A credit card outage means the payment network connecting your bank to merchants is temporarily offline, so your card won't work even though your account has money in it
When Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover's systems go down, your card stops working at checkout — not because your bank froze your account or your card is damaged, but because the network that authorizes the transaction is unreachable. The outage affects millions of cardholders at once, across all banks and card issuers. Your money is still there. The problem is the bridge between you and the merchant is broken.
Outages happen rarely but unpredictably. They can last anywhere from minutes to several hours depending on what caused them — a software update gone wrong, a cyberattack, a data center failure, or a routing error. During an outage, you have no way to know when service will return, and neither does your bank or the merchant.
Key Takeaways
- During a network outage, your card will be declined at every merchant, even though your account balance is unaffected and your card is not damaged.
- You can use cash, checks, or a debit card on a different network (if you have one) to pay for things while your primary card's network is down.
- Contact your card issuer's customer service line only if you need to report fraud or verify a transaction — outage support lines will be overwhelmed and cannot restore service faster.
- Check the payment network's official social media accounts or your bank's website for outage updates, not news sites or third-party apps that may report outdated information.
- You are not liable for any charges that fail during an outage, and merchants cannot charge you a fee for a declined transaction caused by a network failure.
How to pay for things during an outage
If your credit card is declined and you need to make a purchase, use cash or a check if the merchant accepts them. Both bypass the payment network entirely and will work regardless of any outage.
If you have a debit card from a different bank or a different payment network, try that instead. For example, if your primary card is a Visa and Visa is down, a Mastercard debit card from another bank may still work. The networks operate separately, so one going down does not automatically take the others with it.
Some merchants also accept digital payment apps like Apple Pay or Google Pay, which route through different systems than traditional card networks. These may or may not work depending on which network the app is using behind the scenes — the app will tell you if the payment failed.
What happens to pending transactions during an outage
Transactions that were processing when the outage started may still go through once the network comes back online. You might see a charge appear on your account hours or even a day after the outage ends, even though you thought the payment failed at checkout.
If you were charged twice for the same purchase — once before the outage and once after — contact your card issuer's customer service to report the duplicate. They can reverse the extra charge, though it may take a few business days to appear back in your account.
Merchants sometimes refund declined transactions automatically once they see the payment failed. Other times they leave the charge in a pending state and it falls off after a few days. If you are unsure whether a transaction went through, check your account online or call your bank.
When to contact your card issuer
Do not call your bank's main customer service line during a widespread outage. Those lines will be flooded with calls from other cardholders reporting the same problem, and representatives cannot fix a network outage — they can only confirm that it is happening.
Contact your card issuer only if you need to report fraudulent charges, verify that a specific transaction is legitimate, or ask about a duplicate charge. Be specific about the merchant name, amount, and date so the representative can look up the transaction quickly.
If you need to check your account balance or recent transactions, use your bank's mobile app or website instead of calling. Online systems usually stay accessible even when payment processing is down.
How to find real-time outage information
The payment networks themselves post outage updates on their official social media accounts and status pages. Visa publishes updates at visa.com/status, Mastercard at mastercard.us/status, American Express at americanexpress.com/status, and Discover at discover.com/status. These pages show when the outage began, what systems are affected, and estimated time to resolution.
Your bank's website and mobile app may also display an outage notice on the login page or in the app's main menu. This is often the fastest way to confirm that the problem is a network outage and not an issue with your specific account.
Avoid relying on news websites or social media posts from other users to determine whether an outage is still active. By the time a news article is published, the situation may have already changed, and user reports are often outdated or incomplete.
What you are not responsible for during an outage
You cannot be held liable for any late fees, overdraft fees, or other charges that result from a declined transaction during a network outage. If your bank charged you a fee because a payment failed to process, contact them and ask for it to be reversed, explaining that the failure was due to a network outage beyond your control.
Merchants also cannot charge you a fee for a declined card during an outage. If a store tried to charge you an extra fee because your card did not work, report it to your card issuer — this violates payment network rules.
If you missed a bill payment important date because you could not use your card during an outage, contact the creditor and explain what happened. Many will waive a late fee if you can show that the outage prevented you from paying on time. Provide the date and time of the outage as proof.
Preparing for future outages
Keep some cash on hand — even $50 to $100 — so you can buy essentials if a payment network goes down. Outages are rare enough that you will not need it often, but common enough that having a backup is practical.
If you rely on a single card for most purchases, consider opening a second account at a different bank or getting a card on a different payment network. This gives you a backup payment method if one network is down.
Save your card issuer's customer service number in your phone so you can reach them quickly if you need to report fraud or verify a transaction. During an outage, you may not be able to look up the number online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will an outage damage my credit score?
No. A declined transaction during a network outage does not appear on your credit report and does not affect your score. Your credit history only reflects payments you actually made or missed, not transactions that failed to process.
Can I use my credit card at an ATM during an outage?
No. ATM withdrawals route through the same payment networks as in-store purchases, so your card will be declined at the ATM too. You can only withdraw cash using a debit card or by visiting a bank branch in person.
What if I am traveling and my card does not work during an outage?
Contact your card issuer to ask if they can provide emergency cash or a replacement card. Some issuers offer emergency cash advances or can arrange for cash to be available at a nearby branch or partner location. Have your ID and account information ready.
Do outages happen to all payment networks at the same time?
Rarely. Most outages affect a single network — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover — while the others continue working. A simultaneous outage across all networks would be extremely unusual and would make national news.
How long do outages usually last?
Most outages are resolved within a few hours, though some have lasted longer depending on the cause. There is no way to predict how long a specific outage will last, so check the payment network's status page for updates rather than guessing.