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Mastercard

Mastercard Issuer Response Codes 61: 61

soft decline

Last updated: October 22, 2026

Key details

Brand
Mastercard
Code
61
Response
61
Detailed Response
Exceeds withdrawal amount limit
soft decline
This transaction is retriable

Payments failing with code 61 are often recoverable with the right retry timing and routing. SmartRetry recovers up to 70% of soft declines with smart retries!

Actually, a big part of your declined transactions can be recovered

Recover your revenue >

What it means

Mastercard Issuer Response Code 61 means "Exceeds withdrawal amount limit." The code is passed to Mastercard in Data Element (DE) 39 of the issuer's network response message to indicate that the cardholder's bank declined the transaction because the requested amount exceeds the allowable withdrawal or spending limit configured on the account. Alongside any accompanying Merchant Advice Code (MAC), this response helps merchants determine whether and when a declined transaction can be retried.

Why does code 61 occur?

  • The requested transaction amount exceeds the single-transaction or periodic withdrawal amount limit set by the cardholder's issuing bank.
  • Prior transactions or withdrawals have already exhausted the cardholder's remaining withdrawal amount limit for the current period.

How to solve 61?

To resolve a Code 61 decline, inspect the raw issuer response and check if an accompanying Merchant Advice Code (MAC) was returned. Mastercard uses MACs to communicate whether a declined payment can be retried and, in some cases, the recommended timeframe before reattempting. If no retry window is indicated or if the transaction is happening in real time at checkout, prompt the shopper to either contact their bank to adjust their withdrawal limit or complete the transaction using a smaller amount or an alternative payment method.

Solving as a merchant

Configure your payment integration to log both the DE 39 response code (`61`) and any accompanying Merchant Advice Code from the gateway response. Suppress immediate automated retries for identical amounts to avoid unnecessary network processing costs, and only schedule a delayed retry if the accompanying advice code permits it.

Solving as a client

The cardholder should contact their issuing bank to request a temporary or permanent increase to their withdrawal amount limit, wait until their limit resets before trying again, or use a different payment method.

See the full list of Mastercard's decline codes >Find code on Mastercard's website >

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Kyle Regacho

Author

Kyle Regacho
LinkedInFind me on Linkedin

Focused on payment recovery, decline codes, and authorization optimization at SmartRetry. Helps payment teams turn failed transactions into recovered revenue

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