1. Overview
When a cardholder (or their issuing bank) raises a dispute (also called a “chargeback” or “representment request”), you have an opportunity to defend the transaction by submitting documentation. Meeting the defence requirements does not guarantee a win, but failing to submit strong or complete evidence significantly increases the risk of losing the dispute.
2. General Defence Requirements
For every dispute you choose to defend, you must upload one or more defence documents. Key points:
Documents must not contain highly sensitive data (e.g., full card account numbers [PAN], passport/ID copies, social-security/tax numbers, unrelated legal docs).
Acceptable file types: JPG (max 10 MB), TIFF (max 10 MB), PDF (max 2 MB), though some card networks may have stricter limits.
The specific required docs vary depending on the dispute reason-code (see Sections 3–X below).
3. Common Dispute Types & Documentation Requirements
Fraud, Card-Absent Transaction
The cardholder claims they did not authorise or participate in the transaction (but the transaction was processed online).
What you should provide if you enabled 3-D Secure:
If 3-D Secure (or equivalent liability-shift) was enabled, that strengthens your position heavily.
If not enabled, you will face an uphill battle defending the dispute.
Required evidence (when 3-D Secure not enabled):For physical merchandise: invoice copy; email correspondence with card-holder; courier proof of delivery (with address/AVS match); record of prior non-disputed payments; GPS proof of delivery location if available.
For digital goods: confirmation email; description of goods + value + date/time of purchase/download; record of prior non-disputed payments; user verification (profile/account access) evidence; IP address + geolocation of device; device ID; card-holder name & email linked to account.
For services: invoice/confirmation email; service-usage date/time; evidence that service was used; record of prior non-disputed payments.
Fraud, Card-Present Transaction
The cardholder claims in-person (card present) transaction was not authorised.
Required evidence:
Signed transaction receipt (or other proof of card-holder signature at point-of-sale).
Duplicate Processing / Paid by Other Means
The cardholder claims the same transaction was processed more than once, or they paid by another method but it was nonetheless charged.
Required evidence:
Invoices for both separate orders; documentation showing that no other form of payment was used.
Services Not Provided / Merchandise Not Received
The cardholder claims they did not receive the goods/services, or they were delayed beyond what they consider acceptable.
Required evidence:
Merchandise: description of goods; courier proof of delivery (with address/AVS match); communication from card-holder acknowledging receipt; explanation of any delay.
Digital goods: confirmation email; description of goods + date/time of download; record of prior non-disputed payments.
Services: confirmation email; proof service was provided on agreed date/time; subsequent card-holder communication.
Cancelled Merchandise/Services
The cardholder says they cancelled the order/service (or returned goods) but credit did not appear on their statement.
Required evidence:
Invoice/confirmation email; proof card-holder received your cancellation or return policy and did not cancel as per policy; proof goods were delivered and not returned; in the case of services, proof service started despite cancellation request.
Cancelled Recurring Transaction
A recurring payment was billed after the card-holder cancelled or after their account was closed.
Required evidence:
Proof of cancellation policy; proof the card-holder received cancellation notice; proof you sent upcoming billing notice (often ≥ 10 days before billing); evidence that service was still used between billing date and cancellation date.
Goods Not as Described / Defective
Card-holder claims the goods or services were not as described or are defective.
Required evidence:
Merchandise: proof that the card‐holder has not contacted you to resolve issue; evidence goods were as described (or not defective); if replaced/repaired, courier proof of delivery.
Digital goods & services: proof card‐holder has not contacted you; evidence service/ access was as described.
Counterfeit Merchandise
Merchandise was identified by cardholder, issuer or third-party as counterfeit.
Required evidence:
Invoice; neutral third-party opinion/certificate of authenticity.
Misrepresentation of Purchased Good and/or Service
The card-holder claims the terms or description of sale were misrepresented.
Required evidence:
Proof your Terms & Conditions were clearly communicated prior to payment (e.g., screenshot of checkout with checkbox acceptance); proof card-holder acknowledged T&Cs.
Credit Not Processed
The card-holder claims you agreed to a refund or credit but didn’t execute it, or you failed to credit when services were cancelled/ goods returned.
Required evidence:
Evidence a credit or reversal was issued, or evidence card-holder failed to return goods/comply with your policy.
Special Note: Certain Reason-Codes
Some card networks (e.g., Mastercard) use aggregated reason-codes (e.g., “4853 Cardholder dispute”) that can cover multiple underlying dispute reasons. In such cases, you should attempt to identify which reason the card-holder is using (services not provided, goods not received, etc.) and submit the strongest possible evidence for all likely reasons.
4. Best Practices & Tips for Merchants
Record and store proof of delivery (with date, time, GPS when possible) and maintain clear records of customer communications.
Ensure your checkout clearly presents your Terms & Conditions, cancellation/return policy, billing frequency for subscriptions, and that you capture acceptance.
If offering digital goods or services, capture device/user-id, access logs, IP/geolocation, timestamp of download or usage, and prior non-disputed payments as risk-evidence.
Enable liability-shift mechanisms (e.g., 3-D Secure for online card-absent) — it makes defence much more viable.
Monitor your dispute reason-codes by product/service line to identify patterns (e.g., high “not received” in a region → perhaps shipping/tracking issues).
Be prompt: once a dispute is raised, you often have very limited time to submit your evidence—ensure your internal process assigns this quickly.
Use plain, clear formatting in your defence documentation, make sure files are under the maximum sizes, use accepted formats, avoid sending sensitive data.
Even if you collect strong evidence, remember: winning is not guaranteed — the issuer ultimately makes the decision.
5. Summary
You (as the merchant) are required to provide relevant documentation when a cardholder dispute arises. The type of documentation depends on the nature of the dispute (fraud, non-receipt, cancellation, etc.). By maintaining strong records, transparent policies, and adhering to best practices (e.g., clear terms, proper shipping proof, user activity logs for digital goods), you maximise your chances of successfully defending the dispute.