The Brief: These Twitter memes ask people to imagine ways in which businesses might take back goods and services if their card gets declined.

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DEEP DIVE

Twitter memes are posing the hypothetical scenario “imagine your card gets declined at…” and drawing up situations where a business tries to undo a transaction by sabotaging a customer.

Most IRL instances where someone’s card gets declined are relatively straightforward as a business would refuse service to them or not let them take any goods without payment. These card declined memes, however, present imagined scenes where someone’s card is declined after they’ve received a service, and as retribution, the business tries to reverse the effects of that service. These proposed plots include comically absurd situations and remark on how cruel capitalism can be.

Card Declined Memes

This meme format rose in popularity on Twitter in early September 2020.

For those who are all too familiar with their card getting declined:

As long as they don’t take away the Hollywood Sign

This is America…

Ok, but what on Earth is in the Beyond section?!