Reason code · Mastercard
Mastercard 4834: point-of-interaction error
4834 is Mastercard’s code for processing errors at the point of sale: duplicate charges, wrong amounts, wrong currency and a few others. Most must be filed within 90 days. Two separate receipts beat any explanation.
What 4834 means
4834, Point-of-Interaction Error, is Mastercard’s code for things that went wrong when the sale was processed. Your processor may show it as “Duplicate Processing.” It covers:
- Charged more than once for the same thing, or paid another way too.
- Charged a different amount than agreed.
- Charged in the wrong currency.
- Cash back that wasn’t given.
- Charges for loss, theft or damage the customer didn’t agree to.
Two older codes now live here: 4831 (Transaction Amount Differs) and 4846 (currency). Mastercard’s Guide says banks may still use them, but they will eventually be eliminated.
What the customer told their bank
“I was charged twice.” “I paid cash, and they charged my card too.” “The total was wrong.” The bank needs the customer’s description of the problem. For “paid another way,” the customer must give enough detail for you to find that other payment.
Time limit
For most 4834 claims, the bank has 90 calendar days from the transaction. Some debit and European transactions get 120. Your response is due on the date your processor gives you, carved out of the 45 days Mastercard gives your bank.
What proof matters
For a “duplicate,” proof that the two charges were two separate purchases: separate receipts, invoices or service records. For a wrong amount, the agreed amount in writing. For damage charges, proof the customer was told about the charge and agreed to it before you ran it.
Same amount isn’t the same sale
Regular customers buy the same thing twice. A weekly service, two tickets bought an hour apart. To a cardholder scanning a statement, that looks like a double charge. Your records have to show two real transactions, each with its own date, item and approval.
The common mistake
Refunding a true duplicate after the chargeback arrives. The bank has already returned that money. If it really was a duplicate, accept the dispute through your processor rather than refunding again.
Dispute Daddy builds this for you
Dispute Daddy reads the notice and your records and builds a response for you to approve and submit. See how the method works.
