Visa Dispute Guide

Your comprehensive guide to reason codes, modifiers, time limits, and compelling evidence for Visa transactions.

Visa uses the four main categories to organize its reason codes: Authorization, Card Member Disputes (which Visa refers to as Consumer Disputes), Fraud, and Processing Errors.

Time limits are for the acquiring bank. Merchants will typically be given half the amount of time the acquiring bank is given to accomodate for the time they need to process internally. As of April 2018 the time to respond to a chargeback was reduced by 15 days from 45 to 30.

A transaction modifier (or modifier) represents specific circumstances associated with a card sale that change what compelling evidence is required to overturn the chargeback.

• 30 – Services Not Provided or Merchandise Not Received
• 81 – Fraud – Card-Present Environment
• 83 – Fraud – Card-Absent Environment

• Provide evidence showing that the cardholder name is included in the manifest for the departed flight and matches the cardholder name provided on the purchased itinerary

• 82 – Duplicate Processing

• Provide a copy of the ATM Cash Disbursement Transaction or Load Transaction record containing at least the following:
  • Account Number, Transaction time or sequential number identifying the individual Transactions, or the Indicator that confirms that the ATM Cash Disbursement or Load Transaction values were successful

• 72 – No Authorization

• Provide the V.I.P. System Authorization record and the clearing record of the first presentment

• 81 – Fraud – Card-Present Environment

• Provide an internal record or log with explanation of fields to prove that the transaction was a magnetic stripe-read transaction, a chip-initiated transaction, or a contactless transaction
• For an Unattended Transaction, provide evidence of PIN or CDCVM

• 53 – Not as Described or Defective Merchandise

• Your response needs to include documentation to support your claim that the merchandise was not counterfeit

• 81 – Fraud – Card-Present Environment
• 83 – Fraud – Card-Absent Environment

• Provide all of the following:
  • Evidence that all transactions occurred during the same stay, trip, or rental period
  • Show evidence of a valid imprint and signature, PIN, or CDCVM for the initial Card Present environment transaction

• 76 – Incorrect Currency or Transaction Code

• Provide an explanation of why a credit transaction was processed instead of a reversal or an adjustment

• 76 – Incorrect Currency or Transaction Code

• Provide all of the following:
  • A copy of the transaction receipt
  • Certification confirming that Dynamic Currency Conversion was chosen by the cardholder and not by the merchant

• 76 – Incorrect Currency or Transaction Code

• Ask your acquirer to provide certification that you are registered to offer Dynamic Currency Conversion and a copy of the transaction receipt showing your local currency

• 81 – Fraud – Card-Present Environment

• The compelling evidence needed includes all of the following:
  • Evidence that the merchant has been successfully registered into and continues to participate in the Visa Digital Commerce Program
  • Evidence that the merchant is the owner of the operating system for the subject electronic device
  • Evidence that the account set up on the merchant’s website or application was accessed by the cardholder and has been successfully verified before or on the transaction date
  • Evidence that the disputed transaction used the same device and card as any previous transactions that were not disputed
  • Proof that the device ID number, IP address and geographic location, and name of device (if available) are linked to the cardholder profile on record at the merchant
  • Description of the merchandise or services and the date and time goods were purchased and successfully downloaded
  • Customer name linked to the customer profile on record at the merchant
  • Evidence that the customer password was re-entered on the merchant’s website or application at the time of purchase
  • Evidence that the merchant validated the card when the cardholder first linked the card to the customer profile on record at the merchant

• 72 – No Authorization

• Provide all of the following:
  • The transaction receipt and certification of the date the transaction was initiated, completed
  • The dates, authorized amounts, and authorization codes of the approved authorizations

• 76 – Incorrect Currency or Transaction Code

• Provide a transaction receipt or other record that proves that the transaction code was correct

• 53 – Not as Described or Defective Merchandise

• Your response needs to include documentation to prove that the terms of the sale of the goods or services were not misrepresented

• 53 – Not as Described or Defective Merchandise

• Provide any of the following:
  • Documentation to prove that the goods or service matched what was described
  • A rebuttal addressing the cardholder’s claims
  • Documentation to prove that the cardholder did not attempt to return the merchandise

• 83 – Fraud – Card-Absent Environment

• Provide the Verified by Visa Authentication history log proving that the cardholder was authenticated

• 82 – Duplicate Processing

• Provide documentation to demonstrate that the time of the call is different for each transaction

• 80 – Incorrect Transaction Amount or Account Number

• Supply documentation to prove one of the following:
  • The transaction receipt was not altered
  • The cardholder agreed to the altered amount
  • The merchant is permitted or required to alter the transaction amount

• 80 – Incorrect Transaction Amount or Account Number

• Provide a transaction receipt or other record to prove that the transaction amount or the account number was correct

• 76 – Incorrect Currency or Transaction Code

• Provide a transaction receipt or other record that proves that the transaction currency was correct

Download our 100+ page comprehensive guide to reason codes, modifiers, time limits, and compelling evidence.