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Meer dan 600 beoordelingenTL;DR:
- Reason codes identify dispute conditions, not final findings of fraud or fault.
- Read the network code alongside the provider category and case description.
- Match evidence to the specific allegation and current response deadline.
- Track code, outcome, and operational cause separately.
Chargeback reason codes identify the condition under which a card payment is disputed. They help merchants select the relevant evidence and response process, but they do not independently establish fraud, fault, or the final outcome.
Looking up a code? Use the full chargeback reason-code directory. Jump to Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover. This page explains how to interpret selected examples and match evidence to the allegation.
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Read the Code With the Network and Case Description
A processor may display a simplified category alongside the network code. Preserve both. The same general complaint can have different codes across networks, and one code can contain several distinct conditions. If a report shows older Visa numbers, compare old and current Visa chargeback codes.
| Example | Meaning | Useful evidence focus |
|---|---|---|
| Visa 10.4 | Other fraud in a card-absent environment | Relevant authorization, authentication, and customer records. |
| Visa 13.1 | Merchandise or services not received | Delivery agreement and fulfillment outcome. |
| Visa 13.3 | Niet zoals beschreven of defect | Purchase-time description and the alleged discrepancy. |
| Visa 13.6 | Betaling niet verwerkt | Refund amount, date, and reference. |
| Mastercard 4837 | No cardholder authorization | Records addressing authorization. |
| Mastercard 4853 | Cardholder dispute, with specific underlying conditions | Read the condition before selecting delivery, return, or billing evidence. |
These are selected examples, not a complete code list. Consult the Visa merchant guide and Mastercard merchant guide, then confirm the current condition with your provider. Do not universally map Mastercard nonreceipt claims to an older standalone code. For every code, see the full lists of Visa chargeback reason codes and Mastercard chargeback reason codes.
Keep Other Networks in Their Own Framework
American Express has its own dispute reference guide, and the Amex chargeback reason codes list matches each letter code to its evidence. Discover also uses a distinct framework of Discover chargeback reason codes. The Amex guide and Discover guide explain merchant routing. Do not translate a code by matching its digits to another network.
Turn the Reason Into a Specific Evidence Question
Follow the current case and provider requirements
Turn a reason code into five case questions
Exact allegation
What exactly does the cardholder allege?
Payment and amount
Which payment and amount are disputed?
Applicable condition
What condition permits the dispute?
Supporting record
Which record supports your answer to that condition?
Deadline and response options
What deadline and submission options appear in the case?
For unauthorized transactions, an approval code alone is not proof of consent. Card-present fraud codes, such as Mastercard reason code 4870 for chip liability shift, need their own evidence review. For nonreceipt, show the destination and delivery outcome. For product-description disputes, answer what allegedly differed from the promise.
Use standard evidence categories to organize records without sending an identical response for every case. A policy screenshot does not replace proof that the specific policy applied to the purchase. For code-by-code response tactics, see how to fight chargeback reason codes.
Keep Codes Separate From Fraud Findings and Monitoring
A fraud reason means an authorization complaint has been raised; it does not prove deliberate customer misuse. The guide to fraud chargeback reason codes covers the evidence for each fraud code. Likewise, a delivery dispute can reflect a genuine fulfillment problem. Record the allegation separately from your investigation finding.
Monitoring programs use their own definitions and thresholds. A reason-code table cannot tell you whether a merchant account is compliant. Review chargeback rules and your provider’s monitoring notices separately.
Use Outcomes to Improve the Next Response
Track the original code, provider category, evidence submitted, outcome and underlying cause. If the case changes stage or a new request arrives, read the current instructions and response deadline. Use the representment guide for supported submissions and the arbitration guide for permitted escalation.
Compare cases by both reason and business process. Repeated refund complaints may reveal a reconciliation problem; repeated nonreceipt claims may identify a delivery issue. The guide to Visa reason code 13.1 lists the evidence for nonreceipt cases. You can organize supported case responses with Chargeflow’s automated recovery.
Route the allegation to the evidence task
| Allegation | Next guide | What to connect |
|---|---|---|
| Goods or access not received | Nonreceipt evidence | Payment, promised fulfillment, destination or access, and complaint. |
| Goods or service differ from the promise | Description and performance evidence | Purchase-time description, alleged mismatch, return, and credit chronology. |
| Customer denies authorizing the payment | Authorization and permission | Transaction identifiers, available authentication records, and the precise allegation. |
| Duplicate, cancelled, or credited payment | Billing investigation | Capture, cancellation, and refund identifiers and amounts. |
This is a claim-routing map, not a one-to-one equivalence between card-network codes. Check the applicable condition and use the claim-specific response templates to organize the permitted evidence.
Continue learning: Evidence and escalation
Use Chargeback Evidence and Escalation: Choose Your Next Step to choose the next merchant task in this topic.
- What Is Chargeback Representment? Definition and Process: Merchant evidence submissions and the decision to counter a dispute.
- Pre-Arbitration Chargeback: What It Is, How It Works, and How Merchants Can Fight & Win Them: Continuing objections, permitted responses, and escalation decisions.
Sources and scope
Source notes updated: October 11, 2026. Card-payment disputes. Identify the network, region, reason and case stage before applying a rule. Codes can change between rule editions, so review recent Visa chargeback code changes. A cardholder filing window is different from a merchant submission deadline; use the due date and timezone on the merchant case notice.
- Visa: current public rules and editions
- Mastercard: rules and chargeback documents
- Stripe: responding to card disputes
For a live case, retain the governing document’s edition or effective date, the relevant provision, and the provider notice.
Veelgestelde vragen
Does a chargeback reason code prove fraud?
A chargeback reason code identifies the dispute condition. It does not independently prove fraud or decide the final outcome.
Do all card networks use the same codes?
Card networks use different reason-code frameworks. Merchants should read the network, code, description, and underlying condition together.
What evidence should a merchant send for a reason code?
Send evidence that answers the specific allegation and applicable condition. A general policy or approval record may not answer delivery, product, or refund complaints.
Chargebacks?
Dat is niet langer jouw probleem.
Haal 4x meer chargebacks terug en voorkom tot 90% van de inkomende betalingen, dankzij AI en een wereldwijd netwerk van 20.000 handelaren.
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