Why is my payment failing?

Payment failures can occur on any platform for several reasons. Below, we've outlined the most common causes and how to resolve them based on which service you're using.

Payment issues on Holidu

If your payment is failing on Holidu, it might be for one of the following reasons:

1. Payment Authentication Issue

You must authorize the payment in your banking app or enter a code, TAN, or PIN sent by your bank via text message or phone call.

2. Insufficient funds

Please ensure that your account has enough balance to cover the payment.

3. Withdrawal amount exceeded

Your bank may have set a daily, weekly, or monthly spending limit. Check your banking app or contact your bank for more details.

4. Payment method supported

Please make sure you are using a valid payment method. We currently accept Credit Card, PayPal, iDeal (The Netherlands), Klarna (for Austria, Germany, and The Netherlands), or Sofort.

5. Invalid or Declined Card Details

Common issues include:

  • Incorrect CVC number or invalid CVC length
  • Invalid or expired card number
  • Blocked or restricted card (your bank may have declined the transaction for security reasons)
  • Cancelled card (check with your bank to confirm its status)

6. Too many failed attempts

If you have made 5 or more unsuccessful payment attempts, further transactions may be temporarily blocked. Please wait 1-2 hours before trying again. If the issue persists, we recommend checking with your bank or using an alternative payment method.

Payment issues on Booking.com

The next steps depend on the payment method you selected when booking.

If you chose "Pay Now"

Your payment is fully managed by Booking.com, and we (Holidu) do not have access to your payment details. To understand why your payment is failing, we kindly recommend reaching out to Booking.com's customer service via chat or phone call.

If you selected "Pay On"

Holidu is responsible for processing your payment. If your payment is failing, please refer to the payment issues listed in the Holidu section above.

Payment issues on Airbnb

Airbnb manages all payments directly. If you are experiencing issues processing your payment, we kindly ask you to reach out to Airbnb customer service via chat for further assistance.

You might find the answer to your question in their help section on why your payment is getting declined or isn't working.

Next steps

If you've checked all the above and your payment is still failing, we recommend:

  • Contacting your bank to confirm your card is active and not blocked
  • Trying a different payment method
  • Clearing your browser cache and cookies, then attempting the payment again
  • Reaching out to our customer support team for further assistance
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