--- description: Mastercard ECI 01 indicates authentication was attempted but not completed due to timeout or abandonment. Learn how to handle liability and next steps. title: Mastercard ECI Code 01: Attempted Authentication image: https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,height=630,quality=85,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fog-image.0z0q4_5kazzzo.jpeg --- [Skip to main content](#main-content) ![Mastercard](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=96,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fmastercard.svg) Mastercard # Mastercard ECI Code 01: Attempted Authentication soft declinetechnical decline Last updated: September 25, 2026 ## Still letting failed transactions slip through? SmartRetry turns declines into approvals - automatically, intelligently, and without changing your payment provider. Email address Let’s talk Table of Contents ## About 01 \- "Authentication was attempted but not completed (e.g. timeout, user abandon)" ## Key details Brand ![Mastercard](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fmastercard.svg) Code 01 Category ECI Codes Response 01 Detailed Response Authentication was attempted but not completed (e.g. timeout, user abandon) soft declinetechnical decline ## What it means Mastercard ECI Code 01 indicates that a payer-authentication flow was initiated, but the cardholder authentication could not be fully completed. This typically corresponds to a PARes status of 'A', meaning proof of the authentication attempt was generated despite an interruption like a timeout, user abandonment, or the issuer not participating. It is an authentication indicator passed to the subsequent authorization, rather than an authorization decline itself. ## Classification & retryability softtechnicalRetryable: conditional Do not repeatedly resubmit the same payment authorization. Instead, consider one controlled re-authentication attempt if the root cause appears to be transient, such as a session timeout or customer abandonment during checkout. ## Why does code 01 occur? * The cardholder abandoned the checkout process while the 3D Secure authentication window was open. * The authentication session timed out before the customer could successfully verify their identity. * Authentication was unavailable because the specific card or issuer is not currently participating in the program. ## How to solve 01? First, ensure your payment gateway integration correctly captured the attempted authentication data, including the directory-server transaction ID, raw ECI, and Mastercard UCAF authentication data. You must pass this data in your subsequent authorization request to qualify for a merchant-only liability shift and prevent the transaction from being downgraded or refused. If the issue is persistent across customers, verify that your 3D Secure integration is not prematurely timing out. ### Solving as a merchant Pass the complete set of authentication data (including the ECI 01 value and PARes status A) in the subsequent authorization request. Assess your risk tolerance, as this status generally grants a merchant-only liability shift rather than full protection. If the customer is still active in the checkout flow, you may prompt them to try authenticating again or offer an alternative payment method. ### Solving as a customer If you encountered a timeout or closed the verification window by mistake, please try completing the checkout process again. Alternatively, use a different payment method to finalize your purchase. 💡Tip from SmartRetry Avoid immediately forcing the cardholder back into a 3D Secure challenge, which frequently triggers cart abandonment. Instead, route the authorization forward using the captured attempt cryptogram to secure liability protection, only re-prompting the user if the issuer explicitly responds with a soft decline demanding full step-up authentication. [See the full list of Mastercard's decline codes \>](/payment-providers/mastercard#statuses)[Find code on Mastercard's website \>](https://www.mastercard.us/content/dam/mccom/en-us/documents/SMI%5FManual.pdf) ### Frequently asked questions about this topic Does Mastercard ECI 01 mean the authorization was declined? No, ECI 01 is an authentication result, not an issuer decline. It indicates the authentication attempt was interrupted (e.g., by timeout or abandonment) and this proof-of-attempt should be submitted alongside your authorization request. Do I get a liability shift with an ECI 01 result? Mastercard documentation states that an 'A' result (mapped to ECI 01) typically carries a merchant-only liability shift for applicable card categories. It does not provide the full liability shift associated with a fully successful cardholder authentication. Can I retry a transaction that returns ECI 01? You should not rapidly retry the payment authorization. However, ECI 01 is conditionally retryable at the authentication layer; you may allow the customer one more attempt to complete the 3D Secure challenge if they simply timed out or abandoned it. #### Share this article [![Share on X](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Ftwitter.21z6yr9njnznr.svg)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Mastercard%20ECI%20Code%2001%3A%20Attempted%20Authentication&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smartretry.com%2Fdecline-code%2Fmastercard-eci-code-01 "Share on X")[![Share on Facebook](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Ffacebook.3sbfjbsxa26qg.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smartretry.com%2Fdecline-code%2Fmastercard-eci-code-01 "Share on Facebook")[![Share on LinkedIn](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Flinkedin.09sdc8tnlrn4a.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smartretry.com%2Fdecline-code%2Fmastercard-eci-code-01 "Share on LinkedIn") Make us your preferred source ![Kyle Regacho](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Faa4329c7f45a68c68f2fbccab899d0f43f3740f3f9e92d5c6ea711171fc1a35f%3Fs%3D96%26d%3Dmm%26r%3Dg) Author ##### Kyle Regacho [![LinkedIn](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Flinkedin.09sdc8tnlrn4a.svg)Find me on Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdregacho/) Focused on payment recovery, decline codes, and authorization optimization at SmartRetry. Helps payment teams turn failed transactions into recovered revenue [Read all articles >](/authors/kyle-regacho) ## Join our newsletter! Real strategies to recover lost revenue - straight to your inbox Email address Subscribe ## Related codes * [![Mastercard](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fmastercard.svg)00Authentication failed or not attempted (e.g. card not enrolled, technical issue)technical declinesoft declineRead more >](/decline-code/mastercard-eci-code-00) ## Articles you may find interesting: [View all](/blog) [![Turning Payment Declines into Revenue with Context-Aware Retry Logic](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F09%2Frecovering-revenue-with-intelligent-retries.jpg) September 25, 2026 Turning Payment Declines into Revenue with Context-Aware Retry Logic Blind retries waste fees and damage issuer trust. By analyzing decline codes and timing reattempts around payroll cycles, payment teams can successfully salvage recurring revenue without customer disruption.](/blog/turning-payment-declines-into-revenue-with-context-aware-retry-logic)[![Why Payments Fail: Decoding Decline Codes and Modernizing Retry Logic](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F09%2Fpayment-declines-intelligent-retry-strategies.jpg) September 25, 2026 Why Payments Fail: Decoding Decline Codes and Modernizing Retry Logic Surface-level decline messages conceal critical issuer signals. Discover how intelligent retries, network tokens, and behavioral timing protect MID health and systematically recover lost recurring revenue.](/blog/why-payments-fail-decoding-decline-codes-and-modernizing-retry-logic)[![Decoding Payment Declines: Turning Authorization Failures into Recovered Revenue](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F09%2Fresolving-card-authorization-declines-issuer-codes.jpg) September 25, 2026 Decoding Payment Declines: Turning Authorization Failures into Recovered Revenue Blindly retrying failed transactions hurts authorization rates and risks network fines. Discover how decoding issuer responses turns card declines into recovered revenue.](/blog/decoding-payment-declines-turning-authorization-failures-into-recovered-revenue)[![The Real Cost of Payment Declines and How to Recover Lost Revenue](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F09%2Frecovering-failed-payment-declines-revenue-advmo-31a392251911.jpg) September 23, 2026 The Real Cost of Payment Declines and How to Recover Lost Revenue Payment failures cost merchants billions in uncaptured revenue and customer churn. Discover how data-driven retries and response code intelligence help teams recover failed transactions and protect conversion.](/blog/cost-of-payment-declines-recovery) --- ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Mastercard ECI Code 01: Attempted Authentication","url":"https://www.smartretry.com/decline-code/mastercard-eci-code-01","inLanguage":"en","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.smartretry.com/#organization","name":"SmartRetry","url":"https://www.smartretry.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://cdn.smartretry.com/logo.png","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","value":175,"unitCode":"PX"},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","value":29,"unitCode":"PX"}},"description":"SmartRetry is a smart payment recovery platform that helps businesses save revenue from failed payment transactions and reduce false declines.","sameAs":["https://x.com/smartretry","https://www.facebook.com/smartretry","https://www.instagram.com/smartretry","https://www.linkedin.com/company/smartretry","https://www.youtube.com/@smartretry"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","availableLanguage":["Hebrew","English"],"url":"https://www.smartretry.com/contact"},"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Menachem Begin","addressLocality":"Tel Aviv-Yafo","addressCountry":"IL"}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.smartretry.com/#organization","name":"SmartRetry","url":"https://www.smartretry.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://cdn.smartretry.com/logo.png","width":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","value":175,"unitCode":"PX"},"height":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","value":29,"unitCode":"PX"}},"description":"SmartRetry is a smart payment recovery platform that helps businesses save revenue from failed payment transactions and reduce false declines.","sameAs":["https://x.com/smartretry","https://www.facebook.com/smartretry","https://www.instagram.com/smartretry","https://www.linkedin.com/company/smartretry","https://www.youtube.com/@smartretry"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","availableLanguage":["Hebrew","English"],"url":"https://www.smartretry.com/contact"},"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Menachem Begin","addressLocality":"Tel Aviv-Yafo","addressCountry":"IL"}},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.smartretry.com/decline-code/mastercard-eci-code-01","name":"Mastercard ECI Code 01: Attempted Authentication"},"description":"Mastercard ECI 01 indicates authentication was attempted but not completed due to timeout or abandonment. 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