
410	Invalid Merchant ID	Account info may be incorrect.
411	Invalid Terminal ID	Terminal ID doesn’t match.
412	Processor Credential Error	Authentication failed.
420	Timeout	The system didn’t respond in time.
421	Communication Error	Couldn’t reach the card network.
430	Invalid Transaction Type	Format or request not supported.
440	Processor Format Error	Data sent in the wrong format.

Best Practices to Reduce Card Declines

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You can’t change a customer’s status, but you can reduce how often a payment gets declined.

Here are some tips:

Ask customers to double-check their card number and expiration date
Offer multiple payment options like debit, ACH, or digital wallets
Set up retry logic for temporary declines or timeouts
Notify the customer when a card fails during a transaction
Review common decline codes and update your store’s data as needed

How to Handle Fraud-Related Codes

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Codes that notify you of fraud or stolen cards require fast action. If a transaction is flagged with a fraud code, do not retry it.

If you use recurring billing:

Remove the card from future billing
Ask the customer to update their payment method
Report the suspicious activity

Why Response Codes Matter

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Response codes not only help you identify and resolve failed transactions quickly, but they also enhance your customers’ checkout experience. Understanding response codes can help you reduce the number of support tickets created and the frequency of chargebacks.

How AllayPay Helps

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If you’re dealing with frequent card issues, our team of agents can optimize your payment process and reduce those pain points. Fluid Pay offers a reliable payment gateway, but you’ll need a partner who knows how to get the most out of it. We understand how to navigate the complexities of merchant processing and can set you up with a merchant account and integrated tools that reduce friction.

You’ll be able to accept more payments with fewer interruptions. Ready to get started? Contact us today for a smarter, smoother way to process payments.