Resolving a chargeback or inquiry

You can help to resolve a chargeback or inquiry in the following ways:

• Contact the customer to discuss and resolve their issue directly. They can then contact their bank to cancel the chargeback or inquiry.
• Add additional evidence to prove that the charge is valid.
• Accept the chargeback or inquiry when you agree that the cardholder's complaint is valid.

Even when the customer agrees to drop the chargeback or inquiry, you should still submit evidence to prove that the customer has withdrawn their chargeback or inquiry claim.

Note

To manage your chargebacks and inquiries in the Shopify admin, you need to be using Shopify Payments.

Caution

Shopify isn't liable for chargebacks that occur when using the Shopify platform. Shopify isn't involved in the decision making of chargeback outcomes.

Understanding chargeback statuses

When you view a chargeback in your Shopify admin, the status indicates where the dispute is in the process. Chargebacks can have one of the following statuses: open, submitted, won, or lost. Learn more about chargeback statuses in the Shopify admin.

Tip

When available, the card-issuing bank might provide an issuer claim that explains why the dispute was opened, or an issuer response that explains why a lost dispute was ruled in the customer's favor. You can also use Sidekick to get personalized guidance on understanding and responding to disputes. Learn more about issuer claims and issuer responses.

Note

After a chargeback decision is made by the bank, that decision is final. You can't appeal a chargeback decision or submit additional evidence after a decision has been made.

Contacting the customer

You can talk to the customer who made the order by phone or email to try to resolve the issue. If your customer agrees that the chargeback or inquiry isn't necessary, then they must contact their bank and ask them to cancel the chargeback or inquiry. You should then request that they provide you with a copy of the chargeback withdrawal letter from their bank. After you have evidence of the customer requesting to cancel the chargeback, you need to submit this letter as evidence in the Chargeback response form on the order. Refer to Resolve a chargeback canceled by the customer.

Adding additional evidence

After the cardholder's bank makes a chargeback or inquiry, you have a limited time to submit evidence that the charge was valid. The deadline is typically 7 to 21 days after the chargeback is filed. Learn more about evidence submission deadlines.

Types of evidence to submit

The evidence you should submit depends on the reason for the chargeback or inquiry. For a full breakdown by dispute type (including specific evidence for fraudulent transactions, product not received, subscription canceled, and more) refer to Responding by dispute type. For guidance on ordering and structuring your evidence for maximum impact, refer to Provide the best evidence against a chargeback or inquiry.

Evidence formatting requirements

If you're adding any documents or images, then make sure you format them clearly so they can be viewed without zooming or cropping. High-contrast images that can be printed clearly in black and white are recommended, as many banks receive chargeback evidence through fax machines. For detailed file type, size, and formatting requirements, refer to adding evidence and submitting a chargeback.

If you use Shopify Payments, then Shopify tools automatically populate available data that's used to send a response to the credit card company for you on the due date. For product not received disputes, Shopify includes AI-generated insights in the evidence submitted to help support your case. You can opt out of including these insights from the evidence submission form. Learn more about managing chargebacks in the Shopify admin.

If your store is closed or paused when you receive a chargeback notification, then refer to Chargebacks and closed stores for steps on how to access and submit your evidence.

If you're using a third-party payment provider, then you should contact your provider to find out how to send evidence to the credit card company.

Accepting the chargeback or inquiry

In some cases, you might decide that a chargeback or inquiry is justified. In these cases, you can accept the chargeback or issue a refund to end an inquiry.

Accepting a chargeback

If you think that a chargeback is justified, then you can accept a chargeback either by not submitting any evidence or by opening the evidence submission form. The disputed amount is returned to the customer, and you aren't refunded for the chargeback fee.

Issuing a refund to end an inquiry

If you think that the reason behind an inquiry is justified, then you can issue a full refund for the order, as no funds are taken by the credit card company during an inquiry. If you issue a partial refund, then a full chargeback can still occur. If you issue a full refund, then the cardholder can't initiate a chargeback. You should also submit evidence that proves you've refunded the customer.

Note

You can't issue a refund after a cardholder initiates a chargeback. If you determine that a refund is warranted for an open chargeback, then the cardholder must first drop the chargeback, and then you can provide a refund. Refer to Resolve a chargeback canceled by the customer.

Resolve a chargeback canceled by the customer

Even when a cardholder has already contacted their bank to cancel the chargeback, the dispute process often involves more than one banking entity, so the chargeback can remain active in your Shopify admin. Ensure that you submit evidence in all chargeback cases, even if your customer says they have canceled the chargeback.

You'll need to get a withdrawal letter from the customer that you'll then submit as evidence to the chargeback to be processed by the appropriate banking entities before the chargeback will completely resolve in your admin.

Caution

There's no guarantee that this will be resolved in your favor, so submit as much evidence as possible for chargebacks.

Withdrawal letter requirements

Note

A screenshot of the customer's bank statement isn't sufficient. The customer must obtain an official withdrawal letter from their bank.

The documentation provided by the customer must meet all of the following requirements:

• Be on official bank letterhead.
• Display the case number.
• Confirm the original charge date and amount.
• Confirm your store or business name.
• Confirm that the chargeback has been canceled.
• Confirm that the funds have been re-debited from the customer's account.
• Confirm that the funds have been returned to you, the merchant.

Submit the withdrawal letter as evidence

Steps:

1. Request that the cardholder obtain a withdrawal letter from their credit card company and send it to you.
2. Verify that the documentation meets all of the withdrawal letter requirements.
3. Submit this letter as dispute evidence within the Chargeback response submission form on the order.
   • If the deadline to submit chargeback evidence has passed, then refer to Chargeback is listed as Lost or is still under review.
4. Wait for the banking entities involved to review and update the chargeback on their end. The timeline for this depends on the involved banks' processes and can take up to 30-90 days or sooner.

If your customer agreed to cancel the chargeback in exchange for a refund for the order, then ensure that you keep your customer informed during this time period. Reassure them that you need to wait for this to be officially resolved before you can issue a refund.

After the chargeback is resolved, you can refund the order. Set the expectation with your customer that it normally takes 5-10 business days for the bank to process a refund.

Chargeback is listed as Lost or is still under review

If the deadline to submit evidence has passed, then the chargeback status might display as Lost or Under review. When the customer has canceled the chargeback and provided you the chargeback withdrawal documentation, contact Shopify Support for next steps.

If you're using Shopify Payments, then you can submit evidence up until the due date listed on the chargeback. When the due date has passed, you can't submit further evidence. The result of the chargeback is final and it's not possible to request another review. Learn more about chargebacks in the Shopify admin.

Caution

Shopify can't request early resolution for American Express disputes or Visa disputes with a Fraudulent reason code. In these cases, gathering a withdrawal letter won't expedite the process, and the chargeback status must update on its own through the standard banking timeline.

Note

Businesses in France using Shopify Payments must wait for the chargeback status to update on its own.

Troubleshooting common chargeback issues

For general information about the chargeback process, timelines, and considerations such as currency exchange rates, refer to Responding to chargebacks and inquiries.

Troubleshoot refund for open chargeback

Refunds can't be issued while a chargeback is open. The funds have already been withdrawn by the bank and are held pending the dispute resolution.

If you want to provide a refund as a resolution:

1. Contact your customer and ask them to withdraw the chargeback with their bank.
2. Have them provide you with an official withdrawal letter.
3. Submit the withdrawal letter as evidence.
4. Wait for the chargeback to be resolved in your favor.
5. After the chargeback is resolved, you can issue a refund.

Troubleshoot blank evidence or accepted chargeback by mistake

If the deadline hasn't passed, then contact Shopify Support immediately to request that the chargeback be un-accepted so you can add evidence.

If the deadline has passed, then the chargeback can't be changed. Shopify automatically submits basic order information on your behalf, including:

• Product details (title, variants, and quantity purchased)
• Shipping information (shipping company used and tracking information)
• Date and time order was fulfilled
• Shipping and billing address
• Date order was placed
• Customer IP address and customer IP country

Troubleshoot canceled chargeback still showing in admin

When a customer cancels a chargeback with their bank, there's often a delay before the update reaches Shopify. This happens because multiple banking entities are involved in the dispute process.

To resolve this:

1. Ask your customer to provide an official withdrawal letter from their bank.
2. Submit the withdrawal letter as evidence through the Chargeback response form.
3. Wait for the banking entities to process the cancellation. This can take 30-90 days.

Don't assume the chargeback is resolved just because the customer says they canceled it. Always submit evidence.

Troubleshoot pre-arbitration chargeback

If you won a chargeback but the customer disputed the same transaction again, this is called a pre-arbitration chargeback. Pre-arbitrations happen when the cardholder provides additional evidence and disputes the original transaction a second time after losing the initial dispute.

Winning the first chargeback doesn't guarantee that you'll win the pre-arbitration. The bank will review all evidence again and make a new decision.

Respond to the pre-arbitration the same way you responded to the original dispute: submit your strongest evidence before the deadline through the Chargeback response form on the order.

Troubleshoot contacting the customer's bank directly

The banking system doesn't allow merchants to contact the customer's bank directly about a chargeback. All communication with the bank happens through the evidence submission process.

Your opportunity to communicate with the bank is when you submit evidence for the chargeback. After evidence is submitted, you can't make changes or provide additional information.

Troubleshoot deadline passed but customer wants to withdraw

If the evidence submission deadline has passed and the chargeback is showing as Lost or Under review, then you can still work with your customer to resolve it:

1. Have your customer obtain an official withdrawal letter from their bank.
2. Verify the letter meets all withdrawal requirements.
3. Contact Shopify Support with the withdrawal documentation.

Shopify Support can review your case and reach out to banking partners to check if the chargeback status can be updated. There's no guarantee of a favorable outcome, and the process can take 30-90 days.

Important: Shopify can't request early resolution for American Express disputes or Visa disputes with a Fraudulent reason code. For these dispute types, gathering a withdrawal letter won't expedite the process. The chargeback status must update on its own through the standard banking timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Does winning a chargeback remove it from my dispute rate?

No. A dispute that's resolved in your favor still counts toward your overall dispute rate. The dispute rate is based on the number of disputes filed, not the outcomes.

A low chargeback rate helps keep your Shopify Payments account in good standing. Learn more about monitoring your chargeback rate and preventing chargebacks.

If I win a chargeback, when do I get my money back?

If you win the chargeback, then the full chargeback amount plus the chargeback fee is returned in your next payout after the decision is made.

If your store is closed but you win a chargeback, then the funds are paid out to the bank account on file for your Shopify Payments account, provided there are no flags preventing the payout.

Can there be multiple chargebacks on a single order?

Yes. If there were multiple transactions on a single order (for example, if the order was edited to add an item, resulting in a separate transaction), then each transaction can be disputed separately. In this case, you might receive chargebacks for each transaction.

Before you contact Shopify Support about a chargeback

Before reaching out to Shopify Support about a chargeback issue, gather the following information to help resolve your issue faster:

• The order number(s) affected by the chargeback
• The current chargeback status that displays in your Shopify admin (open, submitted, won, lost, or under review)
• The deadline date for evidence submission (if still open)
• Any communication you've had with the customer about the dispute
• If the customer cancels the chargeback: the official withdrawal letter from their bank
• Screenshots of any error messages you've encountered
• Steps you've already tried from the troubleshooting section

Note

If you're using a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, then contact your payment provider directly for help with chargebacks. Shopify Support can only assist with chargebacks processed through Shopify Payments.

Having this information ready helps Shopify Support assist you more efficiently.

Related resources

• Chargebacks and inquiries overview
• Responding to chargebacks and inquiries
• Reasons for a chargeback or inquiry
• Preventing chargebacks and inquiries
• Chargebacks in the Shopify admin
• Fraud and dispute monitoring programs
• Fraud prevention