Boost recurring donations this giving season with the upsell prompt!With the Auctions app, you can charge a bidder's card from the Checkouts tab, one bidder at a time or in a batch. Start by checking the bidder's payment card status. When a charge isn't offered, or doesn't go through, the message you see tells you why. Find it below.
Check the bidder's payment card status first
The auction's Bidders tab shows a Payment Card Status for every bidder. It tells you which card a batch charge will use:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Auction Default Set (green) | A card is set as the bidder's card for this auction, and it is valid. A batch charge uses it. |
| User Default Set (orange) | No card is set for this auction, and the bidder's account default card is valid. A batch charge uses the account default card. |
| Card Needed (red) | A batch charge has no valid card to use for this bidder. |
A card is valid when it hasn't passed the end of its expiry month, was saved through Stripe, and was saved with everything Stripe needs to charge it.
A bidder shows Card Needed when any of these is true:
- The bidder has no linked Soapbox user account.
- The card set for this auction has expired, has been removed, wasn't saved through Stripe, or was saved without what Stripe needs to charge it.
- No card is set for this auction, and the bidder has no valid account default card.
A batch charge uses only the card set for this auction or, when none is set, the account default card. It never falls back to another saved card. So a bidder whose card for this auction has expired shows Card Needed, even when their account default card is fine.
To find every bidder who needs a card before you run a batch:
- Open the Auctions Manager.
- Click the title of the auction.
- Click the Bidders tab.
- Click the filter button (Show filters).
- Under Payment Card Status, choose Not Ready.
- Click Save.
To fix a bidder, click their name and click Set Auction Default next to a card that isn't marked Expired, or add a new card under Payment Methods. The status updates straight away. See Managing Bidders and Understanding a bidder's Payment Card Status.
You can still charge a Card Needed bidder on their own. On their checkout, Saved card lets you choose any of their saved cards that hasn't expired.
Saved card is unavailable
The Saved card button is grayed out, and hovering over it shows "No saved card on file". The bidder has no card you can charge, for one of these reasons:
- The bidder has no user account. Saved cards belong to a user account, so a bidder without one never has a saved card. You can still take their payment with New card, Cash or Check, or send them a checkout link. To save cards for them in future, link or create an account. See Linking and unlinking user accounts.
- Every saved card has expired. Expired cards are left out of the Card list. The Card on file column marks them expired. Use New card, or send a checkout link.
New card is unavailable
Hovering over New card shows "Card entry is unavailable". Your site's Stripe connection isn't set up, so cards can't be typed in. Contact Soapbox support.
A bidder is under Not included in the batch
When you click Charge cards on file…, bidders who can't be charged are listed under Not included (N), with a reason:
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| "No linked user account" | Take their payment on their own checkout (New card, Cash or Check), or send a checkout link. |
| "User has no default payment method" | The bidder has cards, but none is chosen for this auction or set as their default. On the auction's Bidders tab, open the bidder and click Set Auction Default next to a card. |
| "Payment method not found" | The card chosen for this auction has been removed. Choose another card with Set Auction Default. |
| "This card has expired. Please choose another payment method or add a new card." | Choose another card with Set Auction Default, charge a different saved card from the bidder's checkout, or send a checkout link. |
| "This saved card can't be charged. Ask the bidder to add the card again." | Ask the bidder to add the card again, or charge a new card from their checkout. |
Batch charging is disabled
The review shows "Batch charging is disabled for this auction (settlement mode: manual)". The auction's Settlement Mode is Manual. Change it to Batch review under Settlement Configuration on the Details tab, or charge bidders one at a time. See Configuring checkout and settlement settings.
"A batch charge is already running for this auction" means someone else started a batch. Wait for it to finish, then reload.
The card needs the bidder to authenticate
A single charge shows "This card needs the bidder to authenticate, so it can't be charged from here. Send the bidder a checkout link." In a batch, the result reads Needs authentication. The bidder's bank wants them to confirm the payment themselves, which they can do from a checkout link.
The card was declined
A single charge shows the decline reason from your payment processor. In a batch, the result reads Declined, with the reason. Ask the bidder for another card, or send them a checkout link. After a batch, Email checkout link to N bidders sends a link to everyone who was declined or needs to authenticate.
Declines are also logged in the bidder's Communications & activity. Tick Payment events under Also show to see them.
Other messages
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Nothing is owed on this checkout. It may have just been paid." | Close and reopen the bidder's checkout to see the current balance. |
| "This checkout is already being charged. Refresh to see its balance before charging again." | Another charge is in progress. Reload before trying again. |
| "Enter an amount between $0.01 and $X." | Enter an amount no larger than the balance. |
| "The charge didn't complete (the processor reported …)" | Nothing was recorded. Check the payment named in the message in your Stripe Dashboard before charging again. |
| "The batch charge stopped with a server error. Some cards may already have been charged. Check each bidder's balance before charging again." | Click Done, then check each bidder's balance before running another batch. |
The card was charged, but the payment wasn't recorded
Very rarely, the card is charged but the payment can't be saved to the bidder's checkout. A single charge shows "The card was charged $X (payment …) but the payment could not be recorded. Do not charge this bidder again until the payment is recorded." In a batch, the bidder's result reads Charged, not recorded, and the batch stops: "Stopped at [bidder]. … No bidders after them were charged."
The bidder's checkout still shows the full balance, because nothing was recorded. No screen records this payment afterwards. Instead, refund it in Stripe and take the payment again:
- Don't charge the bidder again, and don't send them a checkout link yet.
- Note the amount and the reference shown after "payment" in the message. It starts with "pi_".
- Sign in to your Stripe Dashboard and search for that reference.
- Refund the payment in Stripe.
- On the auction's Checkouts tab, open the bidder and take the payment again. See Taking a payment from a bidder.
- If it happened during a batch, click Charge cards on file… again to charge the bidders after them.
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