Most declines come from one of two places: not enough spending power behind the card, or a card control working as designed. Work through these checks in order — the first two explain the majority of declines.
Do you have enough spending power behind the card?
Card limits control how much a card may spend, but they don't create spending power. Raising a card or user limit never increases what's actually available.
Rho Card with Daily Terms: spending is based on the available balance in your Rho Checking account. If Checking can't cover the purchase, the transaction declines — even if the card's limit is higher.
Rho Card with Monthly Terms: spending is based on your overall account credit limit. Transactions succeed only if sufficient credit remains within your total credit limit.
Did the transaction exceed a card limit?
If a card has a recurring limit, any transaction that would exceed it is declined. Daily limits reset every day, weekly limits every week, monthly limits on the 1st of each month, and annual limits once a year.
Two limit types behave differently. A Fixed card automatically locks once its transactions fully settle, so later charges decline. A Single-Use card's limit can't be changed after creation.
To check or change a limit, open the Cards tab, select the card, and click Configure Card. Adjust the Card Limit, then click Save Changes. A limit of "0" means the card has no spending cap.
Is a merchant or category control blocking it?
A card can be restricted to a group of up to 20 distinct merchants (as of 08/02/2026), or to specific merchant categories set by Mastercard. Transactions anywhere else decline.
Admins can also set company-wide restrictions under Settings > Security > Card Restrictions — an unlimited number of categories and up to 20 specific merchants, declined across every card in the organization.
Separately, some categories are always restricted for legal or fraud-prevention reasons (for example, betting, cannabis, and quasi-cash), and some merchants decline charges when the shipping address doesn't match the card's billing address. You can set a different billing address per card.
Is International Spend turned off?
International spending is enabled on all Rho Cards by default. If it was toggled off, every transaction outside the US declines. Re-enable it under Advanced Controls in your Card Settings by toggling on International Spend.
Is the card outside its usage dates?
Cards can be set with custom active dates, so they only work between the specified days. Transactions decline starting on the end date itself, so check the card's usage dates if a previously working card stops.
Is the card locked or expired?
Any transaction attempted on a locked card is automatically declined until the card is returned to its Active state. To unlock, go to All Cards, select the card, click the three dots (⋯), and choose Unlock Card.
Expired cards are canceled and automatically reissued. Cards stay active through the entire month of their expiration date and are canceled on the 1st of the following month. The replacement has a new card number, so update any subscription a merchant didn't transfer automatically.
Was the transaction flagged as suspicious?
If you've opted into SMS fraud alerts, a suspicious transaction is automatically declined and you receive a text asking you to confirm it. Reply YES and the block is lifted so you can re-attempt the purchase. Reply NO and the card is canceled to prevent further fraud.
Opt in from your user profile under User settings > Notifications, using a cell phone number.
What if none of these apply?
Contact Rho support, available 24/7: call 1 (855) 743-8746, start an in-app chat, or email clientservice@rho.co.