{"id":17322,"date":"2026-07-22T13:25:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T11:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/?post_type=glosario&#038;p=17322"},"modified":"2026-07-22T13:25:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T11:25:35","slug":"dispute","status":"publish","type":"glosario","link":"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/en\/glossary\/dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"Dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_dispute\"><\/span><strong>What is a dispute?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A dispute is a <\/span><b>procedure regulated by card networks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through which a cardholder requests their issuing bank to <\/span><b>review a <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/en\/glossary\/transaction\/\"><b>transaction<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> made with a card or another <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/en\/solution\/payment-methods\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">payment method<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because it is considered incorrect, unauthorized, or inconsistent with the agreed terms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During this process, the bank investigates the transaction and manages communication between the parties involved before issuing a final decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_reasons_for_initiating_a_dispute\"><\/span><strong>Common reasons for initiating a dispute<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disputes can arise for various reasons, which are categorized using <\/span><b>reason codes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These codes, defined by card networks such as Visa and Mastercard, identify the cause of the claim and determine how the case should be handled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the most common reasons for initiating a dispute include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The customer does not recognize a charge appearing on their bank statement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The transaction was carried out without the cardholder&#8217;s authorization, potentially indicating fraud.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The product or service was not delivered within the agreed timeframe.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The item received does not match what was ordered.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The amount charged differs from the agreed amount.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The customer believes that the merchant failed to comply with the agreed service conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_a_dispute_work\"><\/span><strong>How does a dispute work?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The dispute process within card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) follows a structured workflow between the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/en\/glossary\/issuing-bank\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">issuing bank<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the merchant&#8217;s acquiring bank.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Claim initiation (Chargeback)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cardholder files a claim with their issuing bank regarding a transaction they believe to be incorrect, unauthorized, or fraudulent. The issuer reviews the case and, if justified, initiates a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/en\/glossary\/chargeback\/\"><b>chargeback<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, temporarily withdrawing the funds from the merchant while the transaction is investigated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typically, cardholders have between <\/span><b>60 and 120 days <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from the transaction date or service delivery date to file a claim, depending on the dispute reason and the card network&#8217;s rules. However, these timeframes may vary.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Representment<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The acquiring bank notifies the merchant, who can either accept the chargeback or provide evidence to challenge it, such as proof of delivery, payment authorization, or customer acceptance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The merchant&#8217;s response is submitted to the issuer through the representment process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Merchants generally have approximately <\/span><b>7 to 30 calendar days<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to respond, depending on the card network&#8217;s rules and the specific dispute reason.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Pre-arbitration<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the issuing bank does not accept the evidence provided or new information emerges, it may initiate a pre-arbitration phase. During this stage, the case is reviewed again before being formally escalated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, there is still an opportunity for the parties to reach an agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typically, the parties have between <\/span><b>30 and 45 days to accept, negotiate, or respond<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before the case moves to the next stage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>4. Arbitration<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If no resolution is reached during the previous stages, the case is escalated to the card network&#8217;s arbitration process, where the network acts as the final authority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The card network reviews all documentation and issues a binding decision for both the issuer and the acquirer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The final resolution usually takes an <\/span><b>additional 30 to 45 days<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, depending on the card network and the complexity of the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Difference_between_a_dispute_and_a_chargeback\"><\/span><strong>Difference between a dispute and a chargeback<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the two concepts are related, they do not mean exactly the same thing:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Dispute:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The overall process that begins when a customer questions a charge on their card. It includes the claim submitted to the issuing bank, case review, evidence collection, and communication between all parties involved.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Chargeback: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The specific action of reversing a payment following a dispute and returning the funds to the customer. It is part of the dispute process and may result in the temporary or permanent withdrawal of funds from the merchant.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_disputes_affect_merchants\"><\/span><strong>How do disputes affect merchants?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disputes can have a direct impact on merchants, both financially and operationally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a customer initiates a dispute, the merchant may temporarily lose access to the transaction amount while the case is under review. In addition, the merchant must dedicate resources to gathering documentation, reviewing the transaction, and responding within the required deadlines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A high volume of disputes can also affect the merchant&#8217;s relationship with card networks and financial institutions, potentially leading to <\/span><b>increased monitoring, additional costs, or restrictions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on payment acceptance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this reason, implementing fraud prevention systems, maintaining clear customer service processes, and properly managing evidence are essential to reducing the number of disputes and protecting business revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_more_about_disputes_and_how_to_manage_them\"><\/span><strong>Learn more about disputes and how to manage them<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you would like to learn more about how chargeback disputes can impact your business, we recommend the following articles:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/en\/blog\/what-is-a-chargeback-and-how-does-it-affect-your-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Is a Chargeback and How Does It Affect Your Business?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/en\/blog\/keys-to-reduce-chargebacks-in-your-online-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key Strategies to Reduce Chargebacks in Your Online Business<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a dispute? A dispute is a procedure regulated by card networks through which a cardholder requests their issuing bank to review a transaction made with a card or another payment method because it is considered incorrect, unauthorized, or inconsistent with the agreed terms. During this process, the bank investigates the transaction and manages [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":17543,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-17322","glosario","type-glosario","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is a Bank Dispute and how does it work? | PaynoPain<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover what a dispute is in card payments, the most frequent reasons, how the step-by-step process works, and how it differs from a chargeback.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/paynopain.com\/en\/glossary\/dispute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is a Bank Dispute and how does it work? 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