In ChargeAutomation, a Payment Aborted status typically occurs when a transaction is intentionally stopped by the system to prevent errors or when a significant configuration change happens.
Here are the most common reasons and how to fix them:
1. Payment Gateway Change (Most Common)
If you recently switched your payment gateway (e.g., from Stripe to Authorize.net), ChargeAutomation automatically aborts all pending or scheduled payments associated with the old gateway. This is a safety measure to ensure funds aren't processed through a disconnected account.
šThe Fix: You must request the guest to re-enter their card details so a new payment token can be generated for your current gateway. ChargeAutomation usually sends an automated email for this, but you can also manually trigger a "Request Card" email from the booking details page.
2. Virtual Card (VC) Authorization Issues
For bookings from OTAs like Booking.com or Expedia that use Virtual Cards, a payment might be aborted if the authorization fails or if there is a rounding error (often due to currency conversion).
šThe Fix: ChargeAutomation has built-in logic to retry these up to three times, reducing the amount by 1 cent each time to account for rounding. If it still shows as aborted, check the authorized charge date provided by the OTA; you may need to manually charge the card on the correct date.
3. Automation or Webhook Timeouts
If you are using Zapier or custom webhooks to trigger payments, an "Aborted" status in your logs might indicate that a web request was invalid or timed out (often after 35 minutes of no response).
šThe Fix: Verify that your webhook URL and API keys are valid. If you are using smart values in Zapier, ensure they are mapping to the correct data fields.
4. Guest Payment Processing Issues
Sometimes a payment is aborted if the guest's bank requires 3D Secure (3DS) authentication and the guest closes the window before completing it.