Documentation · Learn the domain· ~55 min total
The chargebacks domain, end to end
Chargebacks are dense — there are four card schemes, ten regulatory sources, two consumer-protection regulations in the US alone, and a constantly-shifting set of monitoring programs. This section walks through the whole thing from the ground up, with every numeric claim (timeframes, fee amounts, ratio thresholds) cited back to a primary source you can verify yourself.
What is a chargeback?
The difference between a chargeback, a refund, and an RFI. Why the mechanism exists at all (and who actually pays for it).
The players
Cardholder, merchant, issuer, acquirer, network, processor, gateway. The four-party model and where money + dispute flows go.
Lifecycle
End-to-end: RFI / inquiry, first chargeback, representment, pre-arbitration, arbitration. Per-scheme timeframes that actually apply.
Reason codes
Visa 10.x / 11.x / 12.x / 13.x, the new Mastercard 4853 consolidation, and Amex / Discover equivalents — grouped by what the issuer is actually claiming.
Evidence
What 'compelling evidence' really means. Visa CE 3.0 data-point rules and Mastercard's First-Party Trust equivalent — by reason category.
Fees & monitoring programs
Chargeback fees, arbitration fees, who pays. Visa VAMP and Mastercard ECP/EFM — the ratios that get you fined or de-platformed.
Prevention
3-D Secure / SCA liability shifts, Verifi RDR + CDRN, Ethoca alerts, descriptor hygiene, fraud rules. What stops disputes before they become disputes.
How to use this section
Each page stands alone — you can jump straight to Evidence if you already know the lifecycle, or to Reason codes to look up a specific Visa or Mastercard code. The numbered order is how you'd read it cold.
Every page ends in a Sources block linking back to the scheme rulebook, regulator, or processor document the claims are pulled from. Where a number is stated as a range ("typical fees of $15–$25"), that's an industry benchmark across major US acquirers, not a scheme-set value — pricing varies by acquirer contract.