Defending a chargeback

When a chargeback is raised on one of your payments, you can contest it. Contact your Rootline point of contact to submit your evidence, including the dispute ID and the payment ID from the notification, and we submit the case to the scheme on your behalf.

Match your evidence to the dispute reason. Evidence that answers a different claim than the one the customer made will not help the case, even if the evidence itself is strong. If you are not sure which reason applies, see dispute reasons.

Before you start

Start preparing as soon as you are notified. Defense windows are short, and a case can only be submitted once, so it needs to be complete when it goes out.

Requirements for the evidence files:

PDFs and images only. Links to tracking pages, policy pages, or file downloads are not opened during review. Include a screenshot instead.
No audio or video files.
English where possible. For documents in another language, add a short note describing the content.
Keep the file set compact and readable. Mastercard limits a case to 19 pages in total. Crop screenshots to the relevant part and make sure text is readable.

Always include, regardless of the reason: the dispute ID, the payment ID, the order reference, the amount and date, a description of what was sold, and whether the customer contacted you before disputing. If they did not, say so; schemes expect customers to try to resolve the issue with you first.

Accepting a chargeback is also a reasonable choice, for example when the amount is small or the claim is justified. In that case no action is needed.

Unauthorized transaction

The customer states they did not make or approve the payment.

Useful evidence, in order of strength:

3D Secure authentication. If the payment was fully authenticated, liability for fraud lies with the issuing bank and the chargeback is invalid. We include the authentication data automatically; mention that the payment was 3DS-authenticated when you submit.
History with the same customer. Under Visa's compelling evidence rules, a fraud claim can be countered with two earlier undisputed payments from the same customer, between 120 days and one year old, where at least two data points match the disputed payment (IP address, device, account login, or shipping address). If your customers have accounts, include their order history with IP addresses and device data.
Proof of receipt. Delivery to the verified billing address, a delivery signature, or for digital goods: access logs showing the account was used after purchase (timestamps, IP addresses, what was accessed).
Household purchases. Evidence that the buyer is a family member of the cardholder named on the card is relevant for this dispute type.

A general description of your fraud prevention measures does not help here. Disputes raised under the Visa Fraud Monitoring Program (condition 10.5) cannot be contested; no evidence is accepted for those.

Authorization error

The claim is that the payment was processed without a valid authorization. Either a valid approval exists or it does not.

If you believe the payment was properly authorized, tell us and we retrieve the authorization record (approval code, amount, date) from our side. Otherwise, accepting is the appropriate response.

Billing error

Covers duplicate charges, incorrect amounts, and refunds the customer says never arrived. The defense depends on the specific claim.

Duplicate charge. Show that the two orders are different: two receipts, each with its own order number, itemized content, and delivery. If both purchases belong together, for example a park ticket and a museum ticket for the same visit, explain this and support it with the venue's own wording. If only one charge exists, state that and include the records of that single payment.

Incorrect amount. Send the itemized order showing what was bought at what price, together with anything showing the customer saw and agreed to that amount at checkout. On a 3DS-authenticated payment, the exact amount was displayed and approved during authentication, which we can evidence.

Refund not received. If you issued the refund, send the refund confirmation with date and amount. If you declined a refund, send your refund policy as the customer saw it at the time of purchase, where and when it was shown, and why the request fell outside it.

Item not received

The customer states the goods or service never arrived.

Physical goods: carrier documentation with the ship date, the full delivery address, and tracking data, as text or a screenshot. A delivery signature combined with an address that matches the card's verified billing address is strong evidence.
Digital goods and tickets: your delivery log (order confirmed, file or ticket generated, confirmation email sent to the address the customer provided), plus any recorded usage: a download, a login after purchase, or a ticket scanned at entry. Recorded usage contradicts the claim directly.
Services: the booking confirmation, the agreed date, and proof the service was available or delivered, such as attendance records or correspondence after the service date.

Timing matters too. A dispute filed before the promised delivery date is not valid under scheme rules, so if your delivery window had not passed yet, say so.

Item not as described

The customer received the goods but states they were defective or materially different from the offer.

The product description and images as the customer saw them before purchase. A screenshot of the order page from the time of purchase is ideal.
Proof the correct item was shipped, with photos of its condition where relevant.
Whether a return was attempted. Schemes expect the customer to contact you or return the item first. If they never did, state it. If they did and you replaced or repaired the item, include the delivery record of the replacement.
If the item was partly used or the service partly consumed, you can argue the disputed amount should be limited to the unused portion.

Referring the customer to the manufacturer does not help. Under scheme rules, resolving it is your responsibility.

Subscription canceled

The customer states they canceled before the billing date.

Your cancellation terms as displayed at checkout, as a screenshot or text, including how the customer had to cancel.
The billing and cancellation timeline: when the charge ran, when a cancellation was received if at all, and its effective date. Many of these disputes are settled by the timeline alone, for example when the cancellation arrived after the billing date or took effect the following period.
Usage after the claimed cancellation date: logins, downloads, or service consumption.
If you send renewal notices before billing, include the notice for this charge. Advance notice of the amount and date supports that the charge was expected.
If the payment was an installment of a single purchase rather than a subscription, say so. This dispute reason does not apply to installments.

Everything else

Some disputes arrive without a usable reason, shown as other. Send the standard set: transaction details, what was delivered and when, customer contact history, and your terms and conditions. We review the underlying scheme code and advise which of the sections above applies.

After you submit

We prepare the formal defense document, submit it to the scheme, and inform you of the outcome. The scheme's decision typically takes several weeks.

A won case appears on your settlement report as a chargeback_returned row, credited back to your available balance. See the settlement report.