If a cardholder disputes a payment, their bank can raise a retrieval request. If the cardholder’s bank raises a retrieval request, we send you an email that includes the transaction details, the reason for the request, and how long you have to respond. 

To respond to a retrieval request, you can do one of the following:

• Submit your evidence - Submit supporting evidence that addresses the reason for the retrieval request. 
• Notify us of a refund - Notify us if you issued a refund to the cardholder before you received the retrieval request.

Submit your evidence

To submit your evidence, you need to complete a Retrieval Form. You can access the form from the email that we sent you or you can go to Retrieval Form.

To fill out the form, complete the following steps:

1. In the Retrieval Choices section, select SUPPLY DOCUMENTATION.
2. In the Required Information section, enter the following information:
   • ARN# or ARD# - Acquirer Reference Number (ARN) or Acquirer Reference Data (ARD) of the disputed transaction.
   • MID# - Your merchant ID.
   • Transaction Date - Date of the disputed transaction.
   • Last 4 of Cardholder Account (Credit/Debit Card) - Last four digits of the cardholder’s card. 
3. In the Attachments section, upload the following documents:
   • Supporting evidence - Submit supporting evidence that addresses the reason for the retrieval request. For a list of example evidence you can send, go to Evidence examples. 
   • Written rebuttal - Prepare a cover letter that explains the disputed transaction. The letter should include the following information:
     • Transaction information - Your merchant name, merchant ID, transaction date, amount, transaction ID, and reference number of the retrieval request.
     • Transaction context - A brief explanation of the transaction.
     • Summary of evidence - A brief description of each document you've attached and how it confirms the transaction was legitimate.
4. In the Description of Attachments for the Retrieval section, include a summary of what happened and how your evidence addresses the request.
5. (Optional) In the Additional Details section, include any additional details about the disputed transaction. 
6. Select Send.

After we receive the evidence, we forward it to the cardholder's bank. The cardholder's bank reviews your evidence and makes one of the following decisions:

• If the bank accepts your evidence, the request closes.
• If the bank rejects your evidence, the request escalates to a chargeback.

Evidence examples

The evidence that you need to send depends on the reason for the retrieval request and the payment type:

• Online payments - You accept payments online, and cardholders can complete purchases without being physically present.
• In-person payments - You accept payments in person, and cardholders are present at the time of the purchase.

Online payments

If you accept payments online, you can provide the following evidence: 

• Transaction receipt - Send the transaction receipt that confirms that you processed the transaction. The transaction receipt should include the following information:
  • Transaction date
  • Amount
  • Merchant name
  • Transaction ID
  • Authorization code
• Proof of fulfillment - Send proof of fulfillment that confirms that you delivered the goods. Examples of evidence you can send include:
  • For physical goods that you shipped, send an order confirmation email, shipping confirmation, tracking number, and carrier delivery confirmation.
  • For digital goods, send download logs, access records, or an IP address that confirms the cardholder received and used the product.
• Cardholder communication - Send any exchanges that you have with the cardholder about the transaction.
• Billing agreement - Send a billing agreement that shows the billing terms and that the cardholder has agreed to recurring charges.

In-person payments

If you accept payments in person, you can provide the following evidence: 

• Transaction receipt - Send the transaction receipt that confirms that you processed the transaction. The transaction receipt should include the following information:
  • Transaction date
  • Amount
  • Merchant name
  • Transaction ID
  • Card entry method
• Proof of fulfillment - Send proof of fulfillment that confirms that you’ve provided the services, for example, a work order, appointment record, or service completion record.
• Cardholder communication - Send any exchanges that you have with the cardholder about the transaction.

Notify us of a refund

If you issued a partial refund or full refund for the payment before you received the retrieval request, you need to tell us so that we can follow up with the cardholder’s bank. 

To notify us of a refund, you need to complete a Retrieval Form. You can access the form from the email that we sent you or you can go to Retrieval Form.

To fill out the form, complete the following steps:

1. In the Retrieval Choices section, select ALREADY REFUNDED.
2. In the Required Information section, enter the following information:
   • ARN# or ARD# - Acquirer Reference Number (ARN) or Acquirer Reference Data (ARD) of the disputed transaction.
   • MID# - Your merchant ID.
   • Transaction Date - Date of the disputed transaction.
   • Last 4 of Cardholder Account (Credit/Debit Card) - Last four digits of the cardholder’s card. 
3. (Optional) In the Partial Refund section, include additional details on why you issued a partial refund, for example, the cardholder returned only part of the order.
4. (Optional) In the Additional Details section, include any additional details about the disputed transaction. 
5. Select Send.