Decline code · Hard decline
Decline code 46: Closed Account
The account behind the card has been closed. Whether the cardholder shut it, the bank closed it, or the card product was discontinued, there is no active account left to bill. Authorizations on this number will fail from now on.
Should you retry?
There is no point retrying a closed account and no timing that changes the outcome. This is a permanent status, and reattempts count against network limits while returning the same answer. Move straight to updater or customer outreach.
Why code 46 happens
- The cardholder closed the account voluntarily, often after switching banks or consolidating cards.
- The issuer closed the account for inactivity, delinquency, or as part of exiting a card product.
- A card upgrade or product change closed the old account and moved the customer to a new number.
- A stored credential outlived the account it belongs to and is now failing in your billing cycle.
What to do about it
- Ask the customer for a current payment method, since no version of this card number will work again.
- Run account updater on stored credentials that return 46; product changes often register a replacement number you can adopt automatically.
- Mark the credential dead in your vault so dunning logic stops spending retries on it.
- For subscription customers, trigger your payment-update flow early in the dunning window rather than after several wasted attempts.
Frequently asked questions
- What does closed account mean on a card decline?
- The bank account tied to that card number no longer exists. The customer or the bank closed it, and the card can never be charged again. A current card or an account updater lookup is the only way to continue billing.
- Why did my subscriber's card start returning code 46?
- They closed that card account after subscribing, possibly during a bank switch or card upgrade. Query account updater for a replacement number, and if none exists, email the customer to update their payment details.
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