Address Verification (AVS) Mismatch
An AVS mismatch occurs when the billing address or ZIP code entered at checkout doesn't match the address on file with the card issuer. This is not itself a network decline code — the issuer typically still authorizes the transaction but returns a mismatch flag, and it's the merchant's payment gateway or acquirer risk rules that decide whether to decline it.
Decline code by card network
| Card network | Code | Network's wording |
|---|---|---|
| Visa | 05 | Do Not Honor — AVS Mismatch |
| Mastercard | 05 | Do Not Honor — AVS Mismatch |
Common causes
- The customer mistyped their billing address or ZIP code at checkout.
- The customer recently moved and the issuer's records haven't been updated yet.
- The card is issued outside the country where AVS is supported, so the issuer cannot return a meaningful match result.
- The merchant's gateway or acquirer risk settings are configured to auto-decline any transaction with a partial or full AVS mismatch.
What merchants should do
- Prompt the customer to re-enter their billing address exactly as it appears on their card statement.
- Review your gateway's AVS rule settings — many platforms let you accept partial matches instead of declining on any mismatch.
- For manually reviewed orders, weigh the AVS result alongside CVV and other signals rather than declining on AVS alone, since it is one signal among several.
How to prevent this
- Use address autocomplete at checkout to reduce manual entry errors.
- Calibrate AVS decline thresholds by market — AVS coverage and accuracy vary significantly outside the US, UK, and Canada.
- Combine AVS with CVV and 3-D Secure results for a layered risk decision instead of relying on AVS as a single pass/fail gate.
Because AVS accuracy and support vary by country and issuer, an overly strict AVS rule can silently reject legitimate international or recently-relocated customers.
Frequently asked questions
Is AVS mismatch an official Visa or Mastercard decline code?
No. AVS is a verification service layered on top of authorization. The card networks don't issue a distinct "AVS mismatch" response code — the decline a merchant sees is generated by their own gateway or acquirer's risk rules reacting to the AVS result, commonly surfaced as a generic code such as "05 Do Not Honor."
If the issuer approved the transaction, why did my customer still get declined?
The issuer may have authorized the charge and simply returned an AVS mismatch flag alongside the approval. Your payment gateway or acquirer can be configured to override that approval and decline the transaction if its own risk rules treat an AVS mismatch as disqualifying.