Hi Jonrossmcphail,
Welcome to the Apple community where some of us do our best to help each other.
Wondering if your card is from a participating card issuer, or one that Apple Pay is not set up to accept ?
Sounds like you need to verify that your card (payment method) is available in your country or region,
You can check here:
Apple Pay participating Banks (Select your country or region):
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204916
Apple Support have articles. online to help you:
(Scroll down to your device on this set-p page ... to Add a card to Apple Pay.
(You might want too make sure your expiry date is valid, and CCV number is correct.)
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201232
How to manage your cards and contact info:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201232
Manage your Apple Pay account:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209228
Using Apple Pay (Scroll down again, for your device.)
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201239
If you still need help:
You might want to contact Apple for support and service:
See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201232
Hope something here helps you solve the issue, so you can use your account freely :)