Chargeback Reason Codes: The Ones Subscription Sellers See Most and What Each Asks For

The table lists the codes named in Stripe's documentation for the categories it calls subscription canceled, fraudulent and credit not processed. Stripe says each network defines hundreds of codes and that it groups them into categories by the kind of claim and the evidence needed.

We did not open the networks' own rule books for this post. Code names follow Stripe's tables. Discover and other networks have their own codes, which are not covered here.

When a cardholder contests a charge, the issuing bank picks the code that fits the story it was told. Stripe's documentation says the code is available on the dispute record, and that Stripe sorts each network's codes into a short list of categories so that sellers can see which evidence applies.

The code matters because the reviewer reads the response against it. Stripe states that the cardholder's bank decides each dispute and that Stripe does not. A response is a short argument addressed to that bank on the one question the code raises.

The code is also only as accurate as the conversation that produced it. A customer who forgot a renewal may tell the bank the charge was not theirs, and the dispute arrives as fraud. The claim on the record is what has to be answered, even when the seller suspects a different cause.

Stripe describes Visa 13.2 as a claim that the cardholder was charged for a recurring transaction after canceling. It notes the usual causes: a cancellation request that was not processed, a misunderstood cancellation policy, or a charge in a billing cycle the customer overlooked.

For Mastercard, Stripe's category table lists 4841 under subscription canceled, with conditions named cardholder dispute of a recurring transaction and issuer dispute of a recurring transaction. The same two condition names also appear under 4853 in the same table. We could not open Mastercard's own guide to settle which code applies, so rely on the code shown on the dispute.

Stripe describes American Express C28 as covering subscriptions billed after a claimed cancellation, and also trials that renewed when the cardholder says they opted out.

One limit appears in Stripe's evidence notes. Some networks allow this code only for charges that are truly recurring, and an installment of a single purchase is a different thing. If the disputed payment was an installment, Stripe lists that as an argument against the code.

Stripe describes Visa 10.4 as a claim that the cardholder did not authorize a transaction made online, by phone or in an app. Its description names three typical origins: stolen card details, account takeover and unauthorized recurring charges. Its description of American Express F29 also mentions subscription billing where the customer says they did not agree to the charge.

The evidence Stripe lists for these codes is about participation. It includes address and security-code match results, device and IP data consistent with earlier activity, a history of earlier purchases, and for subscriptions or digital goods, proof that the customer agreed to the purchase terms.

Visa's Compelling Evidence 3.0 applies here. Vendor guides from Chargebacks911 and Solidgate report that it covers only Visa 10.4 and depends on earlier undisputed transactions with matching data such as device, IP address or login. They also note a limit for subscriptions: a dispute in the first billing cycle arrives before that history exists.

Stripe's tables also show Mastercard 4863, cardholder does not recognize, under a separate category it calls unrecognized. These disputes often come from a billing descriptor the customer did not connect with the product.

Stripe describes Visa 13.6 as a claim that a refund or credit was due and was not issued or did not post. Visa 13.7 is a claim that the cardholder canceled a purchase and was still charged, and Stripe notes this can arise when a subscription was not correctly canceled. For a subscription seller the line between 13.2 and 13.7 is thin.

Visa 13.5, misrepresentation, is a claim that what was delivered did not match what was promised. Stripe's evidence list for it starts with the marketing material and listing as shown at the time of purchase. For subscriptions, that points back to the checkout page: the price, the renewal term and the trial conditions as displayed.

Stripe's description of the credit-not-processed category gives the two ways to answer it: show that the refund the customer is entitled to was already issued, or show that the customer is not entitled to one under a policy they were given before purchase.

The table condenses the evidence Stripe lists for each category. Stripe attaches a warning that each dispute is different and that the lists are examples.

Two items recur in almost every list. One is the policy as it was shown to the customer, with an explanation of how and when it was shown before purchase. The other is communication with the customer, including a renewal notice or a record that the customer did not contact the seller before disputing.

Stripe gives the general timeline. Cardholders can typically dispute within 120 days of the original payment, with longer periods in some situations. After a response is submitted, the issuer usually has 60 to 75 days to decide. The whole process can take two to three months.

American Express and Discover most often open with an inquiry before a formal chargeback, according to Stripe, while Visa and Mastercard no longer use that phase. An inquiry answered with satisfactory evidence or a full refund can close without a dispute fee. Stripe warns that an unanswered inquiry can escalate to a chargeback that is likely unwinnable.

Stripe also notes that a cardholder disputing several recurring charges may produce one dispute for the combined amount against a single charge. Its example is three charges of 50 dollars arriving as one dispute for 150 dollars.

A received dispute counts in the network monitoring programs whatever its code and whatever its outcome, as Stripe's monitoring documentation explains. Winning a 13.2 dispute returns the money. It does not remove the dispute from the month's count.

The code also says nothing about what happened before the customer called the bank. Stripe's prevention guidance for canceled-subscription disputes is about that earlier period: a quick way to cancel, billing terms stated before card details are taken, a button that confirms agreement to those terms, a reminder before a trial ends, and renewal reminders, which it suggests about 7 days before a yearly renewal and 2 to 3 days before a monthly one.

Each of those steps is also a piece of evidence later. A disclosure that was shown, an agreement that was recorded and a reminder that was sent are the first three rows of the canceled-recurring evidence list.

• Read the code and the claim text before choosing evidence
• Check whether a cancellation or refund request exists, and its date against the billing date
• Pull the checkout page and terms as they were on the day the customer signed up
• Add the renewal notice and any usage after the charge
• Answer inside the window; an unanswered dispute is lost