Key Takeaways:
Chargeback Filing Window: Cardholders generally have 120 days to dispute a transaction, although the starting date and applicable deadline depend on the card network and dispute type. Some Visa and Mastercard disputes use shorter filing windows.
Merchant Deadlines: Response periods vary by network. Merchants generally have 30 days for Visa and Discover representment, 45 days for Mastercard representment, and 20 days to respond during American Express dispute stages.
Clock Starts Early: A merchant’s response window may begin before the merchant receives notice of the chargeback. Merchants should use the deadline supplied by their acquirer or processor rather than calculating response time from the notification date.
Delayed Responses Cost More: Missing a deadline can prevent representment and may lead to additional fees. Visa also applies time-based dispute fees that increase as more days pass, giving merchants a financial reason to review and respond to disputes promptly.
Preparation Matters: Merchants should preserve transaction records, identify the applicable network deadline, and prepare compelling evidence and a rebuttal letter early. A documented intake and escalation process can reduce losses caused by internal delays.
For many merchants, chargebacks are a common source of frustration and confusion. Part of this comes from the fact that every card network sets its own rules for the chargeback process. While many of the basics tend to be similar from one network to another, one area in which the networks differ significantly is when it comes to the time limits and deadlines involved.
Sometimes, these differing time limits can cause a merchant to miss a deadline they thought was still weeks away. When that happens, the merchant loses the opportunity to fight the chargeback, and they may even be charged an additional fee for failing to respond in time.
Businesses that understand the applicable deadlines can prioritize cases more effectively, preserve the documentation needed to support a defense, and avoid losing disputes because an internal process took too long. They can also recognize when a dispute has exceeded the network's filing requirements and should no longer be valid.
Let's take a look at the chargeback time limits established by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.
Some types of disputes may not start the 120-day count until later in the process. For example, cardholders can dispute a charge for goods that were never delivered up to 120 days after the expected delivery date. For some less common types of chargebacks, a shorter window may apply depending on the card network.
Cardholders have 120 days to file a chargeback for issues related to:
A deadline of 75 days applies for chargebacks related to:
These are the key time limits to be aware of:
Each time a chargeback moves to a new stage of the process, the issuing bank has five days to provide documentation to both the merchant and the cardholder that explains the reasoning behind the decision they made.
Even within these limits, Visa applies time-based dispute fees depending on whether the merchant accepts the dispute or responds with evidence. Both fee schedules are based on how much time has passed since the dispute date, and both become more expensive the longer the merchant waits. These fees are officially assessed to acquirers in the U.S. and Canada, but acquirers typically pass them through to merchants.
10 days or less: $1.05
11–15 days: $1.50
16–20 days: $2.00
21–25 days: $3.00
26–30 days: $4.00
10 days or less: $0.00
11–15 days: $0.50
16–20 days: $1.00
21–25 days: $2.00
26–30 days: $3.00
Expired dispute: $7.00
Expired pre-arbitration: $15.00
Cardholders have 120 days to file a chargeback for issues related to:
The time limit for Mastercard chargebacks is just 45 days for:
Before processing chargebacks arising from the “Credit Not Processed” reason code, banks must wait 15 days after the date on the credit document, the date merchandise was returned, or the date services were terminated.
These are the time limits for each step of the typical process:
For products or services that weren't received at all, cardholders have 120 days from the day they expected to receive the product or service or from the day they became aware that they would not receive it, whichever came first.
Since American Express typically acts and both the card network and the issuing bank, its process is a bit different. Cardholder disputes may begin with an inquiry to the merchant, in which case the merchant has 20 days to respond.
If the response to an inquiry doesn't resolve the issue, or if American Express decides to skip the inquiry altogether, a chargeback will be filed. Merchants also have 20 days to respond to a chargeback. There's no arbitration process for American Express chargebacks.
In order to successfully get a chargeback reversed and recover the lost revenue, the merchant must put together a representment package that includes compelling evidence proving that the chargeback is illegitimate and a rebuttal letter summarizing their case and the evidence that supports it.
The best way to make sure you're not losing revenue is to have the support of a dedicated chargeback management company with the resources and the know-how to submit a compelling case on your behalf on time, every time.