04 | Pick up card

Industry

Systems & Devices

Canonical

/systems/pos-systems/error-codes/04/

Last Updated

Feb 27, 2026

Summary

The issuer indicates the card should be retained and the transaction should not proceed.

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What This Code Means

Response code 04 is an issuer instruction that the card should be picked up/retained (where permitted) and the transaction declined. Modern POS environments often cannot retain cards; in practice, it is treated as a hard decline requiring the cardholder to contact their bank.

Where Users Usually See This Code

High-risk authorizations
Card status issues reported by the issuer

Why This Code Appears

Issuer flagged the card status (lost/stolen/suspected compromise)
Issuer risk rules triggered a retain instruction

What Typically Happens Next

The transaction is declined
Merchant is instructed to request another payment method

What This Code Is Not

It is not a terminal configuration problem
It is not a connectivity issue

Troubleshooting Checklist

□ Do not retry the same authorization repeatedly
□ Ask the cardholder to contact the issuer and use another payment method
□ Follow processor/acquirer guidance for card-retain instructions (policies vary)

Notes And Edge Cases

Handling of “retain card” responses is governed by merchant and acquirer policies; do not put staff at risk.

Related Codes

8 links

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