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Merchant help > Resolving disputes > Handling chargebacks

Chargeback FAQ

What is a chargeback?

A chargeback occurs when your customer contacts their bank or credit card company to dispute the charge for an order that they placed on your website. Chargebacks are also known as "charge disputes" and “reversals”, and they can be filed for a variety of reasons, including unauthorised use of the credit card. Common reasons for disputes include:

  • The card holder does not recognise the charge or payee on their statement.
  • The card holder did not receive the product or service.
  • The card holder feels that the product or service was defective, damaged, or not as described.
  • The card holder's credit card was stolen or used without their consent.

How does a chargeback differ from a buyer dispute or the Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee?

In the case of a buyer dispute or an A-to-z Guarantee claim, the buyer contacts Amazon Pay to mediate a problem with their transaction or to make a claim under our A-to-z Guarantee program. In the case of a chargeback, the buyer contacts their bank or credit card company to dispute a charge. Note that the bank or credit card company decides the outcome of a chargeback, not Amazon Pay.

How will I know when a buyer has filed a chargeback?

Amazon Pay will send an email notification to your Amazon Pay account email address. If you have set up Instant Payment Notifications (IPNs) in Seller Central, you also receive an IPN message. For details, see Set up Instant Payment Notifications in the Amazon Pay integration options guide.

Am I held responsible for all chargebacks filed against my Amazon Payments Merchant account?

Under our Payment Protection Policy in the Amazon Payments Customer Agreement, we will not hold you liable for chargebacks and we will not collect a chargeback dispute fee if you and the transactions meet all the requirements of the Policy. You are responsible for any service-related chargebacks and any chargeback for a transaction that does not comply with our Amazon Pay Acceptable Use Policy. To qualify for coverage under the Policy, the following requirements apply:

  • You have a Business Account.
  • The transaction is for the sale of physical products, like books and DVDs. The Payment Protection Policy does not apply to transactions involving intangible products, including services, digital content, or cash equivalents or stored value instruments such as gift cards.
  • The chargeback (whether for transactions involving credit cards or reversals on bank account transfers) transaction is disputed and classified as "Unauthorised Payment". Note that it does not apply to chargebacks classified in other ways including "significantly not as described", "merchandise that is defective", or "non-receipt of merchandise".
  • You provide all requested information within the time limit specified by us, including without limitation valid proof of delivery to the address provided by Amazon Pay for the applicable transaction.
  • The transaction and your use of our services do not violate the terms of the Amazon Payments Europe Merchant User Agreement, including the Acceptable Use Policy.

Do I need to do anything if the chargeback is covered by the Payment Protection Policy?

You must provide us with the information and documents listed below, and any other documents or evidence we may request, within 11 calendar days of the email notification date so that we can verify whether the transaction is covered by our payment protection policy:

  • Proof of delivery
  • Date the order was shipped
  • Tracking number (if applicable)
  • Shipping address
  • Whether the products sold were physical goods or intangible goods

What do I do when I receive a chargeback?

First, review your chargeback notification for important details such as the reply-by date. Next, review transaction details along with any customer communications you have received. Determine whether you would like to contest or accept the chargeback. If you want to dispute a chargeback, please respond using the instructions found in your chargeback notification.

How can I respond to a chargeback claim?

When a buyer contacts their bank or credit card company to request a chargeback, the bank or credit card company contacts Amazon Pay to request details about the transaction. In turn, Amazon Pay contacts you via an email notification to request transaction information. You can also receive an Instant Payment Notification (IPN) message if you have set up IPNs in Seller Central.

You can respond to a chargeback notification in one of two ways:

  • By choosing to dispute the chargeback via Amazon Pay. To dispute the chargeback, you need to respond to the email from Amazon Pay and provide the information in support of your case. For a list of the required information, see What information do you need from me in order to challenge a chargeback?.
  • By choosing to accept the chargeback. If you choose to accept the chargeback, you need to notify Amazon Pay to agree that the amount will be debited from your account. If you do not respond to the chargeback notification within 11 calendar days, we will debit your Amazon Pay account for the chargeback amount.

Note: You must respond to any chargeback notification within 11 calendar days of the email notification date. If you do not respond to a notification within that timeframe, we will debit your account for the transaction amount. You will also need to reply to any additional requests for information within the timeframe stated in the request.

What information do you need from me in order to dispute a chargeback?

To expedite the chargeback resolution, include as much information as possible in your initial response. If you do not provide a sufficient response to a chargeback claim, or do not adhere to the terms and conditions of our Customer Agreement, or if the card issuer or bank decides in favor of the cardholder, Amazon Pay will debit your account for the chargeback amount.

At a minimum, you must include the following information:

  • The status of the transaction,
  • A description of the product or service, and
  • Proof that the item or service was received by the card holder.

In addition, it is very helpful to include any of the following:

  • Order confirmation emails,
  • Details of any changes to or cancellation of an order,
  • Tracking numbers,
  • System or usage logs for digitally downloaded goods,
  • Photos of the item ordered,
  • A description of the item ordered,
  • A copy of your refund and return policies, and
  • Customer communication records.
Note: Any supporting data forwarded to Amazon Pay may be presented directly to the credit card company and issuing bank by us. Therefore, please ensure that all data is relevant to the context of your dispute.

Is there a cost to dispute a chargeback?

How long do I have to respond to a chargeback?

If you plan to dispute a chargeback, we require a response within 11 calendar days of notification. The specific reply-by date can be found in the original chargeback notification email.

What happens if I don't respond within 11 calendar days?

We require a response within 11 calendar days to ensure that credit card company or bank deadlines are met and that we can dispute the chargeback. If we do not receive a response within 11 calendar days, we will not dispute the charge, and your account will be debited the chargeback amount.

What does a chargeback notification look like?

Amazon Pay chargeback notification emails give you details about each chargeback with the following information:

  • Merchant order ID (sometimes referred as Seller order ID)
  • Order reference ID
  • Transaction date
  • Disputed amount
  • Card type
  • Dispute type
  • Dispute reason code

Chargeback Instant Payment Notification messages include key elements of the above.

The email notification also includes details on what information we require from you in order to dispute the chargeback claim and specifies the terms of the agreement under which we will assist you.

Note the dispute type, which tells you that the chargeback is one of the following:

  • Unauthorized transaction chargeback is the result of an unauthorized charge and potentially eligible for the Amazon Pay Purchase Protection Policy, as described in the Customer Agreement.
  • A service chargeback is filed by a customer, which means that you need to note the card type and dispute reason code so that you can determine which types of information to submit if you dispute the claim.

Find explanations for the major credit card issuers’ dispute reason codes in the Cardholder Dispute Reason Code Encyclopedia

What happens after I submit the chargeback dispute information?

An Amazon Pay investigator reviews the information provided, creates supporting documentation (sometimes referred to as "representment"), and submits it to the issuing bank or credit card company on your behalf. We will contact you if we or the issuing bank require further information.

The final outcome of a chargeback can take up to 90 days from the date on which the charge was disputed to the issuing bank or credit card company. In some cases, it can take even longer. We will inform you, via email, of the outcome only if you are held financially responsible for the chargeback. The notification will outline why you have been debited.

If you feel that you were debited for a chargeback in error, reply to the notification. We will review your dispute. However, in the majority of cases, the issuing bank's decision is final and there is no recourse to appeal that decision.

If you have questions about a decision on a prior chargeback, reply to the email notification or write to amazonpayments-cb-info@amazon.co.uk.

See also