A dispute generally occurs when a customer is unsatisfied or unfamiliar with a payment charged to their card and contacts their issuing bank for more information or to force refund the transaction. Disputes affect Merchants of all varieties and can have a major impact on their bottom line.
When a dispute occurs, the Merchant generally has the opportunity to accept liability - i.e. voluntarily concede to the dispute - or respond to the issuing bank with compelling evidence validating the transaction (representment). The cardholder’s issuing bank will make the final determination based on the evidence provided by both sides, and Merchants should use this guide to understand the dispute process and how they can respond.
Getting Started
Managing Disputes is a critical part of any Merchant business as they will arise from time to time. It’s important to understand the terms and workflows associated with transaction Disputes.
Below are some terms you’ll frequently encounter throughout the Dispute Management section
Dispute - The action of a Cardholder challenging a transaction payment or the individual stage within the greater Chargeback process.
Chargeback - The entirety of the process of challenging a transaction payment from Retrieval, through each Dispute stage of the Chargeback flow, and closed with a final decision as a Resolution in favor of the Merchant or Cardholder’s claim.
Cardholder: The customer that is disputing a transaction
Merchant: Provided the goods or services being disputed
Issuer: The bank that issued the card to the customer (i.e. the cardholder’s bank)
Card Brand: The card brand & network the customer’s card is associated with (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)
Representment: The response a Merchant sends to the issuing bank when a transaction is disputed
Arbitration: The use of a third party to arbitrate and finalize a dispute outside the platform.
Jump Ahead: If you’re already familiar with the Dispute terms within the greater Chargeback process flow and are seeking Dispute Response steps, skip ahead to the relevant guide for your preferred implementation method:
Next Steps
Use the guides below to learn how to manage Disputes proactively and responsively:
Minimizing Disputes - Best practices to proactively prevent Disputes as much as possible.
Handling Specific Dispute Types - Learn more about each platform and card brand Dispute type & code.
Dispute Response Options - See the choices available for each individual Dispute stage and status.
Respond to Chargeback Disputes using the Portal - Use the Portal to respond to a Dispute.
Respond to Chargeback Disputes using the API - Use the API to respond to a Dispute.