Understanding and troubleshooting failed orders

Running an online store means making sure every part of the shopping experience goes smoothly. 

So when an order fails on your site, it can be frustrating and confusing for both you and your customer. Is there something wrong with your store? Did the customer fill something out incorrectly? What steps should you take next?

Once you know what to look for, you’ll feel confident handling any hiccups and keeping things running well for your customers. In this guide, we’re going to walk you through some of the most common payment errors, why they occur, and how to troubleshoot each one. 

So how do you know if an order failed? For starters, a customer might reach out to you and let you know that they received an error message when checking out. Or, you might see a red “Failed” warning in your order dashboard. Another option is that you might receive an email letting you know an order failed.

No matter how you discover it, the first step is to find out the reason the payment didn’t go through. Here’s a quick look at how to do this:

1. Go to WooCommerce → Orders in the WordPress dashboard. 
2. Find the order that failed. There will be a red “Failed” message next to it, or you can search by customer name or order number. Click the order number to find more information.
3. In the right-hand column, you’ll see a box titled Order Notes with a full list of order details. There, you’ll see the message, “Order status changed from Pending payment to Failed” along with a separate note listing the reason.

In this case, the payment card was declined. But that’s not the only reason an order fails. Let’s explore some other reasons orders fail. 

Let’s explore some of the most common errors you might see in Order Notes or on the front end of your site. Note that the exact error message that you see will depend on the payment gateway you’re using. Order Notes may also show an error code specific to your gateway that you can use for research or when speaking to customer support.

1. The customer’s card was declined

The error message will say something like, “The card was declined.” You may receive more details about what went wrong, like an invalid CVV code or exceeded transaction limit.

What causes this error?

There are a ton of reasons that a card could be declined: 

• The customer’s bank account may have insufficient funds. 
• Their card may be expired. 
• Their card may have spending limits that they’ve exceeded. 
• They may have entered their information incorrectly.

What steps should you take to resolve the error?

If you sell subscriptions, WooCommerce Subscriptions will automatically try the card again several times before changing the status to On Hold. This gives the customer ample time to add more funds to their bank account. 

From the customer’s perspective, they’ll see an error message on the checkout page if one of these issues occurs. This provides an opportunity for them to input their information again or update the credit card on file.

If a subscription renewal fails, they’ll receive an email notifying them that their payment didn’t go through. And again, they’ll be given time to correct the mistake so the transaction can proceed as normal. 

For single-purchase products, it’s probably not feasible to contact each person and ask them to try their purchase again. But if you have an established relationship with the customer, you may want to reach out and provide some assistance. Even with email notifications and error messages, not everyone realizes that their order didn’t go through. 

You can prevent some of these issues by using an extension like AutomateWoo. You can create triggers to occur under specific circumstances. Use it to send out card expiry notifications before a saved credit card expires to prevent a failed purchase in the first place. 

2. There’s an authentication issue

If there’s something going on with authentication, you’ll see an error message in the order notes that says something like, “Authentication required” or “The request could not be authorized.”

What causes this error?

This error usually occurs when there’s a mismatch between the credentials your site is using and the payment gateway’s requirements. For example, incorrect API keys, usernames, or passwords can prevent your site from authenticating properly. It can also happen if your payment gateway account has been suspended or if the authentication token has expired.

What steps should you take to resolve the error?

Start by double-checking the payment gateway settings in WooCommerce. Confirm that your API key is working and that your username and password are correct. If everything looks correct and you’re still seeing the error, try disconnecting from the payment gateway entirely, then reconnecting to refresh the connection.

You can also verify that your payment gateway account is active and in good standing — sometimes temporary account issues can cause authentication failures. 

3. A duplicate transaction was submitted

If someone accidentally submits a duplicate order in fast succession, the error message will say something like, “A duplicate transaction has been submitted.”

What causes this error?

This error occurs when multiple transactions with the same information — credit card number, name, address, or email address — are placed within a few minutes of each other. A legitimate customer might sometimes do this intentionally, but it’s often an indication of fraud. 

It can also occur if a confirmation page doesn’t load and a real customer is unsure if their order went through. In this case, they may click submit multiple times, causing the error.

What steps should you take to resolve the error?

If a legitimate customer reaches out after receiving an error message, encourage them to try again in a few minutes. Perhaps they put in their CVV code incorrectly and tried to fix it, inadvertently setting off the duplicate order filter.

If you’re seeing these types of errors over and over again from the same person, it could be fraud. You may want to block their IP address or username with a firewall plugin or set up an anti-fraud extension. 

For firewall protection, Jetpack Security is a solid option. Along with a web application firewall (WAF), it provides malware scanning, spam protection, overall site security, and real-time backups. 

And for fraud protection, the WooCommerce Anti-Fraud extension is excellent. This tool provides a rundown of the fraud risk of each transaction, helping you to better assess the likelihood of a fraudulent purchase attempt — whether the customer made a duplicate purchase or not. 

The good news is that, even without this extension, your payment gateway has already stepped in to protect you if you received this error message. 

4. Your API key is expired

In this situation, you’ll see a straightforward error message that says something like, “API key expired.”

What causes this error?

API keys are used to connect your payment gateway to your WooCommerce store. You typically enter them in the payment gateway settings in the WordPress dashboard. This error message occurs if the API keys are entered incorrectly, if they’ve expired, or if there’s an issue with the connection between your store and the payment gateway. 

This covers similar territory as the previous example about authentication issues but requires its own mention since not all authentication problems are API-related. 

What steps should you take to resolve the error?

Log into your payment gateway and obtain your new API keys. Each provider should have documentation on finding these. Then, update them in your WooCommerce settings.

5. There’s a site issue

Sometimes, general site issues are to blame for failed orders, and the error messages you receive will vary widely. Search for the error code from your order notes using your payment gateway’s documentation to determine if the problem is with your site.

What causes this error?

Site errors are triggered by several factors so let’s look at some common culprits.

• Outdated software. Running older versions of WordPress or WooCommerce can lead to compatibility issues with payment gateways. Many payment providers frequently update their software for enhanced security and performance. Eventually, the newest versions of your payment gateway plugin may no longer integrate with outdated versions of WordPress, your theme, or other important plugins. 
• Server issues. Server misconfigurations, high traffic loads, or even brief downtime can prevent your WooCommerce store from completing transactions. One scenario might be that your server’s PHP version is outdated or incompatible with your plugins. If this is the case, checkout failures can happen.
• Plugin conflicts. Sometimes, a conflict between WooCommerce and third-party plugins can interfere with the checkout process. This happens when a recently-installed or updated plugin introduces a bug or is incompatible with your current version of WooCommerce.​
• Theme conflicts. Occasionally, custom themes or themes not designed for WooCommerce can cause display or functional issues on the checkout page. 

What steps should you take to resolve the error?

When you’re troubleshooting site-related issues in WooCommerce, it’s important to take a systematic approach. After each step, test your checkout process to see if the problem is resolved before moving on to the next one.

1. Start by updating WordPress, along with all of your themes and extensions. To do this, go to your dashboard, then click Updates. Everything that needs updating should be listed here.

2. Switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Five. To do this go to Appearance → Themes in your dashboard and activate a default theme. Then, test your checkout process. If payment goes through, the issue was likely caused by the theme you were using.

3. Temporarily deactivate all of your plugins, other than WooCommerce and your payment gateway. To do this, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins to deactivate everything in one place. Test the checkout process. If the error goes away, start reactivating the plugins one by one until you find the one causing the issue. 
4. Check the WooCommerce System Status tool. It lists potential issues like outdated software, server misconfigurations, or required extensions that may be missing. So reviewing this can help you identify underlying issues. To do this, go to WooCommerce → Status and review the details. Look for anything marked in red or yellow and address it. 

5. Check your WordPress site health for potential problems and fix any that you find. You can access this tool by going to Tools → Site Health. It should identify any critical issues and provide recommendations for fixing them.

If none of those steps fix the problem, reach out to one of our Happiness Engineers for support.

Of course, there is no way to prevent all failed payments. But reducing them as much as possible is ideal. Beyond the site issues and technical steps previously discussed, there are a few additional steps you can take:

1. Make it simple for customers to update credit card information

Ensure that customers can update the information on their account if their credit card is expired or canceled. They can do this by default with an account, so if you only have guest checkout enabled, you may want to also turn on account creation.

Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Accounts & Privacy, and check the box next to “Allow customers to create an account during checkout.”

2. Set up email notifications for failed payments

While email notifications after a failed order don’t prevent it from happening, they can help you recover the sale. Enable these with an extension like AutomateWoo, which allows you to set up emails when certain triggers occur — like a failed order status.  

Choose a time frame after a failed payment. It could be 30 minutes, two days, or any other interval that makes sense for your brand. Then, add whatever content you’d like to the email. This is a great way to inform regular customers who may not know their subscription did not renew. 

And if you include a coupon code for 10% off or free shipping on their next order, shoppers who planned to cancel may update their payment information and remain a subscriber for years to come.

3. Regularly test your checkout process

It’s a good idea to make a habit of regularly testing your checkout process. Think of it as a routine checkup — just like how you’d maintain your car or computer. During this test, go through the entire checkout process yourself, from adding an item to the cart to completing payment. In doing this, you can catch potential problems before your customers encounter them.

Running a straightforward test is good, but doing so on multiple devices is even better. Your customers use all kinds of devices, so try running your tests on a smartphone (iOS and Android), tablet, and desktop computer. Test in multiple browsers, too, like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. A small issue in any of these devices or browsers could prevent sales.

4. Consistently update WordPress, extensions, and themes

By updating all of your software when the latest version is available, you can avoid potential conflicts and fix bugs before they become an issue. If you don’t want to worry about remembering, you can enable auto-updates in WordPress. 

To turn on plugin auto-updates, navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins, where you’ll see an option to enable auto-updates next to each one.

Or you can turn on auto-updates for all plugins by selecting all plugins, choosing Enable auto-updates in the Bulk actions menu, and then clicking Apply.

For themes, go to Appearance → Themes, select your active theme, and enable auto-updates there as well. 

5. Implement fraud prevention methods

If you start seeing a lot of duplicate payment errors or other signs of fraudulent orders, put some security measures in place across your site. WooCommerce Anti-Fraud automatically detects and blocks fraudulent orders by analyzing multiple risk factors like: 

• Mismatched billing and shipping addresses
• Suspicious IP addresses
• Unusually large orders

When a potentially fraudulent order is flagged, you can either block it outright or review it manually before processing​.

6. Let customers save multiple credit cards

By allowing customers with accounts to have multiple cards on file, they can quickly switch to another if they’re having problems with one. There’s no need for them to get off the couch and hunt for another option when it’s all been set up ahead of time.

To do this, you’ll need to use a payment gateway that allows for saved cards, like WooPayments. Shoppers can then choose to save their payment information to their account for future use when checking out.

Failed orders are an unavoidable part of running an online store. But by doing a little maintenance and learning why they occur, you can prevent many of these failures and even turn them into sales. Just follow the guidance assembled here and you’ll be well on your way. 

You hopefully now have a decent idea as to why orders sometimes fail and what you can do to fix their underlying causes. But in case you have a few lingering questions, let’s answer them.

What does each order status mean?

In WooCommerce, each order status represents a specific stage in the order processing workflow. Here’s a breakdown of what each status means:

• Pending Payment: The order has been created, but the payment hasn’t been received yet.
• Failed: The payment was attempted but didn’t go through.
• Processing: Payment has been received, and the order is being processed. At this point, the store is preparing the items for shipping or download.
• On Hold: Payment has been received, but the order requires some manual action before fulfillment, like verifying payment via bank transfer.
• Completed: The order has been fully processed and fulfilled, meaning the items have been shipped or delivered to the customer.

Why is my checkout page endlessly loading?

If your WooCommerce checkout page is stuck endlessly loading, it’s likely due to a JavaScript conflict. This happens when your theme or one of your plugins interferes with the checkout process. Common causes include outdated or poorly-coded themes, conflicts between multiple plugins, or third-party scripts affecting the page’s functionality.

Does WooCommerce send a failed order email to a customer? 

No, WooCommerce does not send a “failed order” email directly to customers by default. Instead, the failed order email is sent to the store admin with a notice that a payment attempt has failed. If you want to notify customers about failed payments, you can use extensions like AutomateWoo to set up custom email notifications.

How can I customize the failed order email? 

To customize the failed order email in WooCommerce, you can use Mailpoet’s WooCommerce Email Customizer tool. It lets you adjust the design, content, and layout of your email templates using a drag-and-drop interface.

Does WooCommerce Subscriptions automatically retry after a failed payment?

Yes, WooCommerce Subscriptions does automatically retry payments after a failed attempt. By default, it uses a retry system that attempts to collect the payment multiple times over a set period, following a customizable schedule. You can configure the retry intervals and the total number of retries within the settings. If all retries fail, the subscription may be suspended or canceled.

How do I delete all failed orders in WooCommerce?

To delete all failed orders in WooCommerce, go to WooCommerce → Orders in your WordPress dashboard and click the Failed tab. Once filtered, select the orders you want to delete by clicking the checkbox next to each one. Then, choose Move to Trash from the bulk actions dropdown, and apply the changes. This will send the selected orders to the trash, where they can be permanently deleted.

About

Kathryn Marr

Kathryn Marr is the co-founder of Blue Ivory Creative, a full-service content agency specializing in WordPress products and services.