Reason code · American Express
Amex C02: credit not processed
C02 means the Card Member was owed a refund, full or partial, and Amex never saw it arrive. Often it starts with your own reply to an earlier inquiry saying a credit was on its way. You answer with proof the credit went through, or proof no credit is due.
What C02 means
C02 means a refund the Card Member was owed never showed up, or showed up short. Amex describes it this way: your response to an earlier inquiry said a credit was issued or was being issued, but Amex never received it, or received it for the wrong amount.
An inquiry is Amex’s request for your side before any money moves. Not every Amex dispute starts with one. Sometimes Amex debits your account up front and asks for documents afterward.
What the customer told Amex
Something like “They said they’d refund me, and they didn’t” or “I only got part of it back.” The customer isn’t arguing about the product anymore. They’re arguing about money they were promised.
Time limit
Amex’s guide says Card Members (Amex’s word for cardholders) generally get 120 days from the transaction date, and that returned and canceled disputes can follow a different time frame. Processor guides list 120 days from the latest of the transaction date, the date the credit was due, or the date the goods or services were canceled, refused or returned.
Your side of the clock is short. Amex’s own guide tells merchants to respond within 20 days. If you accept Amex through a processor such as Stripe or Square, the processor sets its own date, often a shorter one. The due date on your notice is the one that counts.
What proof matters
Amex accepts two kinds of answer. If no credit (or only a partial one) is due, a written explanation of why, backed by documents such as the policy the customer agreed to. If a credit was due, proof that a credit directly offsetting the charge has already been processed.
Your own reply can start this chargeback
Here’s the part merchants miss. Telling Amex “we’re refunding this” closes the inquiry, and C02 is what happens when the refund doesn’t land in full. Amex’s guide asks merchants to give the date the credit was or will be issued, and the amount. Then make sure it posts.
Speed matters too. Amex’s guide says to process and submit credits within 7 days of determining one is due. A refund that sits in a queue becomes a chargeback, and you can end up paying twice.
The common mistake
Refunding some other way, such as cash, a check or store credit, and assuming Amex will see it. Amex looks for a credit that directly offsets the disputed charge. If the money went back another way, you need clear proof of it, and even then the question becomes a different one.
Dispute Daddy builds this for you
Upload the notice and your records. Dispute Daddy builds a response around the reason Amex actually gave, and you approve it before you submit. See how the method works.
