--- description: Learn what Visa ECI Code 06 means. Understand why 3D Secure returns ECI 06, what it means for chargeback liability, and how to proceed to authorization. title: Visa ECI Code 06: Authentication Attempted | SmartRetry 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) ![Visa](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=96,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fvisa.svg) Visa # Visa ECI Codes 06: Authentication Attempted technical 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 06 \- "Authentication was attempted but not completed (e.g. frictionless or passive)" ## Key details Brand ![Visa](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fvisa.svg) Code 06 Category ECI Codes Response 06 Detailed Response Authentication was attempted but not completed (e.g. frictionless or passive) technical decline ## What it means Visa ECI Code 06 (often displayed as ECI 6) indicates an 'Attempts Processing Performed' outcome during 3-D Secure authentication. It signifies that the merchant attempted to authenticate the cardholder, but the authentication was not fully completed because either the cardholder or the issuer is not participating in Verified by Visa/3-D Secure. Even though full authentication was unavailable, the system generated proof that the merchant made a valid attempt. ## Classification & retryability technicalRetryable: conditional ECI 06 is an authentication outcome, not an authorization decline. Do not retry a payment solely because you received ECI 06\. If the subsequent authorization is declined, base your retry strategy entirely on the specific issuer decline code provided. ## Why does code 06 occur? * The cardholder is not enrolled in the 3-D Secure program. * The issuing bank or specific card BIN does not participate in Verified by Visa/3-D Secure. * The Visa Directory Server returned an enrollment response of N during the attempt. ## How to solve 06? Proceed to authorization using the ECI 06 value. If a Cardholder Authentication Verification Value (CAVV) was returned in the authentication response, you must include it in the authorization message to preserve applicable chargeback protection. Ensure your gateway maps this authentication outcome correctly before submitting the authorization request. ### Solving as a merchant Inspect the complete 3-D Secure result and pass ECI 06 (along with any provided CAVV) into your authorization request. Retain all authentication response logs as proof of the attempt. If the subsequent authorization is declined, refer to the actual issuer decline code to determine your next steps or retry logic. ### Solving as a customer No direct action is required from the customer regarding ECI 06\. If the subsequent authorization is declined by the issuer, the customer may need to contact their bank or provide an alternative payment method. 💡Tip from SmartRetry Avoid re-initiating 3-D Secure authentication when receiving this outcome, as repeated attempts on non-participating BINs will continuously fail to yield full authentication. Instead, let the authorization proceed directly, applying internal fraud thresholds on higher-ticket orders where regional liability protections may be limited. [See the full list of Visa's decline codes \>](/payment-providers/visa#statuses)[Find code on Visa's website \>](https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/merchants/verified-by-visa-acquirer-merchant-implementation-guide.pdf) ### Frequently asked questions about this topic Does ECI 06 mean the transaction was declined? No, ECI 06 is an authentication indicator, not an authorization decline. It simply means a 3-D Secure attempt was made but couldn't be fully completed because the issuer or cardholder isn't participating. Do I get chargeback protection with Visa ECI 06? Yes, correctly submitting ECI 06 in authorization and settlement can provide chargeback protection for specified fraud-related reason codes. However, exceptions apply for certain prepaid cards, specific merchant categories, or merchants placed in monitoring programs. Do I need to include a CAVV when submitting an ECI 06 transaction? For applicable U.S. transactions, merchants may submit authorization with ECI 6 even if no CAVV is available. However, if a CAVV is returned in the authentication response, Visa requires you to include it in the authorization message to preserve your chargeback protection. #### 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=Visa%20ECI%20Codes%2006%3A%20Authentication%20Attempted&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smartretry.com%2Fdecline-code%2Fvisa-eci-code-06 "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%2Fvisa-eci-code-06 "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%2Fvisa-eci-code-06 "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 * [![Visa](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fvisa.svg)05Cardholder authentication is successful (step-up or frictionless)technical declineRead more >](/decline-code/visa-eci-code-05) * [![Visa](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fvisa.svg)07Non-authenticated e-commerce transactiontechnical declineRead more >](/decline-code/visa-eci-code-07) * [![Visa](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fvisa.svg)10Approved, partialsoft declineRead more >](/decline-code/visa-issuer-response-code-10) * [![Visa](https://cdn.smartretry.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=256,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.smartretry.com%2Fpayment-providers%2Flogos%2Fvisa.svg)11Approved, VIPtechnical declineRead more >](/decline-code/visa-issuer-response-code-11) ## 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":"Visa ECI Codes 06: Authentication Attempted","url":"https://www.smartretry.com/decline-code/visa-eci-code-06","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/visa-eci-code-06","name":"Visa ECI Codes 06: Authentication Attempted"},"description":"Learn what Visa ECI Code 06 means. 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