Card payment declined in a French shop: what to say next

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated 14 October 2026 · About the library

Understand French checkout replies, ask whether a payment went through and offer another method. Practise phrases for the terminal, cash and change.

A2
16 phrases
5 situations
Learn this in the A2 notebook →

In short

Say Le paiement est passé ? to ask whether the payment went through. If the seller confirms it failed, ask Je peux payer avec une autre carte ? or Vous acceptez les espèces ?

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Understand the terminal reply

Start with the payment status. Passer here means to go through.

CashierLe paiement a été refusé.The payment was declined.

YouD’accord. Je peux payer avec une autre carte ?All right. Can I pay with another card?

CashierOui, bien sûr.Yes, of course.

YouJe vais utiliser celle-ci.I’ll use this one.

Ask when the response is unclear

YouLe paiement est passé ?Did the payment go through?

CashierUn instant, je vérifie.One moment, I’ll check.

YouVous pouvez vérifier avant que je réessaie ?Can you check before I try again?

CashierOui. Le terminal indique que la transaction a échoué.Yes. The terminal says the transaction failed.

Offer cash

This cashier accepts cash. The total is eighteen euros.

YouVous acceptez les espèces ?Do you accept cash?

CashierOui. Ça fait dix-huit euros.Yes. That comes to eighteen euros.

YouVoici vingt euros.Here are twenty euros.

CashierEt voici deux euros de monnaie.And here are two euros change.

After paying: ask for the receipt

YouJe peux avoir le ticket de caisse, s’il vous plaît ?Can I have the receipt, please?

CashierOui, le voici.Yes, here it is.

If you cannot pay: leave the item

YouJe n’ai pas d’autre moyen de paiement. Je vais laisser cet article.I have no other payment method. I’ll leave this item.

CashierD’accord, je le reprends.All right, I’ll take it back.

At the checkout

Choose the preposition with the method

French	English
payer par carte	pay by card
payer avec une autre carte	pay with another card
payer en espèces	pay in cash

La monnaie is the change you receive; le montant is the amount due. In the cash scene, the amount due is eighteen euros, the customer hands over twenty, and the change is two. The last two sections offer two endings: take the receipt after paying, or leave the item when you cannot pay.