What does decline code 62 mean?
Decline code 62 means the card has been restricted by the issuing bank. Unlike a lost or stolen card block, a restriction is a targeted limitation — the card may still work for some transactions but is blocked for others based on rules set by the bank or the cardholder.
Restrictions can be placed for a variety of reasons, and the cardholder may not always be aware that one exists. The bank's risk management team may have applied the restriction proactively, or the cardholder may have enabled it themselves through their banking app.
Common reasons for card restrictions
Geographic restrictions block transactions from certain countries or regions. These are common on cards that have never been used internationally, and are designed to prevent fraud from cross-border transactions the cardholder did not initiate.
Merchant category code (MCC) restrictions block specific types of purchases. For example, a company may restrict employee cards from being used at entertainment venues, gambling sites, or personal shopping retailers. Some personal cards also have category restrictions enabled by default.
The bank's fraud monitoring systems may also place temporary restrictions when they detect unusual patterns — such as a sudden burst of online purchases, transactions at odd hours, or charges in a location far from the cardholder's home address.
How to resolve decline code 62
The cardholder should contact their issuing bank to understand the specific nature of the restriction. For geographic blocks, the bank can often add a temporary travel authorization. For category restrictions, the bank may need to adjust the card settings or the cardholder can do it through their banking app.
If the restriction was placed by a fraud detection system, verifying identity and confirming the transaction as legitimate will usually result in the restriction being lifted immediately. The bank may ask security questions or send a verification code.
For corporate cards where the restriction was set by the company administrator, the cardholder will need to contact their finance team rather than the bank to request a policy change.
Managing card restrictions proactively
Before traveling internationally, contact your bank to set a travel notice so transactions abroad are not blocked. Many banking apps now allow you to do this digitally without calling.
Businesses using corporate card programs should regularly review their card restriction policies to ensure they align with actual business needs. Overly aggressive restrictions create friction for employees and lead to unnecessary declines, while too few restrictions reduce spend control. Modern platforms like Slash allow granular, real-time control over where and how each card can be used.
