Before you write: three decisions
A rebuttal letter is the last step, not the first. Three decisions come before it, and getting them wrong wastes the letter.
- Is this winnable? Fight consumer disputes where you can show delivery, performance or a disclosed policy; processing errors where you hold the correct record; and card-absent fraud where you have 3-D Secure, a prior-transaction history that satisfies Visa's Compelling Evidence 3.0 rule, or delivery to the cardholder's verified address. Accept fraud disputes with none of those, cases where you did make the error, and amounts too small to justify an hour of work. Accepting does not change your ratio; the dispute already counted when it was filed.
- What is the deadline? Visa gives 30 days and Mastercard 45 from the chargeback date at the time of writing, but your processor needs your response several days before that to submit it. The date in your processor's dispute portal is the real one. Missing it is an automatic loss, however good the letter.
- What exactly is being claimed? The reason code is the complaint in the network's vocabulary, and the letter must answer that code and no other. A letter proving the goods were delivered does nothing for a dispute that says the goods were defective. The reason code tables list what each one means and what usually wins it.
The structure analysts expect
Every effective rebuttal letter has the same six parts, in this order. The whole thing fits on one page; the evidence goes in attachments.
| Part | What goes in it | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Header | Your business name, merchant ID, the case or chargeback number, the ARN (acquirer reference number), the reason code, the transaction date and amount, the card's last four digits. Everything the analyst needs to find the case without reading further. | A block of labelled lines |
| 2. Position statement | One or two sentences: you are contesting the chargeback, and why the claim is incorrect. State the conclusion first. | 1 to 2 sentences |
| 3. Transaction summary | What was bought, when, by whom, how it was authorized, how it was delivered or performed. Dates and amounts. Neutral and factual. | 3 to 5 sentences |
| 4. Rebuttal of the specific claim | Address the reason code directly. If the claim is "not received", this paragraph is about delivery. If it is "cancelled recurring", it is about the cancellation policy and the absence of a cancellation request. Cite the attachment that proves each point. | 1 paragraph |
| 5. Evidence list | A numbered list of attachments, each with one line saying what it proves. "Exhibit 3: carrier tracking showing delivery to the billing address on 4 October, signed for by the cardholder." | 1 line per exhibit |
| 6. Close | Ask for the chargeback to be reversed, give a contact name and phone number, sign. | 2 sentences |
Write for a reader who has never heard of your business and will not read anything twice. Short sentences, no adjectives, no history of the customer relationship, no complaints about the process. The tone that wins is the tone of a bank statement.
Evidence by reason code
Attach only what answers the code. More is not better; a fifty-page export buries the one page that matters. Circle or highlight the relevant line on each exhibit.
| Dispute type | Visa / Mastercard codes | Attach |
|---|---|---|
| Fraud, card not present | 10.4 / 4837 | 3-D Secure authentication record if any (the liability is then the issuer's and the letter can be one line). Otherwise: AVS and CVV match results; two prior undisputed transactions on the same card between 120 and 365 days old that share at least two of IP address, device ID, login and shipping address with the disputed one, one of which must be IP or device (Compelling Evidence 3.0); delivery confirmation to the billing address; any correspondence after the sale; evidence the product or service was used. |
| Not received | 13.1 / 4853 | Carrier tracking with delivery date and address matching the order; proof of signature; for services, appointment records, timestamps, login history, or a signed completion or acceptance form. |
| Cancelled recurring | 13.2 / 4853 | The terms shown at signup with the cardholder's acceptance (checkbox, signature or recording); the cancellation policy and how it was disclosed; the pre-billing notification sent before the disputed charge; records showing no cancellation request before the billing date, or that the request came after it; evidence of use after the claimed cancellation. |
| Not as described or defective | 13.3 / 4853 | The listing, estimate or contract as presented; photographs; the return or warranty policy and any refusal by the cardholder to return the item or allow a repair; correspondence showing you offered to resolve it. |
| Credit not processed | 13.6 / 4853 | The refund transaction record with date, amount and reference; or the disclosed policy under which no refund was due and proof the cardholder accepted it. |
| Duplicate or paid by other means | 12.6 / 4834 | Two separate receipts or orders with different items, dates or references; or proof the other payment was for a different purchase. |
| Incorrect amount or currency | 12.5, 12.3 / 4834 | The signed estimate, invoice or checkout page showing the agreed amount and currency; any change order the cardholder approved. |
| Authorization | 11.2, 11.3 / 4808 | The authorization approval code, date and amount matching the settlement record. |
Codes as published at the time of writing. American Express and Discover use their own codes; the evidence that wins is the same as for the equivalent Visa code.
Two exhibits belong in almost every packet regardless of code: the original receipt or invoice showing the descriptor the cardholder saw on their statement, and the communication log (emails, texts, call notes) between you and the cardholder from the sale onward. The first answers "I do not recognize this charge"; the second shows you were reachable and the customer chose the bank over you.
Template 1: services not received (13.1 / 4853)
Adapt the bracketed fields. Keep the structure.
[Business name] | Merchant ID [MID] | [Date] Chargeback case: [case number] ARN: [acquirer reference number] Reason code: [13.1 Merchandise/Services Not Received] Transaction date: [date] Amount: [$0.00] Card ending: [last four] We are contesting this chargeback. The service was performed in full on [date] at the cardholder's premises, and the cardholder signed the completion form (Exhibit 2). On [order date] the cardholder, [name], booked [service] for [address] by [phone / online]. The card was authorized on [date] (approval code [code], Exhibit 1). Our technician, [name], completed the work on [date] between [time] and [time]. The cardholder signed the completion form on site and received an emailed receipt the same day (Exhibit 3). The dispute states the service was not received. Exhibit 2 is the completion form bearing the cardholder's signature and the date of service. Exhibit 4 is the technician's GPS-stamped arrival and departure record for the address. Exhibit 5 is the text exchange in which the cardholder confirmed the appointment the day before. No complaint was received before the dispute was filed. Exhibits: 1. Authorization record, [date], approval code [code] 2. Signed service completion form, [date] 3. Receipt emailed to [email] on [date] 4. Technician arrival/departure record for [address] 5. Appointment confirmation text exchange, [date] We request that the chargeback be reversed. Questions to [name], [phone], [email].
Template 2: card-not-present fraud with prior history (10.4 / 4837)
Use this when the cardholder has bought from you before and you stored the data elements Visa's rule requires. If the transaction was authenticated with 3-D Secure, replace the body with a single sentence stating that and attach the authentication record; the liability is already the issuer's.
[Business name] | Merchant ID [MID] | [Date] Chargeback case: [case number] ARN: [ARN] Reason code: [10.4 Other Fraud, Card-Absent Environment] Transaction date: [date] Amount: [$0.00] Card ending: [last four] We are contesting this chargeback under Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0. The cardholder has an established, undisputed purchase history with us on this card from the same device and IP address (Exhibit 2). The disputed order was placed on [date] from IP address [IP] on device [device ID], under the account [login/email], and shipped to [address]. AVS returned [full match] and CVV returned [match] (Exhibit 1). Exhibit 2 lists two prior transactions on the same card, dated [date] and [date], [N] and [N] days before this dispute, neither of which was disputed. Both were placed from the same IP address and the same device ID as the disputed transaction, and shipped to the same address. This satisfies the requirement of two prior undisputed transactions between 120 and 365 days old sharing at least two data elements, one of them IP or device. Exhibit 3 shows the account logged in and [used the product / tracked the shipment] after the order. Exhibits: 1. Authorization record with AVS and CVV results 2. Prior transaction history: dates, amounts, IP, device ID, address 3. Account activity log after the disputed order 4. Delivery confirmation to [address], [date] We request that liability be assigned to the issuer and the chargeback reversed. Questions to [name], [phone], [email].
Template 3: cancelled recurring transaction (13.2 / 4853)
[Business name] | Merchant ID [MID] | [Date] Chargeback case: [case number] ARN: [ARN] Reason code: [13.2 Cancelled Recurring Transaction] Transaction date: [date] Amount: [$0.00] Card ending: [last four] We are contesting this chargeback. No cancellation request was received before the billing date, and the cardholder was notified of the charge [N] days in advance (Exhibit 3). On [signup date] the cardholder, [name], subscribed to [plan] at [$0.00] per [month], accepting the terms shown in Exhibit 1, which state that the subscription renews automatically until cancelled and explain how to cancel [online / by email / by phone]. Renewals were billed on [dates] without dispute. On [date], [N] days before the disputed charge, we sent the cardholder a renewal reminder by [email / text] (Exhibit 3). The charge was processed on [date]. Our records (Exhibit 4) show no cancellation request from the cardholder by any channel before [billing date]. [The first contact from the cardholder was on [date], after the charge, and the subscription was cancelled that day with no further billing.] Exhibit 5 shows the account was accessed on [dates] during the billing period in question. Exhibits: 1. Signup terms and acceptance record, [date] 2. Billing history on this card 3. Renewal reminder sent [date] to [email/phone] 4. Cancellation request log (none before [billing date]) 5. Account access log, [period] We request that the chargeback be reversed. Questions to [name], [phone], [email].
If you did not send a reminder before the charge, or your cancellation path is harder than your signup path, this case is weaker than it looks. Both networks require pre-billing notification and easy cancellation for recurring billing, and an issuer will side with the cardholder when either is missing.
The mistakes that lose winnable cases
- Missing the processor's deadline. The network window is not your window. Respond within a week of the notice and the problem disappears.
- Answering the wrong claim. A delivery proof against a "not as described" code, or a signed contract against a fraud code. Read the reason code first and write to it.
- Sending everything. Analysts have minutes. Ten pages with the relevant lines highlighted beats a full account export. If an exhibit does not prove something named in the letter, leave it out.
- Telling the story. How long the customer has been difficult, what they said on the phone, how unfair the process is. None of it is evidence and all of it costs you credibility.
- Including the full card number. Never. Last four only. A packet with a full PAN in it can be rejected outright and creates a compliance problem of its own.
- Refunding after the chargeback. The money has already been debited. A refund on top pays the customer twice and the dispute still counts. Respond through the process or accept it.
- Fighting the unwinnable. Card-absent fraud with no authentication, no prior history and no delivery proof is a loss, and each loss costs the time you could have spent on a case with evidence.
- Unreadable exhibits. Screenshots at phone resolution, spreadsheets with forty columns, PDFs rotated sideways. Crop, enlarge, label.
- No contact details. Occasionally an analyst wants to ask a question. Give them a name and a direct line.
After you send it
Silence is usually good news: if the issuer does not reject the representment within its window (30 days for Visa, 45 for Mastercard at the time of writing), the chargeback is reversed and the funds return. If the issuer rejects it, or the cardholder disputes again, the case can go to pre-arbitration, where you may be asked for more evidence and where the same rules apply: answer the specific point, attach the specific proof, meet the deadline.
Whatever the outcome, log it: reason code, amount, fought or accepted, won or lost, and what the root cause was. After a few months the log shows which of your disputes are preventable, and preventing them, through clear descriptors, receipts, reminders before recurring charges, and alerts for the rest, is worth more than any letter.
Where FloPay fits
FloPay keeps the evidence a rebuttal needs in one place. Every payment, on any connected gateway, carries its authorization record, receipt and descriptor; texts and emails to the customer are logged against the account; subscriptions send pre-billing notifications automatically and record them; and chargeback cases are downloaded hourly with their reason, status and response due date so a deadline is never a surprise. Most merchants write fewer letters once Ethoca, CDRN and RDR alerts are refunding the disputes they would have lost anyway.
Fewer letters to write
FloPay matches Ethoca, CDRN and RDR alerts to the payment and refunds before the chargeback files, and keeps receipts, messages and case deadlines together for the disputes you do fight. Ask us what your dispute mix would look like.
See Chargeback Prevention