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Payment failed at checkout

When a buyer sees a payment failure at checkout, it means their bank or card provider declined the transaction. TimbaTicket does not hold or reject payments — all payment processing is handled by Square.

Common causes​

Insufficient funds​

The most common reason. The buyer's card does not have enough balance to cover the purchase.

What to tell the buyer: Check your balance and try again, or use a different card.

Card restrictions​

Some cards (especially prepaid or virtual cards) do not allow online transactions or have spending limits.

What to tell the buyer: Try a different card, or contact your bank to make sure online payments are enabled.

Bank security check​

Many banks flag unusual online transactions and ask the cardholder to confirm (via SMS, app notification, or a bank call). The payment may appear to fail while the bank is waiting for confirmation.

What to tell the buyer: Check your bank app for a pending notification. Approve the transaction and try again.

3D Secure / authentication timeout​

Some cards require additional authentication (3D Secure). If the buyer does not complete this step in time, the payment fails.

What to tell the buyer: When prompted, complete the authentication step (usually a code sent by SMS or a redirect to your bank's app).

What the buyer sees​

The checkout page shows a clear error message. The buyer is not charged for a failed payment — no money is taken.

note

Some banks show a "pending" authorisation for a failed payment. This is temporary and will drop off within 3–5 business days. The buyer has not been charged.

What you can do as the organiser​

  1. Check your Square Dashboard — look for the payment. If it is not there, the payment truly failed and no money was taken
  2. Advise the buyer — share the common causes above
  3. Offer an alternative — if the buyer cannot get their card to work, they may need to use a different payment method

If the issue persists​

If multiple buyers report the same issue:

  1. Check that your Square account is connected and active (Settings → Square)
  2. Check your Square Dashboard for any account restrictions or alerts
  3. Contact Square support if you see an error on the Square side

Still stuck?​

Contact support@timbaticket.com with:

  • The buyer's email address (if they consent to sharing it)
  • The approximate time of the failed payment
  • Any error message shown on the checkout page
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