Chargebacks - Dispute Evidence

Important Information

• Evidence can only be submitted once, so be sure to include all the information when filling out the evidence submission.
• When a chargeback is processed, the captured amount will be automatically refunded to guest and any attempt to refund the card after will decline.
  
• Once the chargeback is created, there is a limited amount of time (usually 7–21 days) to respond with evidence. The time given varies depending on the card network.
• If you do not submit evidence by the time the deadline passes, the cardholder wins the dispute and keeps the funds.
• The card company will make a decision somewhere between 60-75 days after the evidence due date. The decision is the credit card company's alone and the outcome is final.

Generally, you would want to ensure that you can provide as many of the following details as possible when submitting evidence:

• Any relative communication with the customer that you feel is important. Not all correspondences will make a difference so it is necessary to be relevant (e.g., emails proving that they received the product or service, or demonstrating their use of or satisfaction with the product or service)
• Any receipt or message sent to the guest notifying them of the charge
• Policy information provided to the guest

There are a few types of evidence that can be submitted which can greatly increase the chance of winning a dispute, called Compelling Evidence. VISA card disputes require at least one of these types to win a dispute but they can be used for any card type to help ensure a win.

• Evidence such as photographs or emails to prove a link between the person booking and the cardholder
• Evidence that the guest signed for the service / stay is or was authorized to sign for the cardholder.
• A copy of identification presented by the cardholder

Include a copy of your terms of service and refund policy

When it comes to disputes, fine print matters. Providing proof that your customer agreed to and understood your terms of service at checkout, or did not follow your policies when it comes to returns or refunds is critical. A clean screenshot of how your terms of service or other policies are presented during checkout is an important addition to your evidence—it is not enough to simply include a text copy of these.

Formatting documents and images to upload 

Before sending your response, ensure that any text or images are clear and large enough to show up clearly in a black and white fax transmission.

While you can zoom in on your electronic documents, the card issuer will not be able to do so. Any evidence that is too small to transmit clearly won’t be considered by the card issuer, so it’s better to have large, full-page images than try to fit too many on one page.

Acceptable file types and the combined file size:

• Only PDF, JPEG, or PNG file types are accepted
• The combined file size can’t be more than 5MB
• The combined page count must be less than 50 pages
• You can compress your files with tools such as Smallpdf

When submitting documents or images as evidence, use the following recommendations to make sure they can remain legible:

• Use a 12 point font or larger
• Ensure that documents are U.S. Letter or A4 size, in portrait orientation (screenshots can still be added to your documents in landscape orientation)
• Use bold text, callouts, or arrows to draw attention to pertinent information
• Avoid using color highlighting

When uploading screenshots:

• Crop the screenshot to the area of interest and circle any key components (e.g., dates, signature)
• Use the text fields in the dispute evidence form to describe what the image contains and how it supports your response

Any illegible text or data that is submitted with a response will be considered incomplete by the card issuer and not reviewed

Click here to watch a video that goes through a Chargeback Training and chargeback best practices.