The concept

Approval rate is the percentage of charge attempts that are actually approved by the card's issuing bank, relative to the total number of attempts processed in a period. An approval rate of 70%, for example, means 3 out of every 10 charge attempts are declined.

In international sales, the approval rate tends to be more sensitive than in the domestic market, because the issuing bank is evaluating a transaction in a foreign currency, often without recognizing the cardholder's purchase pattern in that context.

How it shows up in practice

You are running an international campaign and notice that the same creatives that convert well in Brazil bring a lot of refusal at checkout. The issuing bank does not recognize the purchase pattern of the cardholder in foreign currency and denies the transaction. Your international approval drops significantly when compared to the Brazilian market.

If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative.

David Ogilvy Source: Ogilvy on Advertising.

Test different soft descriptor patterns, average ticket and billing data to find the point where international approval goes up. Each market has its sensitivity. What works in Brazil can generate systematic refusal overseas.