Why didn't my payment go through?

If your payment didn't go through on Back Market, don't worry. You haven't been charged, and your item is still in your cart waiting for you.

If you see a pending charge on your bank statement, it's only a temporary authorization hold. These are not actual charges and will typically be removed within a week; in some cases, it may take up to 30 days. If it hasn't cleared by then, contact your bank directly.

Note: Payment issues aren't necessarily related to international banking transactions, so if you tried to pay using an account located abroad, that isn't the cause of the payment issue.

Here are the most common reasons a payment fails and how to fix it.
 

Jump to

What did your payment failure email say?

Double-check your card details

Complete the security verification

Check for common decline reasons

Try a different payment method

Special situations

Still not working?

What did your payment failure email say?

If you received an email with the subject line "There was an issue with your payment", it will contain one of the sentences below in the body of the email. Find the sentence below that appears in your email and jump directly to its corresponding solution.

Double-check your card details

Your email may say: "The card number you entered doesn't match what your bank has on file," "The security code you entered was incorrect," or "Your card has expired."

The most common cause of a failed payment is a simple typo. Before trying again, make sure:

• Your card number is entered correctly, with no missing or extra digits.
• Your expiry date hasn't passed. If your card has been renewed recently, update the expiry date.
• Your security code (the 3-digit CVV on the back of your card, or 4-digit code on the front for Amex) is correct.
• If you're in Europe, 3D Secure is enabled. It allows you to confirm a purchase with your bank while making a payment.
• Your billing address matches exactly what your bank has on file, including zip code.

Tip: If you're using a saved card, try deleting it and re-entering your details manually.

Complete the security verification

Your email may say: "Your payment authentication could not be completed."

Your bank may require an extra verification step to approve online purchases. This is normal and helps protect your account.

In Europe (including the UK): 

• Most banks require 3D Secure authentication under PSD2 regulation. When prompted, approve the transaction through your banking app or enter the SMS code sent to your phone. If you're not receiving the code, contact your bank to make sure 3D Secure is activated on your card and that your phone number is up to date.
• If a pop-up appeared and closed before you could respond, try again using a different browser or disable your pop-up blocker. You can also try using an incognito/private window to avoid conflicts with browser extensions.

In the United States, Australia, and Japan:

• Your bank may occasionally require an extra verification step to approve online purchases (such as approving the purchase in your banking app or entering an SMS code). If prompted, follow your bank's instructions to complete the verification.

Check for common decline reasons

• Insufficient funds or credit limit reached

Your email may say: "There was not enough money on your account to complete the transaction."

Make sure you have enough available balance or credit for the full purchase amount. Keep in mind that some banks set separate daily limits for online transactions.

• Card blocked by your bank

Your email may say: "Your bank did not authorize this payment" or "Your bank has blocked this payment."

Banks may flag unusual purchases, especially higher-value transactions, on a new website. Call your bank and let them know the transaction is legitimate, then try again while you're still on the line.

• Bank temporarily unreachable

Your email may say: "We couldn't reach your bank to authorize this payment."

Occasionally, your bank's systems may be down or experiencing delays. This is a temporary issue. Wait a few minutes and try again.

Tip: When contacting your bank, ask specifically whether they see a declined authorization from Back Market and what the reason was. Your bank has this information, but for privacy reasons, they cannot share it with us directly.

Try a different payment method

If your card keeps being declined, the fastest fix is often to switch to another payment method. Back Market accepts a variety of options, including other cards, PayPal, digital wallets, and Buy now, pay later plans.

Your email may say: "This card type is not accepted on Back Market."

In this case, your card network (for example, a regional or prepaid card) may not be supported. Please check our accepted payment methods page and use an alternative. 

See all accepted payment methods

Tip: If your card was declined, trying PayPal or a digital wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay) can often bypass the issue, since they use a different verification path.

Special situations

• PayPal payment failed

Your email may say: "PayPal was unable to process this payment."

If PayPal declined your payment, the issue may be between PayPal and your linked card or bank account. Try:

• Logging in to PayPal and checking that your card or bank account is still active and verified.
• Paying with a different funding source in PayPal (for example, your PayPal balance instead of a linked card).
• Contacting PayPal support if the issue persists.

Alternatively, return to Back Market and choose a different payment method entirely.

• Payment blocked by our system

Your email may say: "This payment could not be processed."

• Contact Back Market Customer Care. Our team may ask you to confirm your identity so we can allow the transaction to go through.
• Once verified, you'll be able to retry your purchase. Our team typically resolves this within 1 business day.
• Alternatively, you can try a different payment method.

Technical error on our end

• Clear your browser's cache and cookies (search online for instructions specific to your browser).
• Try using a different web browser or an incognito/private window.
• If you're on a corporate or school network, try switching to a personal connection or your mobile data.
• Wait a few minutes and try again.

BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) payment declined?

If your payment was declined when using Klarna, Affirm, Oney, Clearpay, Afterpay, or Scalapay, the situation is different from a regular card decline.

Back Market has no visibility into why a BNPL provider declined your payment, and our customer support team cannot override their decision. Each new attempt is a fresh assessment, so you may be approved on your next try or for a different order amount.

Common reasons for BNPL declines:

• You have an outstanding balance with the BNPL provider from a previous purchase.
• Your order amount falls outside the accepted range (too low or too high for the plan).
• The provider's internal risk assessment flagged the transaction based on factors like account history and order frequency.

What to do:

• Check your account directly with the BNPL provider (i.e., log in to Klarna, Affirm, or Oney).
• Try reducing your order amount or splitting into separate orders.
• Alternatively, you can try a different payment method.

See all accepted BNPL payment methods

Still not working?

If you've tried the steps above and your payment still isn't going through:

• Contact your bank first. They can tell you the specific reason the transaction was declined and can often resolve the issue on the spot.
• Contact Back Market Customer Care. Include the payment method you tried, any error message you saw, and which troubleshooting steps you've already attempted. This will help us resolve your case faster.