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.



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.

The customer claims they did not receive the products or services purchased.

How to prevent it

For physical products, promptly ship them after payment is made
Estimate shipping and delivery dates as accurately as you can, and communicate clearly with your customer. If shipping delays arise unexpectedly, keep your customer informed.
Save shipping labels, and for high-value products consider requiring a signature upon receipt.
Make it easy for your customers to reach out when they have issues receiving their products (for example: send receipts upon payment so your customers can easily reply to get in touch).
For digital goods or services, maintain access logs or documentation that tie usage back to the customer.
Honor your written policies promptly when a customer requests a full or partial refund they’re entitled to for products or services they didn’t receive.

How to overturn it

Explain and demonstrate one or more of the following:

The product was in fact delivered or isn’t expected to have been delivered yet (for example, the agreed-upon delivery date is still in the future)
You already issued a refund to the cardholder
The customer withdrew the dispute

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 proving that the cardholder disputing the transaction is in possession of the products.	`uncategorized_text` `uncategorized_file`
Whether or not the customer attempted to resolve the issue with you prior to filing a dispute. If they didn’t reach out to you before the dispute, state that clearly. If you did communicate with them prior to the dispute, or if later conversations shed light on the facts of the case, submit this with your evidence. This could look like: A screenshot of a text conversation A PDF of an email exchange A PDF of your written account of a phone conversation, including dates of contact	`customer_communication`
Evidence that someone signed for the products when they were picked up or delivered. If they collected the products from a physical location, make sure you provide: Cardholder signature on the pickup form A copy of identification presented by the cardholder Details of identification presented by the cardholder	`customer_signature` `uncategorized_text` `uncategorized_file`
The address you shipped a physical product to. The shipping address needs to match a billing address verified with AVS or be the address of a business that’s connected to the cardholder in some way.	`shipping_address`
Documentation showing you shipped the product to the cardholder at the same address the cardholder provided to you. Ideally include a copy of the shipment receipt or label, and show the full shipping address of the cardholder.	`shipping_documentation`
The date that a physical product began its route to the shipping address in a clear, human-readable format.	`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.	`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.	`shipping_tracking_number`
Any argument invalidating the dispute reason, such as a PDF or screenshot showing: Evidence that the agreed-upon delivery date hasn’t arrived yet If the purchase was made up of multiple different shipments and some of them were delivered successfully, evidence that the dispute amount exceeds the value of the unreceived shipments Evidence that delivery is being held by customs in the cardholder’s country Whether you already issued the refund the cardholder is entitled to Whether the cardholder withdrew the dispute	`uncategorized_file` `uncategorized_text`