Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover Chargeback Reason Codes: Complete Guide

Chargeback reason codes are the categorization system that card networks use to classify disputes. Each code tells you why the chargeback was filed and — critically — determines what evidence is required to win the representment. Submitting the wrong evidence because you misread the reason code is one of the most common and most preventable reasons merchants lose winnable cases.

This guide covers the major reason codes across all four primary card networks.

Visa Reason Codes

Visa uses a two-tier system: category (10, 11, 12, 13) and specific code within the category.

Category 10 — Fraud

10.1: EMV Liability Shift Counterfeit Fraud — Card-present transaction with a fraudulent counterfeit chip card. Merchants who processed EMV/chip transactions lose these automatically. Merchants who processed swipe on a chip card are liable.
10.2: EMV Liability Shift Non-Counterfeit Fraud — Chip card was present but compromised in another way.
10.3: Other Fraud (Card-Present) — Fraudulent card-present transaction. Requires EMV transaction data to defend.
10.4: Other Fraud (Card-Not-Present) — The most common fraud code for online merchants. 3DS authentication data is your best defense; it shifts liability to the issuer when successful.
10.5: Visa Fraud Monitoring Program — Issued when a merchant's fraud metrics trigger Visa's monitoring system. Can't be reversed through representment.

Category 11 — Authorization

11.1: Card Recovery Bulletin — Outdated; rarely seen.
11.2: Declined Authorization — Transaction processed without valid authorization. Procedural — fix at the processing level.
11.3: No Authorization — Transaction submitted without obtaining authorization. Same resolution as 11.2.

Category 12 — Processing Errors

12.1: Late Presentment — Transaction submitted too many days after the authorization date. Procedural.
12.2: Incorrect Transaction Code — Credit submitted as sale, or vice versa.
12.3: Incorrect Currency — Transaction processed in wrong currency.
12.5: Incorrect Transaction Amount — Amount charged doesn't match what was authorized.
12.6: Duplicate Processing — Same transaction submitted twice. Show transaction logs to demonstrate single charge.
12.7: Invalid Data — Required transaction data missing.

Category 13 — Consumer Disputes

13.1: Merchandise/Services Not Received — Cardholder claims they didn't get what they ordered. Delivery confirmation wins this case.
13.2: Cancelled Recurring Transaction — Subscription was cancelled before the billing date. Show the cancellation wasn't processed or was processed after the charge.
13.3: Not as Described or Defective Merchandise — What was received didn't match what was sold. Product description from your website at time of purchase is key evidence.
13.5: Misrepresentation — Broader version of 13.3; applies to service descriptions.
13.6: Credit Not Processed — Merchant owes a refund but hasn't issued it. Show the credit was already processed with date and amount.
13.7: Cancelled Merchandise/Services — Order was cancelled but refund not received.
13.9: Non-Receipt of Cash or Load Transaction Value — Specific to ATM and prepaid card transactions.

The complete evidence matrix for each code is in the Chargemate reason code reference.

Mastercard Reason Codes

Mastercard uses a four-digit code system. Key codes:

4808 — Authorization-Related Covers transactions where required authorization was not obtained. These are procedural disputes that need to be addressed at the processing level rather than through representment.

4834 — Point-of-Interaction Error Duplicate processing, incorrect amounts, currency discrepancies. Resolved with transaction logs showing the specific processing issue.

4837 — No Cardholder Authorization The primary Mastercard fraud code for online transactions. Requires strong authentication evidence: 3DS data, device fingerprint, delivery to billing address. This is the code where 3DS authentication has the most dramatic impact on win rate.

4853 — Cardholder Dispute Mastercard's equivalent of Visa's category 13 — covers "not as described," "cancelled service," "credit not processed." Broad code requiring evidence tailored to the specific sub-claim.

4863 — Cardholder Does Not Recognize Softer than 4837 — the cardholder may not actually be claiming fraud, just inability to identify the charge. Often resolved with clear descriptor evidence and purchase confirmation showing the cardholder's contact information.

4870 / 4871 — Chip Liability Shift EMV-related fraud disputes where liability shifts based on whether merchant processed chip or swipe. Similar to Visa 10.1/10.2.

American Express Reason Codes

Amex handles its own dispute process (it's both issuer and network for most Amex cards), which means the process and timelines differ from Visa and Mastercard.

Key Amex codes:

C02: Credit Not Processed — Refund was promised or due but not issued. C04: Goods/Services Returned or Refused — Cardholder returned merchandise but received no credit. C05: Goods/Services Canceled — Subscription or service cancelled but billing continued. C08: Goods/Services Not Received — Non-delivery dispute. Delivery confirmation is the critical evidence. C14: Paid by Other Means — Customer paid via another method but was also charged by Amex. C18: "No Show" or CARDeposit Canceled — Hotel or travel no-show disputes. C28: Canceled Recurring Billing — Subscription cancellation dispute. C31: Goods/Services Not as Described — Product or service description mismatch. FR4: Immediate Chargeback Program — Amex can immediately chargeback certain transactions without standard timeframes. FR6: Partial Immediate Chargeback — Partial amount charged back immediately. P05: Incorrect Charge Amount — Amount billed doesn't match what was agreed.

Amex disputes have shorter timeframes and different evidence requirements than Visa/Mastercard. Merchants who use Visa/Mastercard evidence templates for Amex disputes often underperform.

Discover Reason Codes

Discover uses an alphabetical code system with two-character codes. Major ones:

AA: Does Not Recognize — Cardholder doesn't recognize the transaction. AP: Recurring Payments — Unauthorized recurring charge. AW: Altered Amount — Transaction amount was changed after authorization. CD: Credit/Debit Posted Incorrectly — Processing error. DP: Duplicate Processing — Same transaction processed twice. EX: Expired Card — Transaction processed after card expiry. IN: Invalid Card Number — Number on transaction doesn't match a valid account. IS: Installment Billing Dispute — Installment payment dispute. LP: Late Presentment — Transaction submitted too long after authorization. NA: No Authorization — No valid authorization obtained. NC: Not Classified — Discover's catch-all category. NF: No Authorization — Similar to NA. PM: Paid by Other Means — Payment made through another method. RG: Non-Receipt of Goods/Services — Delivery dispute. RM: Quality of Goods/Services — "Not as described" equivalent. RN2: Credit Not Received — Refund not issued. UA01/UA02/UA05/UA06: Fraud — Various unauthorized transaction categories.

The complete reason code guide at Chargemate includes the full evidence requirements and response templates for all of the above, updated for the 2026 network rule revisions.

Cross-Network Patterns

A few patterns hold across all networks:

Authentication evidence (3DS, EMV) wins fraud disputes definitively in most cases. No other evidence type comes close to the impact of a completed authentication record.

Delivery confirmation wins "non-receipt" disputes for physical goods with very high reliability. Photo confirmation (carrier image at door) is stronger than carrier scan data alone.

Policy documentation wins subscription and "not as described" disputes when the policy was clearly disclosed and the customer affirmatively agreed to it at checkout.

Processing disputes (wrong amount, duplicate) are usually won with straightforward transaction logs showing the error or confirming the single charge.

Understanding reason codes is the foundation of a systematic representment process. If your team is treating all disputes as equivalent, you're almost certainly overinvesting effort in some categories and underinvesting in others.