Reason code
Disputes & risk
The category an issuer assigns when filing a chargeback, fraud, authorization, processing error, or cardholder dispute. Each reason code has its own time limits, evidence requirements, and defense difficulty. Visa uses codes like 10.4 and 13.1; Mastercard uses codes like 4837 and 4853.
In practice.
The reason code determines what evidence can win a dispute, the response deadline and the defense odds, so triage starts there. Fraud codes after 3DS authentication are usually winnable, while service disputes hinge on your documentation. Our reason-code lookup covers every Visa and Mastercard code with the playbook for each.
Related terms: Chargeback · Compelling evidence · Representment
Disputes & risk