My transaction was declined, and I got a notification asking me if I attempted it. What does this mean?

To help keep your family’s money safe, Greenlight has added an extra layer of protection for certain larger or unusual purchases. If a transaction seems risky based on the amount or merchant, it will be declined and we’ll ask for confirmation from someone in your family before allowing it to go through.

We do this to make sure the transaction doesn’t proceed without the awareness of someone you trust — typically you, the authorized approver (if any), and the cardholder themselves. 

This process helps ensure that only you or your approved family members can authorize higher-value or unexpected transactions made with your Greenlight card!

How do I confirm or deny the purchase?

Here’s what happens when a purchase needs your confirmation and how to take action:

1. If the transaction is declined, we’ll send a push notification and in-app alert to the following people:

• The cardholder, if they use the Greenlight app
• The Primary Accountholder
• The Authorized Approver (if one is on the account)

Each person notified will see a message asking them to confirm whether the cardholder recently attempted the purchase. The message includes the name of the merchant and the transaction amount.

2. Any of the three family members listed above can take action on the purchase confirmation:

By tapping the notification or opening the Greenlight app, you’ll be taken to a confirmation screen that shows the full details of the declined transaction. There, you can choose to:

• Approve the purchase by tapping “Yes”
• Deny the purchase by tapping “No”

3. As soon as one person confirms or denies the purchase:

• The confirmation request expires for everyone else
• All notified family members receive a follow-up message with next steps

If the purchase is approved:

If one of the notified family members approves the transaction, all three family members will be informed that the cardholder can retry the transaction. The purchase must be retried:

• At the same store as the original purchase attempt
• For the same amount or a lower amount as the original purchase
• Within 2 hours of the transaction confirmation request getting approved

Only one transaction can go through per approval so if multiple transactions require the additional approval step, you will receive notifications for each transaction!

If the purchase is denied:

If someone on the account denies the transaction, all notified family members will be sent a follow up message and be encouraged to:

• Contact the cardholder/Primary Accountholder to check in
• Review recent transactions on their account for any other unfamiliar activity
• Lock the card in the Greenlight app if you think it may be compromised
• Reach out to our team for further help if needed

How long do I have to respond?

You have 2 hours to respond to a purchase confirmation notification. If no one approves or denies the transaction within that time, the request will expire.

If the original purchase was approved but the cardholder doesn’t retry the transaction within 2 hours, the purchase will be declined again. However, simply attempt the purchase again and a new confirmation request will be sent!

Why was my transaction declined but I didn’t get a notification?

If your transaction was declined without a notification, it was likely a traditional decline, versus one that required purchase confirmation. This type of decline can happen automatically due to insufficient funds, card restrictions, or issues with the merchant.

To see the full list of possible reasons, check out this article: 
Why was my purchase declined?