Contact Card Issuer

The issuing bank requires the cardholder to contact them before this transaction or any further transactions can proceed. The bank may need to verify identity, confirm activity, or update account information.

Code 70 (Contact Card Issuer) is classified as a soft decline. Soft declines indicate temporary or recoverable issues — the transaction may succeed if the underlying problem is resolved or if retried after an appropriate delay.

Code 70 is a soft decline, but it is not automatically retryable. The cardholder typically needs to take action (such as contacting their bank) before the transaction can succeed. Do not retry automatically — wait for the cardholder to resolve the underlying issue.

Ask the customer to call their bank before retrying. Do not retry automatically — the issuer has a specific reason for requesting contact.

Call the number on the back of your card. Your bank needs to speak with you — this could be about verifying a recent transaction, confirming travel plans, or updating your account information.