My transaction failed, but I was debited

Sometimes payment attempts fail due to bank errors, customer errors, gateway errors or even poor network connectivity. Unfortunately, banks occasionally debit their customers for these failed transaction attempts.

We’ve highlighted two payment failure scenarios and the steps you can take to resolve them below:

We have a robust repository on our user manual that lists many common transaction errors, what they mean and how to troubleshoot them.

If you encounter an error that isn’t on our Help Center while making your payment, or the error persists after troubleshooting, kindly reach out to us via email at support@paystack.com, our contact form or via our dedicated country support phone numbers for Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa with a description of the error.

Oftentimes, the customer's bank reverses wrongful debits that occur when a payment attempt fails 24 hours after the debit or the next working day if the debit occurs on a non-working day.

If you do not receive a reversal after this period, kindly reach out to your bank via their online support channels (email or social media) to report the debit so they can investigate it and process a reversal as needed.

You can also check your bank statement to confirm if the reversal has been applied. Sometimes, bank alerts are not sent or are delayed when a reversal is made, but they’ll always reflect on your bank statement.

If you’re still unable to resolve this with your bank, kindly reach out to us via email at support@paystack.com or via our dedicated country support phone numbers for Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa with the following information:

• First 6 and last 4 digits on your bank card (if you paid with your card)

• A screenshot of the debit alert you received or an indication of this debit on your bank statement

• Your bank account name and number

• The email address used for the transaction

• The name of the business you made the payment to

• The bank account you made payment into (if you made your payment via transfer).