What Evidence Do You Need to Fight a Chargeback?
Winning a chargeback comes down to evidence. When you fight a chargeback — a process the card schemes call representment — you are asking the issuing bank to overturn its cardholder's claim, and the bank will only do that if your documentation clearly answers the specific reason code raised.
The best time to gather evidence is before a chargeback ever happens. Businesses that log authentication results, delivery confirmations and customer communications as a matter of routine can respond to any chargeback within the deadline; businesses that scramble to reconstruct records afterwards usually lose.
What evidence do issuers actually look at?
- Proof of delivery or fulfilment — courier tracking with a delivery confirmation, a signed proof of delivery, or for digital goods, download and access logs tied to the customer.
- Authentication results — the 3D Secure authentication outcome, AVS (address verification) results and CVV match results from the original transaction.
- Signed agreements and mandates — contracts, subscription terms or order confirmations showing what the customer agreed to.
- Communication logs — emails, support tickets, chat transcripts or call records showing the customer engaged with you about the order.
- Refund and cancellation policy acceptance — evidence the customer saw and accepted your terms at checkout, such as a ticked checkbox with a timestamp.
- IP address and device data — showing the transaction came from a device, location or account the customer had used before.
- Transaction history — prior undisputed purchases from the same customer, which undermines a claim that the card was stolen.
How should evidence match the reason code?
Evidence only helps if it addresses the claim being made. Match your response to the dispute category:
| Dispute claim | Strongest evidence |
|---|---|
| "I did not authorise this" (fraud) | 3D Secure result, AVS/CVV match, matching IP/device history, prior purchases |
| "I never received it" | Proof of delivery, tracking data, delivery address matching the cardholder |
| "Not as described / defective" | Product listing, terms accepted, communication showing the customer's actual complaint |
| "I cancelled the subscription" | Cancellation policy acceptance, absence of a cancellation request, usage logs after the alleged cancellation |
| "I was charged twice" | Transaction records showing two distinct orders, or proof a refund was already issued |
Submitting a large bundle of irrelevant documents weakens a response. A short, focused submission that directly refutes the specific claim performs far better.
Why does 3D Secure matter so much?
When a transaction is successfully authenticated with 3D Secure, liability for fraud-type chargebacks generally shifts from the merchant to the issuing bank. That means the most common and hardest-to-fight category of chargeback — "I did not authorise this" — is largely closed off. Keep the authentication result and related identifiers from every 3D Secure transaction, because they are your primary evidence. See How Does 3D Secure Help Prevent Fraud? for detail.
How should you store evidence?
- Log authentication and verification results with every transaction record automatically, rather than relying on manual capture.
- Keep delivery confirmations linked to the order reference.
- Retain records for at least as long as the dispute window allows — cardholders can typically dispute up to around 120 days after the transaction or expected delivery, and arbitration can extend the timeline further.
- Mask card numbers in your own records; you need the transaction reference, not the full card number. See logging, masking and audit trails.
Practical tips for representment
- Respond well before the deadline. Late responses lose by default.
- Open with a one-paragraph summary of why the chargeback is invalid, then attach supporting documents in a logical order.
- Reference the reason code explicitly and address it directly.
- If the customer already received a refund, lead with that — it usually ends the dispute immediately.
Related topics
Card Chargebacks
How the card chargeback process works from cardholder claim to final ruling, the common reason codes, and how merchants can reduce chargeback rates.
Debit Order Disputes
How customers dispute debit orders through their bank, the timeframes and mandate rules that decide the outcome, and how DebiCheck changes the picture.