# Declines and failed expenses Get answers to all of your questions regarding Brex **URL Source:** https://www.brex.com/support/declines-and-failed-expenses --- ## Overview There may be times when your Brex card transactions are declined due to factors ranging from spending rules set by your admins to protective restrictions implemented by Brex. By understanding the types of expenses that are permissible on your Brex card, you can effectively plan your company's future expenditures. Additionally, adopting a proactive approach can help prevent potential declines, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted transactions for your business. ## Identify the reason for the decline If your Brex card transaction is declined, you can quickly view the reason in your expense details. This helps you resolve the issue and retry the payment if appropriate. ### In the dashboard **Step 1:** Go to _Expenses_ in the left navigation menu. **Step 2:** Click the expense with the declined status. **Step 3:** Review the banner at the top of the expense details page. It displays the reason for the decline. ### In the app **Step 1:** Open the _Brex app_ and go to _Wallet_ **Step 2:** Select the declined expense. **Step 3:** Look for the banner at the top of the expense details screen. The banner will explain why the transaction was declined. ## Identify refused charges Some declines never create an expense in Brex. This may happen when a merchant or the card network refuses the charge before Brex records it, so nothing appears in _Expenses_. **Step 1:** Go to _Expenses_ in the left navigation menu, then go to _Wallet_, open the card you used, and check its _Expenses_. If the charge appears in neither, the decline created no expense record. **Step 2:** For a saved-card or autopay charge, remove the Brex card at the merchant and add it again. This replaces the stored card token and clears network and token declines. **Step 3:** For a checkout that fails with nothing showing in Brex, retry with a different Brex card. **Step 4:** If the purchase still fails, contact Brex Support through your Brex dashboard. Include the merchant name, the exact amount, the date and time of the attempt, and the error message the merchant showed you. ## Card expense declines Your card may have been declined for a variety of reasons to help protect your security. Please review the following common reasons for card declines and try your expense again. ### Incorrect credentials For all your Brex cards, your card numbers, expiration dates, and CVV codes are different. Please ensure you have entered the correct card details. ### Company limit reached If you’re an employee, please reach out to an account or card admin for help with this type of decline. If you're an account, card admin, or other user with a [custom product capability](https://www.brex.com/custom-roles), check to see that your company has not reached its credit limit. ### Budget and spend limit rules - A charge can be refused while _Wallet_ still shows available funds, and while your company still has available credit. Check each of the following: - **The parent budget.** A spend limit sits under a budget. If the parent budget has reached its amount, spend from every limit under it is declined, even when the limit itself shows funds available. - **The card's own monthly limit.** An employee card can carry its own monthly limit. That limit refuses spend independently of your company's available credit and statement balance. - **Merchant and category restrictions.** An expense at a restricted merchant or in a restricted category is declined automatically. - Ask an account or card admin which of these applies. Only an account admin, a card admin, or a user with the [specific product capability](https://www.brex.com/custom-roles) can adjust the budget and spend limit rules. ### Chip reader not used When you use your physical card in person, please insert your card's EMV chip instead of swiping the magnetic stripe. Not all Brex cards have the contactless capability enabled, in which case you should default to using the chip reader. ### Unauthorized country Make sure you’re not attempting transactions in any of [these countries](https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/Programs.aspx). If you’re still having issues, please reach out to our support team through your Brex dashboard for assistance. If attempting an online transaction, take a screenshot of the declined error message with your card details redacted, and include it in your outreach. ### Platform Agreement prohibited merchants Transactions at businesses related to activities that our [Platform Agreement prohibits](https://www.brex.com/prohibited-restricted-activities) will be declined. This is expected, as Brex cards cannot be used at businesses that deal with weapons, marijuana and cannabis, illegal services, and any other restricted industries listed in our Platform Agreement. ### Unsupported transaction type We’ll automatically decline transactions that may pose a risk to your security. This includes withdrawing cash at ATMs. If you still have issues, please reach out to our support team through your Brex dashboard for assistance. If attempting an online expense, take a screenshot of the declined error message and include it in your outreach. **Note:** For your security, redact your card details before you send a screenshot, so only the last four digits of your card number are visible. Never send your full card number, CVV, or expiration date to Brex Support. ## Restricted expenses There could be certain spend restrictions on your Brex card, such as types of vendors that you cannot transact with or certain countries that you cannot transact in. Below are some examples. ### Blocked vendors Brex card expenses will be declined at businesses related to prohibited activities noted in our [Platform Agreement](https://www.brex.com/prohibited-restricted-activities), including weapons, marijuana and cannabis, illegal services, etc. ### Blocked countries Due to certain restrictions, your Brex card expenses may be blocked in some countries. As part of its enforcement efforts, the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), publishes a list of individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups, and entities under programs that are not country-specific. Collectively, these individuals and companies are called Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs). Their assets are blocked and US persons are prohibited from doing business with them. More information on this topic can be found on the [US Treasury website](https://ofac.treasury.gov/). ## Allowed merchants If you notice that expenses with a certain merchant are being repeatedly denied, we have the option to add the merchant to an “allowlist”. This will only help expenses go through under the following conditions: - The merchant doesn’t qualify as restricted as per the _Restricted expenses_ section above. - The merchant’s industry is [allowed by Brex](https://www.brex.com/prohibited-restricted-activities). - You’ve previously transacted with the merchant (i.e., we can’t allowlist a merchant preemptively). We can only add a merchant to the allowlist on a card-by-card basis. By default, we can only allowlist the merchant for the card that was used for the original attempted expense.