Declined Check?

Is TeleCheck telling the business that my check is not good?

No. TeleCheck does not tell a business whether a check is good or bad. TeleCheck does not access your account balance before generating an acceptance advisement. If your check is not approved, it simply means that TeleCheck does not have enough information about your check to approve the transaction or that you may have an unpaid check or debt in our check writer database.

Does TeleCheck have access to my bank account balance?

Decisions are made based on information in TeleCheck's checkwriter database and a statistical analysis of your check compared to all checks that have passed through TeleCheck's system. In rare instances TeleCheck will be required to contact a consumer’s bank at which point the account balance may be verified.

I had plenty of money in my account and I had no unpaid check debt. Why did I receive a “Code 3?”

TeleCheck’s risk predictive models analyze check transactions. These models analyze a check transacton and give it a score that represents its overall risk potential. If TeleCheck declined the transaction because of its risk score, it’s because the risk model indicated the transaction reflected a significant level of risk.

How can TeleCheck stop me from writing a check on my account when there’s plenty of money in it?

Increasing incidences of marketplace fraud have made it necessary to carefully examine all forms of payment to attempt to establish their authenticity. Merchants are not required to accept checks – it is a payment option they choose to extend. By controlling fraud, merchants are better able to continue to offer this payment option to customers.

How do I identify my transaction to TeleCheck?

If a transaction is declined, the clerk may hand the check writer a courtesy card with a seven-digit Record Number written on the front of the card. The Record Number on the courtesy card expedites customer service when a check writer calls TeleCheck® to inquire about the transaction. Or, you may provide your bank numbers.

What can I do to improve the chances that my check will be approved in the future?

TeleCheck can help you establish a positive file. If you provide TeleCheck with the information listed below, TeleCheck can verify the information in its database and update your file with current information which may improve the likelihood your checks will be approved in the future.

1. The Record Number (if provided on the courtesy card).
2. Your driver's license number and the state where it was issued.
3. The banking numbers printed along the bottom of your check.
4. Your Social Security Number, if you were referred by a financial institution.

Please understand, providing this information will not guarantee your transactions will be approved in the future because risk models utilize hundreds of constantly-changing variables.

How long does a record unpaid check debt stay on file?

Each report of check debt submitted to TeleCheck® remains on file for seven years. However, if the debt is paid, the record will be amended to reflect this fact, and TeleCheck will not issue a decline based solely on that now-paid debt.

How do I get it deleted?

If a merchant or financial institution reported a debt in error, you may dispute it with TeleCheck. And again, payment of the outstanding debt will cause the record to update to a “paid” status.

What is the Record Number for declined checks?

If a transaction is declined, the clerk may hand the check writer a courtesy card with a seven-digit Record Number written on the front of the card. The Record Number on the courtesy card expedites customer service when a check writer calls TeleCheck to inquire about the transaction.