Learn more about the reasons for disputes and how to respond to each.
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.
Dispute network reason codes categorization
The following tables show the Stripe categories for each card network’s dispute reason codes. Network reason code is available on the dispute object.
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
Unrecognized
None
General evidence for all dispute categories
While each dispute reason requires specific types of evidence to show why the payment should stand, some types of evidence are universal for all dispute responses.
Evidence file size limits
Submit as much relevant evidence as possible while keeping the size and length of the final file within card issuer maximums:
Proof that you already compensated the customer before they initiated the dispute (either within Stripe or using some other method).
Customer communication
refund_refusal_explanation
Background evidence
The following types of evidence are relevant for most dispute types. Include them in every dispute response when possible. In the API, all of these data points are attributes of the dispute evidence object. In the Dashboard, many of them are fields of information separate from the Supporting evidence section of the response form.
When your integration supports it, Stripe automatically captures most of the data for background evidence and pre-populates both the API evidence object attributes and the form fields in the Dashboard. The more information your integration collects and passes to Stripe when your customer makes a payment, the better your ability to prevent disputes and fraud from occurring, and challenge them effectively when they do.
Evidence
Dashboard Evidence Category
API Evidence Parameter
The billing address provided by the customer (if the AVS check was successful). This field is automatically filled when possible.
Billing address
billing_address
The name of the customer. This field is automatically filled when possible.
Customer name
customer_name
The email address of the customer. This field is automatically filled when possible.
Email
customer_email_address
The IP address that the customer used when making the purchase. When possible, Stripe captures this data in the response and expands it to include geographical data.
Other
customer_purchase_ip
A relevant document or contract showing the customer’s signature.
Customer signature
customer_signature
Any communication with the customer that you feel is relevant to your case (for example, emails proving that they received the product or service, or demonstrating their use of or satisfaction with the product or service). If you have multiple items of this type, consolidate them into a single file.
Customer communication
customer_communication
Any receipt or message sent to the customer notifying them of the charge. This field is automatically filled with a Stripe generated email receipt if any such receipt was sent.
Receipt
receipt
A description of the product or service and any relevant details on how this was presented to the customer at the time of purchase.
Product or service details Description
product_description
Compelling evidence for Visa disputes
The Visa network has a technical specification for the evidence required to overturn disputes with a reason of fraudulent, which they call Compelling Evidence.
You must provide at least one item (more is always better) that satisfies Visa’s Compelling Evidence specification for fraud disputes. Examples of evidence that meet Visa’s specification are labeled as Compelling Evidence in the Dashboard and in the fraudulent dispute type documentation.
If you don’t submit Compelling Evidence, your likelihood of overturning a Visa fraud dispute is very low, and while Visa is the only card network that designates this specification, Stripe recommends you apply the practice to all disputes.
Visa CE 3.0
Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0 (CE 3.0) introduced new qualifying criteria that allows businesses to show prior non-fraudulent history with the cardholder to combat friendly fraud. Submitting qualifying evidence for Visa CE 3.0 eligible disputes significantly increases the likelihood of an issuer overturning friendly fraud disputes in favor of the business. Stripe supports this feature by:
Flagging disputes that are eligible for Visa CE 3.0 by searching your history for prior qualifying transactions
Notifying you in the dispute email and in the Dispute details page that the dispute qualifies for a Visa CE 3.0 counter response.
Automatically adding qualifying transactions to your dispute evidence.
Identifying required elements in the evidence form with Required for Visa CE 3.0 badge.
Pre-populating required information from qualifying transactions, when available.
Submitting evidence for Visa CE 3.0 through the Stripe API.
If you get a dispute that qualifies for a Visa CE 3.0 counter response, we recommend that you submit evidence.
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
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
Visa disputes with reason code 10.1, 10.3, or 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.
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.
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
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
