Dispute reason code categories

Learn about reason code categories and evidence guidelines.

Each card network defines hundreds of codes representing very specific reasons for dispute claims, many of which overlap across all the networks that Stripe does business with. Stripe maps each network code into one of eight categories, based on the general claim and the evidence you need to submit to effectively challenge that type of claim.

Reason code categories

The following tables show the Stripe categories for each card network’s dispute reason codes. A network’s reason code is available on the dispute object. For a deeper look at dispute reason codes for Visa, Mastercard, and Amex, see Dispute reason codes.



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

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`