Chargebacks: What are they and why do they occur?

Home  »  Blog   »   Chargebacks: What are they and why do they occur?

What are chargebacks, why do chargebacks occur, and what can you do to minimize them?

What is a chargeback?

The chargeback process is designed to help cardholders recover their money in the event of fraud, or when goods and services aren’t received or are deficient in some way. So, if a cardholder finds a transaction on their card statement that they didn’t authorize or buys something that doesn’t get delivered or doesn’t live up to expectations, they can contact their issuer (the bank that issued the card they paid with) and ask for their money back. If the issuer feels the cardholder’s claim has merit, they will initiate the chargeback process and investigate the claim. If the issuer upholds the claim, they will retrieve the payment from the merchant’s account and refund the cardholder.

4 common reasons for chargebacks

There are a number of reasons for chargebacks. Here we look at four of the most common.

1. Customer disputes A customer may dispute a transaction for a number of reasons, such as:

  • The goods they ordered didn’t arrive (or weren’t available for pickup)
  • The goods received were defective or damaged or didn’t meet the specification
  • A service they ordered wasn’t performed as expected
  • They didn’t receive a credit they were expecting

2. Fraud A customer may report a transaction to their issuer as fraud when they believe it to have been made by someone using their payment details illegitimately. Sometimes a transaction reported as fraud may in fact be genuine. For example, the cardholder may not recognize the transaction because the merchant name on the statement is unclear or confusing. Or it may be a case of friendly fraud (or first-party fraud). Chargeback examples that could be categorized as friendly fraud include:

  • A customer choosing the chargeback process over the merchant’s own return or refund policy
  • Buyer’s remorse—a customer receives the goods but regrets the purchase, so pursues a chargeback claiming non-delivery
  • The customer forgot to cancel a subscription with recurring payments, so pursues a chargeback to get their money back

3. Processing errors A merchant may make a mistake in processing a payment transaction. For example, they may accept an expired payment card or fail to get a card imprint (electronic or manual).

4. Authorization issues Authorization issues typically occur when a merchant attempts to circumvent or override a declined authorization. Effectively, the issuer receives a transaction for which authorization either wasn’t obtained, or was obtained using invalid or incorrect transaction data.

Best-practice recommendations to minimize chargebacks

Gathering evidence to counter a chargeback can be complex and time consuming for merchants, who also have to pay a fee for every chargeback issued—even those that are later canceled. In addition, merchants with high chargeback rates could be fined or may even have their merchant accounts closed. It’s probably not realistic to think you can avoid chargebacks completely, but you’ll want to minimize them to reduce the associated cost and effort and protect your business. Our key best-practice recommendations are as follows.

1. Avoid mistakes Many chargebacks result from avoidable mistakes. To cut down on mistakes, follow card acceptance guidelines closely and ensure employees who process transactions are properly trained.

2. Choose reliable systems For in-person (card-present) transactions, use a trustworthy point of sale system. For eCommerce (card-not-present) transactions, use a reliable payment gateway.

3. Have robust refund and return policies If your refund and return policies are fair, robust and easy to understand, customers are less likely to get frustrated and go the chargeback route. If a customer with a valid dispute contacts you directly, it’s generally better to act promptly and resolve the situation by issuing a credit, to prevent an unnecessary chargeback.

4. Protect against fraud Your fraud management strategy should incorporate a range of tools and filters, including CVV verification, address verification (AVS) and order velocity among the basics. Consider choosing a POS or payment gateway provider that includes fraud prevention and detection tools as part of the service. If you take card payments taken over the phone, have customers provide all the card details—including expiration date and CVV code.

107 Comments

  1. bij nl on November 13, 2024 at 8:16 pm

    Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO?
    I’m trying to get my website to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not
    seeing very good success. If you know of any please share.

    Many thanks! I saw similar text here: Bij nl



  2. cuenta gratuita en Binance on February 20, 2025 at 8:19 pm

    Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.



  3. Binance创建账户 on March 6, 2025 at 12:22 am

    Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.



  4. Bonus Pendaftaran di Binance on March 19, 2025 at 5:53 am

    Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.



  5. DavidBew on April 24, 2025 at 8:22 am

    kamagra gel: Kamagra Oral Jelly pas cher – Acheter Kamagra site fiable



  6. Bradleyflign on April 25, 2025 at 10:38 am

    kamagra gel: kamagra gel – achat kamagra



  7. Bradleyflign on April 25, 2025 at 4:44 pm

    kamagra 100mg prix: acheter kamagra site fiable – achat kamagra



  8. Bradleyflign on April 25, 2025 at 10:42 pm

    Achat Cialis en ligne fiable: cialis prix – Pharmacie en ligne Cialis sans ordonnance tadalmed.shop



  9. Bernardfrals on April 25, 2025 at 10:54 pm

    Cialis en ligne: Tadalafil 20 mg prix en pharmacie – Cialis sans ordonnance 24h tadalmed.shop



  10. Bernardfrals on April 26, 2025 at 9:31 pm

    Kamagra Commander maintenant: Kamagra pharmacie en ligne – acheter kamagra site fiable



  11. Bernardfrals on April 27, 2025 at 2:18 am

    cialis sans ordonnance: Acheter Cialis 20 mg pas cher – Cialis sans ordonnance 24h tadalmed.shop



  12. Bernardfrals on April 27, 2025 at 7:17 am

    Cialis sans ordonnance pas cher: Acheter Cialis – cialis sans ordonnance tadalmed.shop



  13. Bernardfrals on April 27, 2025 at 10:59 am

    vente de mГ©dicament en ligne: pharmacie en ligne sans ordonnance – pharmacie en ligne france livraison internationale pharmafst.com



  14. Bernardfrals on April 27, 2025 at 2:12 pm

    kamagra en ligne: Kamagra Commander maintenant – kamagra pas cher



  15. Bernardfrals on April 27, 2025 at 5:25 pm

    kamagra en ligne: Acheter Kamagra site fiable – Kamagra Commander maintenant



  16. Bernardfrals on April 28, 2025 at 12:11 am

    acheter kamagra site fiable: Kamagra Commander maintenant – kamagra oral jelly



  17. Bernardfrals on April 28, 2025 at 3:20 am

    Cialis generique prix: Cialis sans ordonnance pas cher – Acheter Cialis tadalmed.shop



  18. Bernardfrals on April 28, 2025 at 7:05 am

    pharmacies en ligne certifiГ©es: pharmacie en ligne pas cher – Achat mГ©dicament en ligne fiable pharmafst.com



  19. Bernardfrals on April 28, 2025 at 10:53 am

    pharmacie en ligne france pas cher: Pharmacies en ligne certifiees – Pharmacie sans ordonnance pharmafst.com



  20. StevenSib on April 28, 2025 at 3:14 pm

    indian pharmacy online shopping: indian pharmacy online – top online pharmacy india



  21. StevenSib on April 28, 2025 at 7:56 pm

    mexico drug stores pharmacies: mexico drug stores pharmacies – Rx Express Mexico



  22. StevenSib on April 29, 2025 at 12:28 am

    mexican online pharmacy: pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa – mexico pharmacies prescription drugs



  23. Michaeldew on April 29, 2025 at 4:59 am

    my canadian pharmacy reviews: Express Rx Canada – vipps canadian pharmacy



  24. StevenSib on April 29, 2025 at 5:07 am

    best canadian pharmacy: Canadian pharmacy shipping to USA – canadian pharmacy tampa



  25. MichaelFoova on April 29, 2025 at 9:16 am

    mexico pharmacies prescription drugs [url=https://rxexpressmexico.com/#]mexican rx online[/url] Rx Express Mexico



  26. StevenSib on April 29, 2025 at 9:54 am

    best canadian online pharmacy: Generic drugs from Canada – canada discount pharmacy



  27. Michaeldew on April 29, 2025 at 10:40 am

    legitimate canadian pharmacy online: ExpressRxCanada – safe canadian pharmacy



  28. StevenSib on April 29, 2025 at 2:42 pm

    canada ed drugs: Buy medicine from Canada – canadian pharmacy world



  29. MichaelFoova on April 29, 2025 at 3:34 pm

    adderall canadian pharmacy [url=https://expressrxcanada.shop/#]Buy medicine from Canada[/url] pharmacy canadian



  30. Michaeldew on April 29, 2025 at 4:57 pm

    pharmacy website india: medicine courier from India to USA – Medicine From India



  31. StevenSib on April 29, 2025 at 7:36 pm

    indian pharmacy online: medicine courier from India to USA – indian pharmacy online shopping



  32. MichaelFoova on April 29, 2025 at 10:04 pm

    mexico pharmacy order online [url=https://rxexpressmexico.shop/#]Rx Express Mexico[/url] mexican online pharmacy



  33. Michaeldew on April 29, 2025 at 11:08 pm

    buy prescription drugs from canada cheap: Buy medicine from Canada – reputable canadian online pharmacies



  34. StevenSib on April 30, 2025 at 12:28 am

    thecanadianpharmacy: Generic drugs from Canada – canada rx pharmacy world



  35. MichaelFoova on April 30, 2025 at 4:04 am

    buy canadian drugs [url=https://expressrxcanada.shop/#]Buy medicine from Canada[/url] escrow pharmacy canada



  36. BrianPog on May 1, 2025 at 8:23 am

    вавада зеркало: вавада – vavada вход



  37. BrianPog on May 1, 2025 at 12:56 pm

    пин ап казино: pin up вход – пин ап вход



  38. OliveEnags on May 1, 2025 at 3:54 pm

    продажа аккаунтов соцсетей площадка для продажи аккаунтов



  39. PeterEligo on May 1, 2025 at 5:03 pm

    купить аккаунт с прокачкой https://marketplace-akkauntov-top.ru/



  40. BrianPog on May 1, 2025 at 5:18 pm

    пинап казино: пин ап казино – пинап казино



  41. RichardGap on May 1, 2025 at 5:48 pm

    безопасная сделка аккаунтов https://magazin-akkauntov-online.ru/



  42. Jamespaivy on May 1, 2025 at 7:09 pm

    купить аккаунт https://ploshadka-prodazha-akkauntov.ru/



  43. BrianPog on May 1, 2025 at 9:44 pm

    pin up casino: pinup az – pin-up



  44. BrianPog on May 2, 2025 at 2:10 am

    пин ап казино официальный сайт: пинап казино – pin up вход



  45. OliveEnags on May 2, 2025 at 3:26 am

    заработок на аккаунтах https://prodat-akkaunt-online.ru/



  46. Bryantfauct on May 2, 2025 at 4:43 am

    магазин аккаунтов социальных сетей маркетплейс аккаунтов соцсетей



  47. RichardGap on May 2, 2025 at 4:53 am

    профиль с подписчиками услуги по продаже аккаунтов



  48. BrianPog on May 2, 2025 at 7:19 am

    вавада зеркало: вавада казино – vavada вход



  49. BrianPog on May 2, 2025 at 12:38 pm

    vavada: vavada casino – вавада официальный сайт



  50. BrianPog on May 2, 2025 at 5:41 pm

    пин ап зеркало: пин ап казино – пинап казино



  51. BrianPog on May 2, 2025 at 10:26 pm

    pin up: pin up az – pin up azerbaycan



  52. DavidBut on May 2, 2025 at 10:36 pm

    Account Trading Service Account Buying Platform



  53. JasonSep on May 2, 2025 at 10:38 pm

    Guaranteed Accounts Buy and Sell Accounts



  54. Michaelboobe on May 2, 2025 at 11:42 pm

    Account exchange Buy Pre-made Account



  55. Walteraffet on May 3, 2025 at 12:59 am

    Buy Account Account Sale



  56. KennethFlile on May 3, 2025 at 6:53 am

    pin up az: pin-up casino giris – pin-up



  57. Jaredhoomo on May 3, 2025 at 4:23 pm


  58. BrianVer on May 3, 2025 at 4:25 pm

    Buy accounts Account marketplace



  59. RonaldJug on May 3, 2025 at 5:12 pm


  60. KennethFlile on May 3, 2025 at 5:45 pm

    pin up: pin-up – pin up casino



  61. Thomasper on May 3, 2025 at 7:35 pm

    Ready-Made Accounts for Sale Buy accounts



  62. KennethFlile on May 3, 2025 at 11:18 pm

    пин ап зеркало: пинап казино – пинап казино



  63. binance on May 3, 2025 at 11:22 pm

    I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.



  64. Brucetoods on May 4, 2025 at 3:09 am

    Accounts market Account Buying Platform



  65. Williambeiny on May 4, 2025 at 3:12 am

    Secure Account Purchasing Platform Account Catalog



  66. KennethFlile on May 4, 2025 at 4:54 am

    pin up вход: пин ап вход – pin up вход



  67. RonaldJug on May 4, 2025 at 5:52 am

    Ready-Made Accounts for Sale Account Selling Platform



  68. KennethFlile on May 4, 2025 at 10:23 am

    пин ап вход: пин ап казино – пин ап вход



  69. KennethFlile on May 4, 2025 at 3:51 pm

    pin up casino: pin up casino – pin up



  70. Edmundalups on May 4, 2025 at 8:13 pm

    find accounts for sale buy accounts



  71. Brandongop on May 4, 2025 at 8:13 pm

    secure account sales sell account



  72. RomeoVet on May 4, 2025 at 9:05 pm

    account sale sell account



  73. KennethFlile on May 4, 2025 at 9:18 pm

    пин ап вход: пин ап казино официальный сайт – пин ап вход



  74. DonaldRen on May 4, 2025 at 11:28 pm

    accounts for sale find accounts for sale



  75. KennethFlile on May 5, 2025 at 3:12 am

    пин ап зеркало: пин ап вход – пин ап вход



  76. KennethFlile on May 5, 2025 at 8:50 am

    вавада официальный сайт: вавада казино – vavada casino



  77. KennethFlile on May 5, 2025 at 2:29 pm

    вавада зеркало: vavada casino – vavada casino



  78. Keithduh on May 5, 2025 at 3:38 pm

    accounts marketplace sell pre-made account



  79. Robertthuff on May 5, 2025 at 3:51 pm

    buy pre-made account sell accounts



  80. Hectorhot on May 5, 2025 at 4:41 pm

    account trading service find accounts for sale



  81. CarlosoxynC on May 5, 2025 at 6:40 pm

    secure account purchasing platform account trading platform



  82. KennethFlile on May 5, 2025 at 9:58 pm

    pin up: pin up azerbaycan – pin-up casino giris



  83. RichardFak on May 6, 2025 at 2:27 am

    account exchange online account store



  84. StephenMub on May 6, 2025 at 2:32 am

    secure account sales ready-made accounts for sale



  85. KennethFlile on May 6, 2025 at 3:42 am

    pin up az: pin up casino – pin-up



  86. Carlosastew on May 6, 2025 at 4:48 am

    account buying platform accounts-marketplace.org



  87. StevenDuate on May 6, 2025 at 2:02 pm

    account sale buy accounts



  88. ClydeTon on May 6, 2025 at 5:45 pm


  89. JohnnyLAT on May 6, 2025 at 5:55 pm

    account buying service database of accounts for sale



  90. Thomaselist on May 6, 2025 at 6:42 pm


  91. Philipdache on May 7, 2025 at 4:05 am

    verified accounts for sale account catalog



  92. RandalFes on May 7, 2025 at 4:10 am

    ready-made accounts for sale verified accounts for sale



  93. ElmerOvamy on May 7, 2025 at 7:09 am

    пин ап вход: пин ап зеркало – пинап казино



  94. ElmerOvamy on May 7, 2025 at 12:48 pm

    pin up вход: пин ап казино – pin up вход



  95. RichardKnigo on May 7, 2025 at 2:30 pm

    account selling service online account store



  96. ZacharyKinly on May 7, 2025 at 2:33 pm

    social media account marketplace buy and sell accounts



  97. KevinTrign on May 7, 2025 at 3:30 pm

    account acquisition secure account sales



  98. ElmerOvamy on May 7, 2025 at 6:33 pm

    пинап казино: пин ап казино официальный сайт – pin up вход



  99. RaymondKet on May 7, 2025 at 7:52 pm


  100. ElmerOvamy on May 8, 2025 at 12:17 am

    пин ап вход: пинап казино – pin up вход



  101. Thomasdap on May 8, 2025 at 4:20 am


  102. NathanSmash on May 8, 2025 at 4:29 am

    marketplace for ready-made accounts account store



  103. BruceFam on May 8, 2025 at 5:20 am

    website for selling accounts find accounts for sale



  104. Danielmoott on May 8, 2025 at 3:27 pm

    find accounts for sale online account store



  105. GeraldVar on May 8, 2025 at 5:50 pm

    account trading platform account store



  106. JasonEstam on May 8, 2025 at 7:19 pm


  107. Thomasmex on May 8, 2025 at 8:28 pm

    buy and sell accounts guaranteed accounts



Leave a Comment