---
id: help.payments.blocked
title: "Why was a payment blocked or put in review?"
canonical: https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/why-was-a-payment-blocked
description: "A rule looked at the payment before it reached the bank. A block refuses it, and a review lets it through and asks someone on your team to look at it under ."
last_verified: 2026-11-02
---

# Why was a payment blocked or put in review?

A rule looked at the payment before it reached the bank. A block refuses it, and a review lets it through and asks someone on your team to look at it under **Risk**.

Who can: Owner, Administrator can approve a review in [Risk](https://dashboard.secureprocessing.app/risk).

## Blocked or flagged

A payment’s page says what the rules decided:

| On screen | What happened |
|---|---|
| Passed | No rule objected. |
| Flagged for review | The payment went ahead, and a rule asked for someone to look at it. |
| Blocked | A rule refused the payment before the bank was asked. No money moved. |

Your customer is told "This payment can't be completed. Please contact the business." They are not told why, so that someone testing a stolen card learns nothing.

## Look at a review

Open **Risk**. **Reviews** lists the payments that need a look, with the reason the rule gave. For each one:

- **Approve and keep**, if you are happy it was a real customer.
- **Refund in full**, if you think it was not. Say why in at least ten characters. Our fee comes back in proportion, [unless your rate keeps it](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/refunds/do-i-get-your-fee-back.md), and it cannot be undone.

Nothing is waiting on you: the money has been taken either way.

## Our rules

Every business has these, in Test mode and live alike, and you cannot switch them off:

- Five payment attempts from one email in an hour: **blocked**.
- Three declined attempts from one email in a day: **review**.
- Ten payment attempts from one IP address in a day: **review**.
- Payments of 500000 or more in minor units, which is BZ$5,000 or US$5,000: **review**.

To let a particular customer past our rules, put them on your allow list. [Set up risk rules and block lists](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/risk-rules-and-lists.md) explains how.

For developers: [Risk rules and reviews](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/risk.md)

## Related

- [Set up risk rules and block lists](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/risk-rules-and-lists.md)
- [Why was a payment declined?](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/why-was-it-declined.md)
- [Refund a payment, in full or in part](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/refunds/refund-a-payment.md)

Still stuck? Write to [admin@secureprocessing.app](mailto:admin@secureprocessing.app) with the payment’s id and the rule’s name.