Guide · Evidence
Chargeback evidence checklist: the proof banks look for
Almost every winning chargeback response draws on four kinds of records: proof of the transaction, proof the goods or service were delivered, proof the customer agreed to your terms, and your communication with them. Which ones matter, and how much, depends on the reason the cardholder gave.
Key takeaways
- Evidence wins, not explanations. The bank checks records against the reason code.
- Four kinds of proof cover most cases. The transaction, the delivery or service, the customer’s agreement, and your communication.
- Relevance beats volume. The wrong document, however good, doesn’t count.
- Records made at the time are strongest. Anything written after the dispute carries less weight.
Why evidence matters more than words
When you fight a chargeback, the cardholder’s bank isn’t judging who sounds more reasonable. It’s checking whether your records defeat the reason the cardholder gave. Stripe puts it plainly: writing a long explanation won’t make your response more convincing.
That makes the records you keep, day to day, your real defense. A business that keeps clean records wins cases a better writer would lose.
The four kinds of evidence banks look for
Almost every chargeback response draws on some mix of these four. Which ones carry the case depends on the reason code.
| Category | What it shows | General examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Proof of the transaction | The charge was real, correct and made by this customer | Receipt or invoice, authorization details, signed slip or contract |
| 2. Proof of delivery or service | The customer got what they paid for | Dated delivery record, completed appointment, sign-in or usage log |
| 3. The customer’s agreement to your terms | The customer saw and accepted your policies before paying | Signed agreement, checkout screen showing the policy, dated consent |
| 4. Communication | What the customer knew, said and asked for | Relevant emails, texts or support messages |
American Express gives merchants similar advice for avoiding disputes in the first place: provide written cancellation, return and refund policies at the time of purchase, and keep a record of consent and proof of delivery.
What makes evidence strong
- It’s relevant. It answers the reason on the notice. Stripe’s example: your return policy doesn’t help when the customer says the product never arrived.
- It’s dated and made at the time. A booking log or a carrier record from the day beats a note written last week.
- It comes from a system or a third party. Records your software or a carrier created carry more weight than something you typed yourself.
- It ties to this customer and this charge. Same name, same date, same amount.
- It’s legible. Stripe says the bank won’t review a response with any illegible text or data.
Insight: missing proof reads as no proof. If a bank expects a signed agreement and doesn’t see one, it assumes there wasn’t one, even if it’s sitting in a drawer.
What to leave out
- Links, audio and video. Stripe says banks won’t review external content or requests to call for more information.
- Your entire terms of service. Stripe advises sending only the relevant section, because issuers won’t read the whole thing.
- Whole email threads. Excerpt the messages that matter. Stripe also notes that emails and texts don’t verify identity on their own.
- Internal notes. Staff notes, incident memos and private comments don’t belong in a response.
- Other customers’ information. Never.
Stay inside the limits, too. Stripe caps evidence at 4.5 MB combined, and Mastercard responses at 19 pages.
Keep records long enough
Chargebacks can arrive long after the sale. Most cardholders have 120 days, but when goods or services were expected later, Visa allows up to 540 days after the payment. For prepaid services, memberships and deposits, keep agreements, attendance records and messages for at least 18 months. Our time limits guide explains why.
Keep them findable, too. Store records so you can pull them up by customer name and date. With a response window as short as 7 days, a record you can’t find in time is as good as one you never had.
Service businesses should take extra care. There’s no tracking number for a haircut, a cleaning or a consultation, so the appointment record, the signed form and the follow-up message are the delivery proof.
From records to a response
Having the records is half the job. The other half is picking the right ones for the reason code, putting them in an order a busy analyst can follow, and making sure every fact matches. See what a rebuttal letter needs and the reason codes guide.
Dispute Daddy builds the full response from your records: it picks what answers the reason on your notice and puts it together for you to review, approve and submit. See how the Dispute Daddy Method works.
