Your Capital One credit card was probably declined because of a lack of available credit, a defective card, a broken card reader, or fraud concerns. Other possible reasons are an expired card number or a new card that has yet to be activated. If you’re behind on your payments, Capital One may temporarily lock – or even close – the account, preventing you from making any new purchases.
Common Reasons Why Capital One Credit Cards Get Declined
- Lack of credit: If you don’t have enough available credit to cover your purchase, it may be declined. Your available credit can be impacted not only by purchases and payments, but also by holds placed by certain merchants, such as hotels.
- Defective card: A damaged credit card might prevent the merchant’s machine from reading it properly.
- Broken reader: The merchant’s credit card reader might have malfunctioned.
- Fraud concerns: If you make an unusually big transaction or spend money in another state or country, Capital One might stop your card from being used until they confirm that the transaction is legitimate.
- Expired card: You cannot use your card past the expiration month listed on the front or back of the card. Capital One should send you a new card a few weeks prior to the expiration date.
- New card: You’ll need to activate your credit card before using it.
- Delinquency: Capital One might stop you from making new purchases until you get current on your payments.
Regardless of exactly why your Capital One card was declined, you can call customer service to remedy the issue. Capital One should be able to lift any holds, activate the account, or send you a replacement card. However, they may request a payment to bring the account current or take other actions, depending on your situation.
It’s worth pointing out that the word “declined” is also sometimes referring to a credit card application being denied. If your Capital One card application was declined, there are a number of possible reasons.
Reasons Why Your Capital One Card Application Was Denied
- Low credit score
- Insufficient income
- Too many recent applications
- Too many open Capital One accounts
- Poor payment history
You should receive an e-mail detailing the reason(s) why your application was denied. Also, if you think the reason why your Capital One card application was declined is not accurate, you could request a reconsideration of your application.
This answer was last updated on 08/20/24 and it was first published on 10/27/20. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.
FAQs
An online purchase can be declined if you enter the wrong card information, such as billing address, expiration date, or CVV number. Declines can also happen during in-person transactions because of a malfunctioning chip reader or your card's magnetic stripe not reading correctly when swiped.
Why is my Capital One card declined not enough available credit? ›
Common Reasons Why Capital One Credit Cards Get Declined
Lack of credit: If you don't have enough available credit to cover your purchase, it may be declined. Your available credit can be impacted not only by purchases and payments, but also by holds placed by certain merchants, such as hotels.
Why do I keep getting denied for Capital One credit card? ›
Your Capital One Credit Card application could have been rejected for various reasons, including carrying a substantial debt, having limited disposable income, or failing to meet the credit score criteria.
Why is my card declined if I don t have enough money in my account credit or Debit? ›
If the balance on your bank account is too low, or you get close to or go over your credit card's credit limit, your card may be declined. If your bank or credit union offers alerts to flag fraud on your account, sign up.
Why is my credit one credit card declined when I have money? ›
Your Credit One Bank credit card could have been declined for several reasons, such as the card not being activated or not having enough available credit. The best way to find out exactly why your card was declined is to give customer service a call at (877) 825-3242.
Why is my card declining when I have money? ›
Why might my debit card be denied even if I have money in the account? It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Your debit card may be denied due to overdrafting, reaching daily purchase limits, or your bank suspecting fraud.
Why do I keep getting declined for credit cards? ›
Credit cards are often denied because the applicant's credit score is too low. Among those with poor credit who applied for a new loan or financial product since March of 2022, 73 percent were denied, according to a credit denials survey by Bankrate.
Why is it so hard to get approved for Capital One credit card? ›
Some common reasons for not getting approved for a credit card include: Having a low credit score. Having too much debt. Having too many hard inquiries on your credit reports.
Why is my Capital Card declining? ›
An online purchase can be declined if you enter the wrong card information, such as billing address, expiration date, or CVV number. Declines can also happen during in-person transactions because of a malfunctioning chip reader or your card's magnetic stripe not reading correctly when swiped.
How much does Capital One approve you for? ›
There is no general starting credit limit for Capital One credit cards. Your credit limit will be based on your creditworthiness once your application has been approved.
A denial or approval won't hurt your credit scores, because decisions aren't reflected in credit reports.
Why is my credit card declined when I have limit? ›
Your credit card might be declined because you've reached your credit limit from recent purchases or pending transactions, your card is expired, your issuer blocks a transaction due to suspicious activity or you've missed payments on your account.
How to fix card declined by issuer? ›
Contact Customer Service
The card provider may need to manually activate the card. Often, your card is declined for your protection to prevent fraudulent purchases. In this case, your card provider may just need to verify your identity and authenticate your purchase.
Is Credit One owned by Capital One? ›
Credit One and Capital One are not the same—each are independent financial companies with no direct relation to each other. Some may assume Credit One is an offshoot of Capital One, but this isn't the case.
Does Credit One have a hardship program? ›
If you experience certain hardships—sometimes defined as involuntary unemployment or disability—you can activate the program which then allows you to stop making payments for a period of time.
Why is my credit card declined due to insufficient funds? ›
This message is typically displayed when the cardholder's account balance is not enough to cover the transaction amount, including any applicable fees or taxes.
Why does Capital One say I have no available credit? ›
If your available credit is $0, it means you don't have any credit for making purchases. This can happen if you've maxed out your credit card, your payment hasn't cleared, or your credit card payment is delinquent.
What does not enough available credit mean? ›
Why is my available credit less than my credit limit? You can think of available credit as your credit limit minus your current balance. If you have outstanding charges on your credit card, they will reduce your available credit.
Why is my credit card declined when I have available credit? ›
Your credit card could get declined for a variety of reasons, including an expired card, exceeding your credit limit or due to fraud prevention measures. Here's why your credit card could be rejected and what you can do to prevent it from happening.
