Understanding Nigeria Direct debit mandate = "Do Not Honor + Gobeller infra

Understanding the “Do Not Honor” Error

The “Do Not Honor” response is a generic decline message issued by your bank when a payment or direct debit attempt cannot be authorized. This indicates that the transaction was rejected on the bank’s end, but the specific reason was not provided in the response code.

Common Causes

While the exact cause is not usually included in the decline message, typical reasons include:

1. Insufficient Funds: The account balance may not be enough to cover the transaction amount.

2. Account Restrictions or Holds: The bank may have temporarily restricted the account due to suspected fraudulent activity, unusual transaction patterns, or compliance checks.

3. Incorrect or Outdated Account Information: Inaccurate details (e.g., expired card, wrong account number) can cause the transaction to fail.

4. Mandate or Authorization Issues: A direct debit mandate may have been cancelled, expired, or improperly set up.

5. Transaction Limit Exceeded: The payment might exceed the daily or per-transaction limit imposed by your bank.

6. Temporary Bank or Network Issue: Occasionally, technical downtime or processing delays at the bank can trigger this error.

Recommended Steps to Resolve

Since only your bank can provide the exact reason for the decline, you will need to contact them directly. Here’s what you can do:

1. Check Your Account Balance: Ensure there are sufficient funds available for the transaction.

2. Contact Your Bank’s Support Team: Reach out to customer service via phone, email, or by visiting a branch. Mention that your transaction was declined with a “Do Not Honor” message.

3. Request the Specific Decline Reason: Ask the bank representative to clarify why the transaction was not authorized.

4. Address the Root Cause:

   • If insufficient funds: Top up your account, then retry the transaction.

   • If there’s a restriction or hold: Complete any required verification or documentation to lift the restriction.

   • If mandate or detail-related: Update your payment or mandate information and confirm it’s correctly set up.

5. Retry the Payment: Once the issue has been resolved, the transaction can be retried successfully.

Note

This is a bank-issued decline, and the payment processor or merchant has no control over the decision. Resolution depends on confirmation and approval from your bank.

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