Is Mastercard a payment processor or a payment network?

Mastercard is a card payment network. You still need a PSP/gateway and an acquiring bank (or a PSP with acquiring) to process Mastercard transactions.

How do merchants accept Mastercard?

Merchants typically enable Mastercard acceptance through their PSP and acquirer, then add Mastercard as a supported card brand in checkout and POS settings.

Why are Mastercard transactions declined?

Declines usually come from the card issuer (e.g., insufficient funds, suspected fraud, expired card, incorrect CVC/AVS, or velocity limits). Your PSP reports the issuer response and any network decline details available.

How can I improve Mastercard approval rates?

Review declines by issuer and reason, confirm clean customer data (billing address, CVC), tune fraud rules to avoid over-blocking, and use 3DS for markets or segments where authentication is expected.

Does Mastercard support 3D Secure for authentication?

Yes. Mastercard supports EMV 3-D Secure via issuer and PSP implementations, commonly used to meet SCA needs and manage fraud risk on ecommerce transactions.

How do Mastercard chargebacks work for merchants?

Chargebacks follow network rules and reason codes, with defined timelines for responding. Your PSP/acquirer manages submissions, evidence formatting, and representment steps.

Is Mastercard available worldwide?

Yes, Mastercard is a global network. Actual acceptance depends on your acquirer, PSP coverage, and any business or regional restrictions they apply.

Mastercard

Cards

Mastercard is a global card payment network that enables merchants to accept Mastercard-branded card payments through their PSP and acquirer

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Published: January 21, 2026
Last updated: May 5, 2026

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About Mastercard

Product Type

Payment Method

Foundation

1966

Stock ID

NYSE:MA

Company Type

public

Employees

24,000+

Location

USA

Channel

Online In person

For developers

Status page Stack Overflow

Features

Global acceptance

Widely supported for ecommerce and in-store payments via most major acquirers and PSPs.

Authorization outcomes

Provides standardized authorization messaging that merchants see as approvals, soft declines, or hard declines via their PSP/acquirer.

Approval rate and decline monitoring

Merchants can track authorization success and card declines by reason codes and issuer response patterns through their PSP reporting.

Security and fraud controls

Supports network security programs and data protection standards used across the payments ecosystem.

Customer authentication support

Works with EMV 3-D Secure programs through issuers and PSPs to help manage SCA requirements and reduce friction where applicable.

Disputes and chargebacks

Uses network dispute rules, timeframes, and reason codes that structure chargeback representment and pre-dispute processes.

Reliability and routing consistency

Operates a large-scale network used for high-volume payment processing, with performance depending on the end-to-end PSP and acquirer setup.

Tip from SmartRetry For better Mastercard approval rates, segment declines by response/reason code and issuer, then test retrial rules (timing, soft-decline retries) and adjust AVS/CVC settings with your acquirer.

Currencies

Processing currencies USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, CNY, INR, BRL, MXN, SGD, HKD, NZD, CHF

Available in

Available countries

Global

FAQ

Statuses

Statuses - All
Code	Description
ECI Codes
00	Authentication failed or not attempted (e.g. card not enrolled, technical issue)
01	Authentication was attempted but not completed (e.g. timeout, user abandon)
02	Authentication successful (liability shift applies)
04	Data share only, not authenticated, improves approval rate (EMV 3DS only)
06	Acquirer exemption applied (EMV 3DS only)
07	Recurring payment: liability shift for initial, but not subsequent transactions
Issuer Response Codes
00	Approved or completed successfully
01	Refer to card issuer
1Z	Authorization System or issuer system inoperative
03	Invalid merchant
04	Capture card
05	Do not honor
08	Honor with ID
10	Partial Approval
12	Invalid transaction
13	Invalid amount
14	Invalid card number
15	Invalid issuer
30	Format error
41	Lost card
43	Stolen card
51	Insufficient funds/over credit limit
54	Expired card
55	Invalid PIN
57	Transaction not permitted to issuer/cardholder
58	Transaction not permitted to acquirer/terminal
61	Exceeds withdrawal amount limit
62	Restricted card
63	Security violation
65	Exceeds withdrawal count limit
70	Contact Card Issuer
71	PIN Not Changed
75	Allowable number of PIN tries exceeded
76	Invalid/nonexistent —To Account— specified
77	Invalid/nonexistent —From Account— specified
78	Invalid/nonexistent account specified (general)
79	Life cycle (Mastercard use only)
80	System not available
81	Domestic Debit Transaction Not Allowed (Regional use only)
82	Policy (Mastercard use only)
83	Fraud/Security (Mastercard use only)
84	Invalid Authorization Life Cycle
85	Not declined
86	PIN Validation not possible
87	Purchase Amount Only, No Cash Back Allowed
88	Cryptographic failure
89	Unacceptable PIN—Transaction Declined—Retry
90	Cutoff is in progress
91	Authorization System or issuer system inoperative
92	Unable to route transaction
94	Duplication transaction detected
96	System error
3DS Transaction Status Reason
01	Card authentication failed
02	Unknown device
03	Unsupported device
04	Exceeds authentication frequency limit
05	Expired card
06	Invalid card number
07	Invalid transaction
08	No card record
09	Security failure
10	Stolen card
11	Suspected fraud
12	Transaction not permitted to cardholder
13	Cardholder not enrolled in service
14	Transaction timed out at the ACS
15	Low confidence
16	Medium confidence
17	High confidence
18	Very high confidence
19	Exceeds ACS maximum challenges
20	Non-payment transaction not supported
21	3RI transaction not supported
22	ACS technical issue
23	Decoupled authentication required by ACS but not requested by 3DS requestor
24	3DS requestor decoupled max expiry time exceeded
25	Decoupled Authentication was provided insufficient time to authenticate cardholder. ACS will not make attempt
26	Authentication attempted but not performed by the cardholder
27	Preferred authentication method not supported
80	Returned on all Data Only authentications
81	Challenge exemption accepted
82	Challenge Mandate requested but could not be performed
83	System Error response from ACS
84	Internal error while generating CAVV
3DS Transaction Status
A	Attempts Processing Performed; not authenticated/verified, but proof of attempted authentication is provided
C	Challenge Required; additional authentication required (CReq/CRes flow)
D	Decoupled authentication confirmed
I	Informational only; 3DS Requestor challenge preference acknowledged
N	Not Authenticated / Account Not Verified; Transaction denied
R	Authentication / Account Verification Rejected; issuer requests authorization not be attempted
U	Authentication / Account Verification Could Not Be Performed (technical or other problem)
Y	Authentication / Account Verification Successful
CAVV Result Codes
0	Authentication failed. No liability shift; merchant is not protected.
1	Authentication attempted. Liability shift applies.
2	Authentication successful. Liability shift applies; merchant protected from all chargebacks.