Dispute reason code categories

Learn about reason code categories and evidence guidelines.

Each payment method (such as a card, digital wallet, Buy now, Pay Later), defines hundreds of codes that represent specific reasons for dispute claims. These reasons often overlap across all of the different payment networks, thus Stripe organizes each payment method’s codes into one of eight categories. Each category is based on the general type of claim and the evidence required to effectively challenge it. You can manage disputes using the Dashboard or the API.

Reason code categories

The following tables show the Stripe categories for each payment method’s dispute reason codes. The reason code is available on the dispute object. For more information about Visa, Mastercard, and Amex, see Dispute reason codes.

Visa



Credit not processed	13.6 Credit not processed 13.7 Cancelled Merchandise/Services
Duplicate	12.6.1 Duplicate processing 12.6.2 Paid by other means
Fraudulent	33 Fraud analysis request 10.1 EMV Liability Shift Counterfeit Fraud 10.2 EMV Liability Shift Non-Counterfeit Fraud 10.3 Other Fraud - Card Present Environment 10.4 Other Fraud - Card Absent Environment 10.5 Visa Fraud Monitoring Program
General	28 Request for copy bearing signature 30 Cardholder request due to dispute 34 Legal process request 11.1 Card Recovery Bulletin 11.2 Declined Authorization 11.3 No Authorization 12.1 Late Presentment 12.2 Incorrect Transaction Code 12.3 Incorrect Currency 12.4 Incorrect Account Number 12.5 Incorrect Amount 12.7 Invalid Data 13.8 Original Credit Transaction Not Accepted
Product not received	13.1 Merchandise/Services Not Received 13.9 Non-Receipt of Cash or Load Transaction Value
Product unacceptable	13.3 Not as Described or Defective Merchandise/Services 13.4 Counterfeit Merchandise 13.5 Misrepresentation
Subscription canceled	13.2 Cancelled Recurring
Noncompliant	C028 Refinancing of an Existing Debit C030 Delayed or Amended Charges C031 Sold Paper C034 Merchant Processed Credit without a Previous Debit C035 Merchant Must Process a Reversal If Sale Processed In Error C036 Electronic Commerce Transaction C038 T&E Advance Deposit Service C045 Dispute Reduction Service Returned C048 Split Transaction C050 Other, See Attached Documentation C071 Prohibitions C081 Limits of Fee Collection C0135 Improperly Assessed Surcharge
Unrecognized	None

Mastercard



Credit not processed	4860 Credit Not Processed 4860 Timeshares 4860 Credit Posted as a Purchase
Duplicate	4834 Transaction Amount Differs 4834 Cardholder Debited More than Once for the Same Goods or Services 4834 ATM Disputes 4834 Charges for Loss, Theft, or Damages 4834 Late Presentment 4834 POI Currency Conversion (Dynamic Currency Conversion) 4834 Merchant Credit Correcting Error Resulting in Cardholder Currency Exchange Loss 4834 Improper Merchant Surcharge (Intra-European and Inter-European transactions only) 4834 Unreasonable Amount—Intra-European Economic Area (EEA) Transactions Only
Fraudulent	6341 Fraud investigation 4837 No Cardholder Authorization 4849 Questionable Merchant Activity 4870 Chip Liability Shift 4871 Chip Liability Shift—Lost/Stolen/Never Received Issue (NRI) Fraud
General	6305 Cardholder does not agree with amount billed 6322 Request Transaction Certificate for a chip transaction 6323 Cardholder needs information for personal records 6342 Potential chargeback or compliance documentation is required 6343 IIAS Audit (for healthcare transactions only) 6390 Identifies a syntax error return 4808 General Chargeback AND General Arbitration Chargeback 4807 Deprecated 4812 Account number not on file 4859 Addendum, No-show, or ATM Dispute 4859 German Domestic Rule - Card Acceptor Unwilling or Unable to Render Services 4859 Addendum Dispute 4859 No-show Hotel Charge 4831 Transaction Amount Differs 4831 Cardholder Debited More than Once for the Same Goods or Services 4831 Merchant Credit Correcting Error Resulting in Cardholder Currency Exchange Loss 4842 DEPRECATED: Late Presentment 4846 DEPRECATED: POI Currency Conversion (Dynamic Currency Conversion) 4901 Required Documentation Not Received to Support Second Presentment 4902 Documentation Received was Illegible 4903 Scanning error—Unrelated Documents or Partial Scan 4905 Acquirer Reference Data (ARD) Does Not Match or is Invalid 4908 Invalid Acquirer Reference Data; Documentation Received 4968 bad code - needs investigation 4840 bad code - needs investigation
Product not received	4855 Transaction Did Not Complete
Product unacceptable	4853 General Defective/Not as Described 4853 Goods or Services Were Either Not as Described or Defective 4853 Goods or Services Not Provided 4853 Failed Travel Merchant—Intra-EEA and Domestic European Transactions Only 4853 Digital Goods Purchase of USD 25 or Less 4853 Credit Not Processed 4853 Counterfeit Goods 4853 Cardholder Dispute of a Recurring Transaction 4853 Issuer Dispute of a Recurring Transaction 4853 Addendum Dispute 4853 No-show Hotel Charge 4853 Transaction Did Not Complete 4853 Timeshares 4853 Credit Posted as a Purchase
Subscription canceled	4841 Digital Goods Purchase of USD 25 or Less 4841 Canceled Recurring or Digital Goods Transactions 4841 Cardholder Dispute of a Recurring Transaction 4841 Issuer Dispute of a Recurring Transaction
Unrecognized	6321 Cardholder does not recognize transaction 4863 Cardholder Does Not Recognize—Potential Fraud

American Express



Credit not processed	A01 Charge Amount Exceeds Authorization Amount C02 Credit Not Processed C04 Goods/Services Returned or Refused C05 Goods/Services Cancelled C18 “No Show” or CARDeposit Cancelled P03 Credit Processed as Charge P05 Incorrect Charge Amount 061 Credit Processed as Charge 062 Charge Processed as Credit 154 Goods/Services Cancelled/Refused 158 Goods Returned (Request Credit) 170 Cancelled lodging reservation/CARDeposit not received 175 Credit Not Processed 680 Incorrect Charge Amount
Duplicate	C14 Paid by Other Means P08 Duplicate Charge 173 Duplicate Charge 684 Paid by Other Means
Fraudulent	F10 Missing Imprint F24 Multiple ROCs F29 Card Not Present F30 EMV Liability Shift - Counterfeit F31 EMV Liability Shift - Lost/Stolen/Non-Received FR2 Fraud Full Recourse Program FR4 Immediate Chargeback Program FR5 Immediate Chargeback Program FR6 Partial Immediate Chargeback Program 177 Unauthorized Charge 193 Fraudulent Charge
General	A02 No Valid Authorization A08 Authorization Approval Expired M10 Vehicle Rental - Capital Damages, Theft, or Loss of Use R03 Insufficient Reply R13 No Reply M01 Chargeback Authorization P01 Unassigned Card Number P04 Charge Processed as Credit P07 Late Submission P22 Non-Matching Card Number P23 Currency Discrepancy M04 Merchant Accepted M11 Reversal Due To Credit M36 See Notes M38 Reversal M39 Correct a Previous Transaction M42 Reversal Request Too Late S01 Reversal Request Denied S04 Reversal Request Under Review, Please Wait OP1 General 147 Charge paid by Insurance Company 169 Charge submitted in an invalid currency 693 Questioning Charge for Damage/Theft/Loss S02 Reviewed Support; Will not be Debiting Account S03 Support received
Product not received	C08 Goods/Services Not Received or Only Partially Received 004 Product Not Received 155 Goods not Received (Request Credit)
Product unacceptable	C31 Goods/Services Not As Described C32 Goods/Services Damaged or Defective 024 Goods Damaged/Defective 059 Goods Damaged/Defective (Request Repair) 063 Product Quality Unacceptable
Subscription canceled	C28 Cancelled Recurring Billing 021 Goods/Services Cancelled/Expired
Unrecognized	127 Unrecognized Charge 176 Unrecognized Charge (Card Not Present) 691 Requesting Support

Discover



Credit not processed	8002 Credit Not Processed
Duplicate	4534 Duplicate Processing 4865 Paid By Other Means
Fraudulent	6041 Transaction Documentation Request for Fraud Analysis 4866 Fraud Chip Card Counterfeit Transaction 4867 Fraud Chip Card and PIN Transaction 7010 Fraud Card Present Transaction 7030 Fraud Card Not Present Transaction
General	6021 Transaction Documentation Request 6005 Transaction Documentation Request Due to Cardholder Dispute 6040 Good Faith Investigation 4542 Late Presentation 4550 Credit/Debit Posted Incorrectly 4553 Cardholder Disputes Quality of Goods or Services 4586 Altered Amount 4752 Does Not Recognize 4753 Invalid Cardholder Number 4757 Violation of Operating Regulations 4762 Good Faith Investigation 4863 Authorization Non Compliance 6050 Disputes Compliance
Product not received	4755 Non-Receipt of Goods or Services 4864 Non Receipt Of Cash From ATM
Product unacceptable	None
Subscription canceled	4541 Recurring Payment
Unrecognized	None

Klarna



Credit not processed	Return
Duplicate	Already paid
Fraudulent	Unauthorized purchase
General	Incorrect invoice Pandemic impact High risk order
Product not received	Goods not received
Product unacceptable	Faulty goods

Paypal



Credit not processed	Credit not processed
Duplicate	Duplicate transaction Payment by other means
Fraudulent	Unauthorized
General	Other Problem with remittance
Product not received	Merchandise or service not received
Product unacceptable	Merchandise or service not as described
Subscription canceled	Cancelled recurring billing
Unrecognized	Incorrect amount

Cash App Pay



Unrecognized	FR10 Customer has no knowledge of the Payment. FR11 Customer has no knowledge of the Payment and liability has shifted to the Merchant due to collusion, fraud monitoring program thresholds, or any other reason.
Duplicate	PE10 Payment was processed twice. PE12 Customer paid by other means.
General	PE11 Payment amount differs from agreed amount.
Credit Not Processed	CD10 Canceled services. CD13 The purchase was canceled or returned, but the Refund hasn’t been processed.
Product Unacceptable	CD11 Goods or services differ from what was agreed upon for the Payment.
Product Not Received	CD12 The goods or services were not received.

Category defense guidelines

Use the selector to choose the category that matches the reason given for your dispute to see guidelines for responding.

This is the most common reason for a dispute and happens when a cardholder claims that they didn’t authorize the payment. The cardholder might have made an error and failed to recognize a legitimate charge on their credit card statement, or they might have genuinely been a victim of someone using their card fraudulently. This is a difficult dispute type to win because in many cases the reason for the dispute is correct. If you believe the payment was indeed fraud, the appropriate action is to either accept the dispute or decline to challenge it.

How to prevent it

Because fraud disputes are so difficult to win, prevention is key. Good strategies include:

Make sure your statement descriptor is easily recognizable to your customers and reflects the URL or business name they would associate with their purchase
Send receipts upon payment so your customers can remember what they paid for
Familiarize yourself with the best practices for preventing fraud

How to overturn it

Explain and demonstrate one or more of the following:

That the legitimate cardholder—or an authorized representative (such as an employee or family member)—did in fact make the payment
That the payment was successfully authenticated with 3D Secure and should therefore fall under liability shift (Stripe provides the Electronic Commerce Indicator (ECI) automatically for you)
You already issued a refund to the cardholder
The customer withdrew the dispute or otherwise acknowledged they recognize the charge and filed the fraud dispute in error
For Visa specifically, provide Compelling Evidence

Note

Visa disputes with reason code 10.5 are extremely rare and have no recourse to remedy the dispute. Visa considers these types of transactions fraudulent by Visa and doesn’t accept evidence for these disputes.

Choose the product type of the disputed transaction to see relevant evidence suggestions.

Physical products are tangible goods that were either purchased in a store or shipped to the recipient, so evidence often proves the customer is in possession of the item.
Digital products or services are often virtual in nature and don’t have trackable shipping data, so focus on evidence of usage, login, or download.
Offline services include purchases that are made in advance, such as event tickets and reservations, where evidence of a cancellation policy can be material.

evidence you can submit for:

For this type of recommended evidence	Designate this Dashboard label or API parameter
Evidence (for example, photographs or emails) to prove a link between the person receiving products and the cardholder, or proving that the cardholder disputing the transaction is in possession of the products. Compelling Evidence	`customer_communication` `uncategorized_text` `uncategorized_file`
Evidence that the person who signed for the products was authorized to sign for—or is known by—the cardholder. If the products were collected from a physical location, you should provide: Cardholder signature on the pickup form A copy of identification presented by the cardholder Details of identification presented by the cardholder Compelling Evidence	`customer_signature` `uncategorized_text` `uncategorized_file`
The address you shipped a physical product to. The shipping address must match a billing address verified with AVS or be the address of a business that’s connected to the legitimate cardholder in some way. Compelling Evidence	`shipping_address`
Documentation showing the product was shipped to the cardholder at the same address the cardholder provided to you. This should ideally include a copy of the shipment receipt or label, and show the full shipping address of the cardholder. Compelling Evidence	`shipping_documentation`
The date that a physical product began its route to the shipping address in a clear, human-readable format. This date is prior to the date of the dispute. Compelling Evidence	`shipping_date`
The delivery service that shipped a physical product, such as Fedex, UPS, USPS, and so on. If multiple carriers were used for this purchase, separate them with commas. Compelling Evidence	`shipping_carrier`
The tracking number for a physical product, obtained from the delivery service. If multiple tracking numbers were generated for this purchase, separate them with commas. When Stripe compiles your evidence into a single document, these tracking numbers are expanded to include detailed delivery information from the carrier. Compelling Evidence	`shipping_tracking_number`
Any argument invalidating the dispute reason, such as a PDF or screenshot showing: A signed order form for products purchased by mail or phone order Evidence that the transaction was completed by a member of the cardholder’s family or household Evidence of one or more non-disputed payments on the same card Evidence that payments on the same card had been disputed as fraud prior to the issuer authorizing this transaction Evidence that the card’s CVC value was presented at purchase, but the issuer either authorized the charge despite the check failing (`cvc_check` value of `fail`), or didn’t verify it in the first place (`cvc_check` value of `unchecked`) For recurring payments, evidence of a legally binding contract held between your business and the cardholder, that the cardholder is using the products, and of any previous payments not disputed Whether you already issued the refund the cardholder is entitled to Whether the cardholder withdrew the dispute Compelling Evidence	`uncategorized_file` `uncategorized_text`