The 'Credit Card Declines' meme format emerged in late 2020 as a humorous take on the hypothetical scenario of a service being immediately undone or reversed due to a failed payment. It typically follows a pattern: a professional—such as a doctor, therapist, or barber—completes a successful service, but upon the payment declining, they revert the customer back to their original state in an absurdly aggressive or comical way. The humor stems from the exaggeration of capitalistic transactions, suggesting that once the money is gone, the goodwill evaporates instantly. It has been widely used across social media to satirize everything from medical procedures to niche professional consultations.