Payments basics

Do not honor (decline code 05): what it means at the terminal

Decline code 05 Do not honor means the card's bank refused the sale without a reason. What to tell the customer and what to do at the terminal.

Applies to
All payment terminals
Last reviewed
Oct 27, 2026 by Abdul Rashid

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Exact messages this covers

  • Do not honor
  • 05

Check first

  • Is it one card that returns 05, or every card on this terminal?
  • Does the screen or receipt show 05 or the words Do not honor?

"Do not honor" (code 05) means the card's issuing bank declined the sale without giving a specific reason. The terminal and your merchant account worked; the customer needs to use another payment method or call their bank.

Before you start

  • Check the code on the screen or receipt. It must be 05 or say Do not honor. Other codes have other fixes (see the decline codes guide).
  • Check whether other cards approve on the same terminal. If they do, the problem is this card.

Steps

  1. Confirm the screen or declined receipt shows 05 or Do not honor. Expected: you know the bank refused this card; your terminal is working.
  2. Do not complete the sale, override it or re-run the same card again and again. Expected: nothing leaves unpaid. Visa's dispute guide says a sale completed after a decline can be charged back.
  3. Tell the customer the decline came from their bank, not your terminal, and ask for another card or payment method. Expected: the sale completes another way.
  4. Suggest the customer call the number on the back of the card. Expected: the customer can find out the reason (for example a fraud hold or a blocked card) and clear it with the bank.
  5. If the customer confirms the bank has cleared it, run the sale once more as a new transaction. Expected: approval, or another decline and a different payment method.
  6. If every card returns 05 or another decline on this terminal, stop and contact your processor or Allstar support. Expected: a terminal or account problem gets investigated.

If that did not work

A single card that keeps returning 05 is between the cardholder and their bank. The terminal cannot change the answer. If all cards fail, contact Allstar support with the model, serial number, payment application, processor and the exact message on screen.

Sources

Stop and contact support if

  • Every card declines on the terminal: contact your processor or Allstar support.
  • Any tamper or security message on screen: stop, do not reboot repeatedly, contact support.

Contact Allstar support (support@allstarterminals.com, 888-403-7066, Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5 PM Central) with the model, serial number, payment application, processor and the exact message on screen.

Contact support about this

Notes

  • The bank does not tell the merchant why it returned 05. Adyen describes it as a generic refusal with several possible causes.
  • Visa places 05 in its generic category (Adyen mapping), where a merchant may retry up to 15 times in 30 days. In a store that is rarely useful; asking for another payment method is faster.

Sources

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