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Transaction Cancelled or Aborted

What it means when a Softpay transaction shows as "Cancelled" or "Aborted", the most common reasons, and what to do next.

What does "Transaction Cancelled" mean?

A cancelled transaction means the payment was stopped before it went through. No money was charged and the customer's card is not affected. You can safely start a new payment.

Cancelled transactions are normal and happen regularly. They are usually not a sign of a technical problem with Softpay or your device.

Common reasons a transaction gets cancelled

The cancel button was pressed (T.900.1050)

The most frequent cause. Someone tapped the X button in the Softpay app during the payment — either while waiting for a card tap or during PIN entry. This may be intentional (wrong amount entered, customer changed their mind) or accidental.

This code can also appear when a customer's card does not support entering a PIN on a phone or tablet. Some cards — particularly those issued outside of Europe, such as American or Asian cards, and some older cards — cannot provide a PIN when Softpay asks for one. The transaction cancels automatically. To the merchant, this looks the same as pressing cancel.

This is especially common at airports, tourist areas, and ferry terminals where international customers are frequent.

The Softpay app lost focus (T.900.860)

The app was pushed to the background during the payment — for example, by an incoming phone call, a notification, or switching to another app. For security, Softpay requires the app to stay in the foreground throughout the entire payment. If something interrupts it, the transaction is cancelled.

The POS app overlaid Softpay (T.900.561)

The cash register app displayed something on top of the Softpay app during the payment. This is not allowed for security reasons and will cancel the transaction. This typically indicates an integration issue that your POS provider should address.

A device setting triggered a security check

Softpay checks certain device conditions for security and compliance. If any of these are detected during a transaction, it will be cancelled:

  • Microphone active (T.900.850) — A microphone was enabled on the device.

  • Camera active (T.900.840) — A camera or barcode scanner was active during the transaction.

  • Incorrect device time (T.900.830) — The clock or timezone on the device is set wrong.

  • Developer mode enabled (T.900.810) — A technical debugging tool (ADB) is turned on. This should be disabled on devices used for payments.

What should I do?

  • Start a new payment. In most cases, simply retrying the transaction will work.

  • Keep the app in the foreground. Make sure nothing interrupts the Softpay app while a payment is in progress — silence phone calls or put the device in do-not-disturb mode if needed.

  • If the same card keeps failing: The card may not support on-device PIN entry. Ask the customer to try a different card or payment method.

  • If you see device-related cancellations: Check that the camera and microphone are off, the device clock is correct, and developer mode is disabled.

Understanding the error code

You may see a code like T.900.1050 on screen or in your reports. Here's what the parts mean:

  • T — The error relates to a transaction

  • 900 — The transaction was cancelled

  • 1050 — The specific reason (in this case, manual cancellation)

The last number tells you why it was cancelled. Here's a quick reference:

Code

Reason

T.900.1050

Cancel button pressed, or card doesn't support PIN entry

T.900.860

App was moved to background or covered by another window

T.900.561

POS app overlaid the Softpay app

T.900.850

Microphone was active

T.900.840

Camera or barcode scanner was active

T.900.830

Device time or timezone is incorrect

T.900.810

Developer mode (ADB) is enabled on the device

Does this affect my sales?

A cancelled transaction means no payment was processed and no money was charged. The customer's card is not affected. You can safely retry the payment.

Still need help?

If you're experiencing an unusually high rate of cancelled transactions or believe something else is going on, please contact your Softpay provider with your App ID and an approximate time when the issue occurred. This helps us investigate quickly.

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