Fight, accept or refund: the rules at a glance
| Situation | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Early fraud warning, order not shipped | Refund it now, and don't ship. | An early fraud warning is an issuer's fraud report that often comes before a chargeback. Refunding an order you haven't shipped avoids the dispute and its fee. |
| Early fraud warning, shipped, charge at or below your dispute fee | Refunding is usually the cheaper move. | Stripe says refunding early fraud warnings is usually worthwhile only on charges at or below roughly your dispute fee, and this charge is. |
| Inquiry, and your records show the customer is right | Refund in full to close the inquiry. | Your records show the customer is right, and a full refund closes an inquiry without a dispute fee. |
| Inquiry, and your records answer the claim | Answer the inquiry now, with evidence. | An inquiry left unanswered can escalate to a chargeback that is very hard to win, such as an American Express R13 No Reply. |
| Chargeback on an order you already refunded in full | Don't refund again: answer with the refund record. | The disputed amount has already been taken back, so a second refund can mean paying the customer twice. |
| Chargeback, and your records show the customer is right | Accept it. | Your own records show the claim is right, so a response won't change it. |
| Chargeback without the evidence its reason code needs | Accept, and fix the cause. | Without the evidence this reason code needs, a response is unlikely to change the outcome. A clear loss you accept quickly costs less than a weak response. |
| Chargeback, with your records and the evidence | Fight it, with this evidence. | Your records answer the cardholder's claim, and you have the evidence its reason code needs. |
| Pre-arbitration with nothing new to add | Accepting is usually the rational choice. | If the issuer came back with new information and you have nothing new that answers it, a second response is unlikely to change the outcome. |
The cardholder's bank decides. This is guidance from the reason-code playbooks, not a prediction, and Verdikx publishes no win rates.
How to use the answer
- Fight: answer the exact claim with the evidence its reason code needs, in one response, at least 2 days before your processor's due date. List it with the evidence checklist builder and write it up with the rebuttal letter templates. Check the date with the time limit calculator.
- Accept: accept in your processor (Stripe's Dashboard, or instead of submitting evidence in Shopify admin), don't refund on top, and fix the cause behind it.
- Refund: only before a chargeback is filed: an inquiry you can't answer, or an early fraud warning on an order you haven't shipped.
- Maybe a mix-up? A factual email can lead the customer to withdraw the dispute: see the chargeback email templates. Submit your evidence anyway.
Why it never says "refund" once a chargeback is filed
The disputed amount has already been taken from you, so a refund on top can mean paying twice, and Stripe doesn't allow a refund outside the dispute process while it is open. If you already refunded before the dispute, answer with the refund's date and amount instead. See which chargebacks to accept and the reason codes for each code's own advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth fighting a chargeback under $50?
It can be. Weigh the amount against your time and the fees: Stripe charges a $15 counter fee when you respond, returned only if you win, while Shopify Payments returns its $15 chargeback fee on a win. The dispute counts toward your ratio either way, so a small case with strong evidence can still be worth answering.
What happens if I accept a chargeback?
The disputed amount stays with the cardholder and the case closes as lost, so the fee isn't returned. Accepting doesn't take the dispute out of your chargeback ratio. On Stripe you accept in the Dashboard; on Shopify Payments you can accept instead of submitting evidence.
Does this tool predict whether I'll win?
No. It shows whether a dispute is worth answering, and with what, from the reason code's playbook and your answers. The cardholder's bank decides every case, and Verdikx publishes no win rates.
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Sources
- Stripe Docs: How disputes work (inquiries, timing, unchallengeable disputes) (checked October 5, 2026)
- Stripe Docs: Respond to disputes (checked October 16, 2026)
- Shopify Help Center: Managing chargebacks in the Shopify admin (checked October 16, 2026)
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules (18 April 2026), Chapter 11 Dispute Resolution (checked October 5, 2026)
- Adyen Docs: Manage disputes (checked October 5, 2026)
Last reviewed by Verdikx Research.