How to read any chargeback notice
- Find the networkThe notice usually names it; if not, the card network lookup names it from the card's first digits.
- Find the codeVisa uses conditions such as 10.4, Mastercard four-digit codes such as 4853, Amex codes such as C08. Look any of them up in the reason code lookup.
- Find the stageInquiry, chargeback or pre-arbitration: each needs a different answer.
- Find your due dateYour processor's date, not the network window. The time limit calculator shows both.
Side by side
- Filing window. Visa: 120 days for most conditions, 75 for authorization codes 11.1 to 11.3 and 12.7. Mastercard: within 120 days for fraud (4837), 90 for 4808 and 4834, and generally up to 120 days for 4853. American Express: up to 120 days from the transaction in most cases. Discover: 120 calendar days for most codes.
- Your answer. Visa: a dispute response within 30 days for Processing Errors and Consumer Disputes, or a pre-arbitration attempt for Fraud and Authorization. Mastercard: second presentment, generally within 45 days. American Express: 20 days for an inquiry or a chargeback.
- First stage. American Express and Discover most often start with an inquiry; Stripe says Visa and Mastercard no longer use that phase.
- Escalation. Pre-arbitration, then arbitration, where Visa or Mastercard decides. Stripe doesn't support arbitration.
- Monitoring. Visa VAMP counts fraud reports plus disputes over settled card-not-present sales (1.5% and 1,500 counts in most regions); Mastercard ECM divides this month's chargebacks by last month's transactions (1.5% and 100 chargebacks).
Example: one store, three notices
A store gets a Visa 13.1, a Mastercard 4853 for goods not provided and an Amex C08 in the same week, all "not received". The core evidence is the same: carrier tracking with the delivery scan to the order's address. The timing differs: Shopify Payments shows its own due date on each case, usually 7 to 21 days, and the Amex case may arrive as an inquiry first, which must be answered to avoid an R13 No Reply chargeback.
Where the rules live
Visa publishes the Visa Rules and its dispute management guidelines, Mastercard its Chargeback Guide and American Express a merchant disputes reference guide. The Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover guides summarize each, with every code.
Reason codes this answer covers
- Visa 13.1: Merchandise/Services Not Received: often winnable
- Mastercard 4853: Cardholder Dispute: sometimes winnable
- American Express C08: Goods/Services Not Received or Only Partially Received: often winnable
- Visa 10.4: Other Fraud: Card-Absent Environment: sometimes winnable
- Mastercard 4837: No Cardholder Authorization: sometimes winnable
More questions
Do Visa and Mastercard use the same reason codes?
No. Visa uses dispute conditions such as 10.4 and 13.1, grouped as Fraud, Authorization, Processing Errors and Consumer Disputes. Mastercard uses four-digit codes such as 4837 and 4853, with many older codes folded into those families. Processors often show one label, such as Stripe's "fraudulent", for both.
Which network's deadline should I follow?
Your processor's. The network windows (Visa's 30 days, Mastercard's 45, American Express's 20) run between the banks, and Shopify Payments and Stripe set an earlier merchant due date, usually 7 to 21 days, so they can file in time. Work to the date on the case.
See it on your own orders.
Install on Shopify, or create a workspace for WooCommerce, another platform or your processors, and get your first verdicts in minutes. 7-day free trial, no percentage of what you win.
Sources
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules (18 April 2026), Chapter 11 Dispute Resolution (checked October 5, 2026)
- Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition (13 May 2025) (checked October 5, 2026)
- American Express: How to Manage and Help Prevent Disputes (US reference guide, version 2024PROP) (checked October 5, 2026)
- Stripe Docs: How disputes work (inquiries, timing, unchallengeable disputes) (checked October 5, 2026)
- Visa: Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program fact sheet (2025) (checked October 5, 2026)
- Stripe Docs: Dispute and fraud card monitoring programs (checked October 5, 2026)
Last reviewed by Verdikx Research.