Sometimes a guest reaches the card step on your booking page and it doesn’t go through: the card is declined, or their bank’s security check fails. That check is often called 3D Secure — the pop-up or banking-app prompt asking them to approve the card. The booking isn’t made. Here’s what the guest sees and what happens next.
What the guest sees
After they press Confirm Booking, the page shows Payment Failed with a message saying what went wrong, as far as their bank tells us:
- A failed bank check: We couldn’t verify this card with your bank. Please try again, or use a different card.
- Not enough money: Your card was declined due to insufficient funds. Please try a different card.
- An expired card: Your card appears to have expired. Please try a different card.
- A wrong security code: Your card’s security code (CVC) wasn’t accepted. Please check it and try again.
- Any other decline: Your card was declined. Please try a different card, or contact your bank if the problem continues.
Underneath are two buttons. Update Card Details takes them back to the card step with everything else they’ve entered kept. Start Over starts the booking again from the beginning.
What happens to the booking, the table and the money
No booking is made. Nothing appears in NomNom: there’s no booking, and no payment on any Card & Payments tab.
Nothing is charged. A declined card or a failed bank check takes no money. If the guest tries again and it works, it becomes an ordinary booking with the usual confirmation email.
The table is let go. While the guest is still trying, NomNom keeps the table aside for them, and you may see a grey Online booking block on it on the chart. If they give up, it’s released automatically, usually within about an hour.
The "booking not completed" email
About an hour after the guest stops, NomNom emails them so they’re not left thinking they have a table. The subject is Your booking at (your venue name) was not completed. It gives the date, time and party size, and says in bold that no table is held and they haven’t been charged. It gives a short reason — the card was declined or had expired, the card details weren’t right, their bank’s security check wasn’t completed, or the card step wasn’t finished — links to your booking page to try again, and lists your phone number and email address.
It goes to the email address they typed on your booking page. It isn’t sent if they’ve since booked the same time successfully, and they won’t get a second one about the same time within 24 hours. You don’t get a copy, and because no booking exists, it doesn’t appear in NomNom.
If the guest gets in touch
- "It says it couldn’t verify my card." Their bank’s check didn’t complete, often because the approval in their banking app wasn’t finished. Ask them to try again and approve it, or use a different card.
- "My card was declined." Only their bank knows exactly why. Suggest another card, or a call to their bank.
- "Can I book over the phone instead?" Yes. Take the booking yourself (see Taking a booking over the phone), then use Request card or send a payment link from the booking’s Card & Payments tab (see Taking a card to hold a booking and Sending a guest a payment link).
- "Have I been charged?" No. If they’re sure money has gone, look for the attempt in your Stripe account: an unfinished attempt shows as incomplete or cancelled, not paid (see Why Stripe shows "Incomplete" payments).
In NomNom Web: Settings → Stripe → Manage Account. In the phone app: Settings → Stripe → Manage Account.
Good to know
- Card holds too. The same messages and the same email apply when a meal only takes a card to hold the booking and nothing is charged.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay. A wallet payment that fails shows the same messages (see Apple Pay and Google Pay on your booking page).
- Only your booking page sends this email. If a card fails on a payment link or card request you sent, the guest sees the error on that page, but no email follows.