Chargeback representment is the process by which a merchant disputes a chargeback by providing evidence to the card issuer to demonstrate that the original transaction was valid. Essentially, it is the merchant’s opportunity to “fight” a chargeback by submitting documentation such as receipts, proof of delivery, or correspondence with the customer to show that the charge was legitimate and should not have been reversed.

If the evidence is accepted, the chargeback may be reversed, and the funds returned to the merchant. Representment is a critical part of chargeback management, helping merchants recover revenue and reduce losses from unjustified disputes..

Representment process

As previously mentioned, representment is a manual process handled by the Payxpert Fraud Team via email. The following provides a detailed overview of the process for better understanding.

When a transaction is disputed by the cardholder with their issuing bank, the issuing bank requests evidence from the merchant (via the acquirer) to determine whether the transaction was valid. The acquiring bank (acquirer) notifies our fraud team when a dispute has been raised and is considered defendable. In some cases, if the acquirer determines that the chargeback is not defendable based on their own investigation, the dispute cannot proceed to representment.

Because disputes are raised under different categories and reason codes, not all chargebacks are defendable. For example, Cartes Bancaires chargebacks with reason code 45 (Fraud - Disputed Transaction) are not defendable. In such cases, if a customer claims fraud under this code, the merchant cannot provide evidence to overturn the chargeback. Another example includes certain Visa “allocation” disputes, where Visa automatically assesses liability based on internal data. In these cases, the merchant’s opportunity to respond may be limited.

If a merchant declares their willingness to defend disputes, our Fraud Team will - upon notification from the acquirer that a dispute has been raised and is eligible for representment - forward the request directly to the merchant’s designated contact email address. This notification includes the acquirer’s specific requirements - which may vary depending on the acquirer, card network, and dispute type - as well as the email address to which the representment should be submitted and the expected timeline for providing evidence.

The merchant is responsible for reviewing the dispute and providing all available supporting documentation. All evidence must be submitted before the deadline; late submissions cannot be accepted by the acquirer.

Evidence should be:

• Clear and legible
• Relevant to the dispute reason
• Complete and well-organised

The acquirer reviews the evidence and, if deemed appropriate and sufficient, liaises with the issuing bank. The issuer then reviews the documentation and decides whether to uphold or reverse the chargeback.

Possible outcomes:

• Chargeback reversed - the merchant wins the case and retains the funds
• Chargeback upheld - the merchant loses the case, and the refund remains in place

All merchants who choose to participate in the chargeback defence process must notify the Fraud Team and provide the relevant contact information. This ensures that the Fraud Team can forward defendable disputes to the appropriate contacts for handling.

Please also bear in mind that when transaction data is published in the Backoffice, the chargeback process has been completed, and the final outcome is that the merchant has been charged by the acquirer. This may occur in cases where chargebacks are not defendable and are awarded to the cardholder, or where chargebacks are defendable, but evidence was either not provided or was insufficient to win the case. Transactions that appear with chargeback data in the Backoffice can no longer be disputed.