Common Afterpay Payment Error Messages and How to Fix Them

If you see an error when trying to make a purchase with Afterpay, here is what each message means and how to fix it.

Payment declined

What it means: Afterpay was not able to approve this purchase.

Common causes:

• You have overdue payments on another order.
• The purchase amount exceeds your available to spend limit.
• Your linked payment method has insufficient funds for the first installment.

How to fix it:

1. Open Afterpay and check for any overdue payments. Pay them first.
2. Check your available to spend amount. The purchase may exceed it.
3. Make sure your linked debit card or bank account has enough funds for the first payment (typically 25% of the order total).

Transaction not eligible

What it means: This specific purchase cannot be made with Afterpay.

Common causes:

• The item or merchant category is restricted (for example, gift cards or certain financial products).
• The purchase amount is below the minimum or above the maximum for Afterpay at that merchant.
• The merchant's Afterpay integration has a temporary restriction.

How to fix it:

1. Check if the merchant lists any Afterpay restrictions on their website.
2. Try a different item. Some product categories are excluded.
3. If you believe this is an error, contact the merchant to confirm Afterpay is available for your purchase.

Insufficient funds

What it means: Your linked payment method does not have enough funds for the first installment.

How to fix it:

1. Check your bank account or debit card balance.
2. Make sure you have enough to cover the first payment (typically 25% of the order total, due at checkout).
3. Update your payment method if needed: Open Afterpay → Payment methods → update your card or bank details.

Note: Afterpay charges the first installment at the time of purchase. The remaining 3 payments are scheduled every 2 weeks.

Something went wrong

What it means: A technical issue prevented the transaction from processing.

How to fix it:

1. Close the Afterpay app completely and reopen it.
2. Check for app updates in your device's app store.
3. Clear your app cache (Settings → Apps → Afterpay → Clear cache).
4. Try again in a few minutes. This is often a temporary server issue.
5. If using Afterpay in a browser, clear your browser cache and cookies, then retry.

Account frozen

What it means: Your Afterpay account has a restriction that prevents new purchases.

How to fix it:

1. Check your Afterpay notifications for details about the restriction.
2. Common reasons: missed payments, identity verification needed, or suspicious activity flagged.
3. See: Why is my Afterpay account frozen?

When errors keep happening

If you have tried the steps above and still see errors:

• Make sure your app is updated to the latest version.
• Try a different payment method.
• Wait 24 hours and try again (some restrictions are temporary).
• Contact Afterpay support if the error persists after 24 hours.