Freeze and unfreeze cards

Freeze a card

Once a freeze takes effect, the card cannot initiate new purchase transactions. Incoming fund processing, including refunds, is not affected.

Applicable scenarios

• Card information may be exposed or at risk of unauthorized use
• Abnormal transactions or unusual card activity is detected
• Card transactions must be temporarily restricted for internal control purposes
• The merchant restricts card usage as part of its risk management procedures

Status changes after freezing

After a card is frozen, its status changes from ACTIVE to FROZEN.

Freeze methods

Through the Dashboard:

1. Go to the card details page
2. Click “Freeze card”
3. Confirm the freeze instruction

Through the API:

Call the Card operation API and set type to FREEZE. When the operation takes effect, the card status is updated to FROZEN.

System freeze

In addition to merchant-initiated freezes, the ONERWAY risk control system can automatically place a card in SYSTEM_FROZEN when it detects risk signals. This control restricts subsequent card transactions while the risk is being reviewed, helping reduce potential fund loss and account risk.

Common trigger scenarios

• Abnormal transactions or unusual card activity is detected, such as high-frequency transactions or transactions with abnormal amounts within a short period
• Card information may be exposed or at risk of unauthorized use, such as suspected card compromise or unusual merchant transactions
• Other risk conditions in platform risk control rules are triggered

Merchant freeze vs. system freeze

Both types of freezes restrict card transaction availability, but their recovery methods differ:

When a card is in SYSTEM_FROZEN, contact the ONERWAY support team and provide the relevant information for risk review and subsequent handling.

Unfreeze a card

For a card in FROZEN status, an unfreeze operation can be initiated after the relevant risk has been cleared and the card meets the applicable usage requirements.

Applicable conditions

• The current card status is FROZEN, meaning it was frozen by the merchant
• The card has not expired
• The card is not in SYSTEM_FROZEN status. System-frozen cards must be handled by the ONERWAY support team after risk review and cannot be directly unfrozen through the Dashboard or API.

Status changes after unfreezing

When the unfreeze operation takes effect, the card status is updated from FROZEN to ACTIVE and purchase transaction availability is restored.

Unfreeze methods

Through the Dashboard:

1. Go to the card details page
2. Click “Unfreeze card”
3. Confirm the unfreeze instruction

Through the API:

Call the Card operation API and set type to UNFREEZE. When the operation takes effect, the card status is updated to ACTIVE.

Operating rules

• After a freeze or unfreeze instruction is submitted, the card status is updated when the operation takes effect
• Cards in EXPIRED or TERMINATED status cannot be unfrozen
• A card that expires while frozen cannot be restored to an available status
• Cards in SYSTEM_FROZEN do not support merchant self-service unfreeze and must be handled by the ONERWAY support team after risk review