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Each section below covers one dispute reason — what the claim means, whether to fight or accept, and the primary evidence that makes a strong case. Every counter-dispute is built from three layers of evidence:
  1. Mandatory documents — required on every counter-dispute, whatever the reason: customer communication and the payment invoice.
  2. Reason-specific primary evidence — the evidence tables in each section below.
  3. Secondary evidence — the same supporting set applies to every reason.

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Fraudulent, unrecognized & customer-initiated

Applies to fraudulent, unrecognized, and customer_initiated. The claim: The customer says they didn’t make or don’t recognize the purchase. Fight or accept? Work out which of three situations you’re in:
  • Genuine fraud — the card was used by an unrelated third party. Usually not winnable; accept and treat as a fraud signal.
  • Authorized use — the legitimate cardholder, or someone acting for them (an employee, family, or household member), actually made the payment. Winnable if you can show the link.
  • Friendly fraud — a real customer disowning their own purchase. Winnable; the tell is prior, undisputed purchases from the same customer.
Compelling evidence (primary): What you send depends on the angle you’re challenging on:
  • Customer withdrew the dispute — written confirmation, or acknowledgement that they recognize the charge and filed in error.
  • You already refunded — the refund reference, date, and amount.
  • An authorized person made the payment — evidence linking the buyer to the cardholder (e.g. a family/household member or authorized employee), or that the cardholder is in possession of and using what was bought.
  • The purchase was legitimate (friendly fraud) — a prior relationship: two or more earlier transactions from the same customer that weren’t disputed, plus proof they received and used what they bought.
For the friendly-fraud angle, Visa’s compelling-evidence standard expects two prior transactions, each 120–365 days before the dispute date, with no active fraud report, sharing at least two of these — user ID, IP address, shipping address, device ID/fingerprint — with the disputed transaction (at least one being the IP address or device ID).
Primary evidence by challenge reason × product type: No prior purchase history? When the customer is new and you can’t show a prior relationship, you’re relying on showing the transaction had the hallmarks of a genuine purchase. In order of strength:
  1. AVS + CVV result — strong support, not a waiver. A full AVS match (billing address matches the issuer’s record) and a CVV match are compelling supporting evidence, but a match does not remove your liability — you may still have to argue the case and can still lose. For physical goods, shipping to the AVS-verified billing address is stronger still. A useful twist: if the CVC was presented but the issuer authorized the charge despite a failed check, or never verified it, that points liability back at the issuer. Store the CVV result (match / no-match), never the CVV value itself.
  2. IP, device & session data — supporting. IP geolocation near the billing address, device geolocation at the time of the transaction, a recognized device ID / fingerprint, and session / login data build the picture that the genuine cardholder transacted. On their own they rarely win a true-fraud case, but they strengthen an AVS-backed response.
If it’s genuine third-party fraud, matching data shows the order looked legitimate but doesn’t prove the cardholder authorized it, so these cases are difficult to win. Focus on preventing fraud at checkout rather than assembling evidence afterward.

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Credit not processed & subscription canceled

Applies to credit_not_processed and subscription_canceled. The claim: The customer expected a refund/credit, or says you charged them after they cancelled. Fight or accept? Only fight if the refund isn’t owed or you already issued it. If it’s owed, refund instead. Compelling evidence (primary):
  • If already refunded: refund reference, date, and amount.
  • If cancelled: records showing the actual cancellation date versus the charge date.
  • If not eligible: your refund / cancellation policy and a note on why this case is excluded.

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Duplicate

Applies to duplicate. The claim: The customer was billed more than once for the same purchase. Fight or accept? Only fight if the charges are genuinely separate orders; otherwise refund the duplicate. Compelling evidence (primary):
  • Proof that each charge backs a distinct, valid order — description, quantity, price, and delivery/service detail for each.

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Product not received

Applies to product_not_received. The claim: The customer says what they paid for never arrived. Fight or accept? Fight if you can show delivery or availability. Compelling evidence (primary):
  • Physical: delivery confirmation (signed if possible), tracking, shipping address, ship date, stated delivery timeframe.
  • Digital: access/activity logs showing the customer’s IP and access dates.
  • Service / booking: a service receipt with description, date, and signature, plus cancellation terms.

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Product unacceptable

Applies to product_unacceptable. The claim: The customer received the item but says it’s damaged, defective, or not as described. Fight or accept? Only fight if the claim is unfair; if genuinely defective, accept. Compelling evidence (primary):
  • Terms describing the product condition and refund policy.
  • An explanation of why the dispute is invalid against the terms the customer agreed to.
  • Where relevant, proof the item matched its description (photos, specs, listing).

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General

Applies to general. The claim: Unspecified. Fight or accept? Contact the customer first to learn the real complaint, then gather evidence addressing it. Compelling evidence (primary): Any document that directly addresses the clarified concern.