This article explains the different types of payment issues that can occur during the online payment journey, how they are investigated, and what information is available within SchemeServe and Opayo.

It also highlights current limitations and recommended troubleshooting steps.

Types of Payment Issues

Not all payment-related incidents are caused by the same problem. Broadly, they fall into two categories:

1. Payment initiation failures – the customer is unable to complete payment.
2. Payment status discrepancies – a payment appears successful in one system but unsuccessful in another.

Understanding which category an issue falls into is essential for effective investigation.

Scenario 1: Customer Cannot Complete Payment

Symptoms

A customer may report that:

• The payment page failed to load.
• Clicking Start Cover produced an error.
• The payment link appeared broken.
• They were unable to complete payment online.

In many cases, the policy remains off cover because payment was never successfully completed.

Investigation Process

Step 1: Check the Money Tab

Review the policy's Money tab.

Questions to ask:

• Is there a failed transaction recorded?
• Is there any transaction recorded at all?

If a Failed Transaction Exists

This indicates the payment request reached the payment gateway.

Possible causes include:

• Card issuer declines.
• AVS/CV2 validation failures (fraud-prevention checks used by payment gateways such as Opayo.)
• 3D Secure authentication failures.
• Fraud prevention rules.
• Excessive authorisation attempts.

SchemeServe does not receive the detailed decline reason from the payment gateway. The merchant should contact their payment provider directly for further information.

If No Transaction Exists

This generally indicates the payment process failed before reaching the payment gateway.

Possible causes include:

• Browser issues.
• Temporary network interruptions.
• Session timeouts.
• Validation failures.
• Third-party service interruptions.

In these situations:

• No failed payment record will appear.
• No transaction will be visible on the Money tab.
• The exact cause may not always be recoverable after the event.

Scenario 2: Payment Gateway Validation Issues

Symptoms

Customers may be unable to proceed with payment despite entering valid payment details.

Common Causes

Examples include:

• Address fields exceeding gateway character limits.
• Invalid billing information formats.
• Gateway-specific validation rules.

These failures may occur before a payment attempt is formally created.

As a result:

• The policy remains off cover.
• No payment is collected.
• A failed transaction may not appear in SchemeServe.

Investigation Process

1. Review customer data submitted during payment.
2. Check address lengths and formatting.
3. Review any validation rules imposed by the payment gateway.
4. Attempt reproduction using similar data in a test environment.

Some validation issues may be difficult to reproduce consistently.

Scenario 3: Payment Status Discrepancy

Symptoms

• A policy appears as paid within SchemeServe.
• The payment provider reports the transaction as unsuccessful or declined.

This is different from a customer being unable to make payment.

Investigation Process

Step 1: Verify SchemeServe Status

Review:

• Policy status.
• Money tab records.
• Recorded transaction references.

Step 2: Verify Payment Provider Records

Review:

• Transaction status.
• Settlement status.
• Authorisation status.
• Batch processing reports.

Step 3: Compare Outcomes

Determine whether:

• The payment was authorised but later failed.
• The payment was settled successfully.
• The payment provider has a different status to the one recorded within SchemeServe.

Important Note

Payment settlement occurs outside SchemeServe.

A typical payment flow is:

1. Customer submits payment.
2. Payment gateway authorises the transaction.
3. Transaction is included in a settlement batch.
4. Acquiring bank processes settlement.
5. Funds are deposited into the merchant's account.

Because settlement occurs outside SchemeServe, subsequent settlement-stage events may not always be visible within SchemeServe itself.

For this reason, brokers should reconcile:

• SchemeServe payment records.
• Payment gateway reports.
• Bank receipts.

This should form part of normal financial controls.

Reporting and Monitoring

Available Reporting

Reports can be created to identify:

• Failed transactions.
• Policies not yet on cover.
• Records with unsuccessful payment attempts.

These reports are useful for proactive monitoring and customer follow-up.

Current Limitations

Some failures may not appear in transaction reports because:

• The payment attempt never reached the gateway.
• Validation failed before transaction creation.
• A browser or network issue interrupted the process.

In these circumstances there may be no transaction record to report against.

Recommended Troubleshooting Checklist

When a customer reports a payment problem:

1. Check whether a transaction exists on the Money tab.
2. Determine whether the issue occurred before or after reaching the payment gateway.
3. Review any failed transaction records.
4. Contact the payment provider for gateway-specific decline reasons.
5. Check for validation issues such as address length restrictions.
6. Reconcile payment records against gateway and bank reports.
7. Escalate any payment status discrepancies for investigation.