Asking for Help When Your Card Doesn't Work

Your credit or debit card is declined at a store and you need help figuring out payment.

Clerk
Lo siento, no pasa la tarjeta. ¿Tiene otra?
loh SYEHN-toh, noh PAH-sah lah tar-HEH-tah. TYEH-neh OH-trah?
I'm sorry, the card isn't going through. Do you have another one?
"No pasa" literally means "it doesn't pass" — the standard way to say a card was declined.
You
¿Puede intentar otra vez, por favor? A veces tarda un poco.
PWEH-deh een-tehn-TAR OH-trah behs, pohr fah-BOHR? ah BEH-sehs TAR-dah oon POH-koh
Can you try again, please? Sometimes it takes a moment.
Clerk
Ya intenté de nuevo, pero sigue sin pasar. Dice "rechazada."
yah een-tehn-TEH deh NWEH-boh, PEH-roh SEE-geh seen pah-SAR. DEE-seh reh-chah-SAH-dah
I already tried again, but it still won't go through. It says "declined."
You
Hmm, ¿aceptan efectivo? ¿O tienen otro método de pago?
hmm, ah-SEHP-tahn eh-fehk-TEE-boh? oh TYEH-nehn OH-troh MEH-toh-doh deh PAH-goh?
Hmm, do you accept cash? Or do you have another payment method?
Always carry some local cash when traveling in Latin America — many smaller shops and street vendors are cash-only.
Clerk
Sí, efectivo está bien. También aceptamos transferencia si prefiere.
SEE, eh-fehk-TEE-boh ehs-TAH byehn. tahm-BYEHN ah-sehp-TAH-mohs trahns-feh-REHN-syah see preh-FYEH-reh
Yes, cash is fine. We also accept bank transfers if you prefer.
In many Latin American countries, bank transfer apps like Nequi, Yape, or Mercado Pago are widely used for everyday payments.