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Understanding Descriptor Statuses

Guide to billing descriptor statuses and their meanings in Chargeback.io.

Descriptor Statuses & Their Meanings

Status Meaning What to Do
Pending Onboarding finished but not yet enrolled. Nothing.
In Progress Descriptor currently in enrollment. Nothing.
Need Assistance Step 5 of RDR enrollment skipped. Add ARNs or BIN(s) and CAID.
Banned Descriptor Descriptor violates a policy. Enrollment can't continue.
Generic Descriptor Descriptor too similar to another business. Change the descriptor.
Enrolled Elsewhere Descriptor still active with another alerts provider. Ask that provider to unenroll it.
Invalid ARNs ARN(s) not accepted. Provide new ARNs.
Invalid Descriptor General error category. Wait for support email.
Verification Needed Verifi requires an old billing descriptor for account check. Wait for support email.
Unenrolled Descriptor not linked to a network; alerts not received. Nothing.

ℹ️ You’ll get an email whenever a billing descriptor status changes, explaining if any action is required.

See the following sections for details on each status.

1. Pending & In Progress

Pending appears when you first add a billing descriptor. After our enrollment team submits your descriptor to Verifi and / or Ethoca, the status changes to In Progress.

If your descriptor stays in Pending, it means the enrollment request was not sent because of one of the following:

  • Website not working: Your account must have a valid, live website for verification.
  • No Balance: Add funds to activate your account. See how to add a Balance.

If we contacted you about a website issue, reply after fixing it.

You do not need to notify us after adding a Balance; our system detects that automatically.

How Long Do Descriptors Stay In Progress?

Enrollments for each network typically take around the following number of days:

  • Ethoca: ~12 hours.
  • CDRN: ~12 hours.
  • RDR: ~7 business days; can take 14 or more business days if there's a backlog.

See this guide to learn what factors can contribute to delays in activation.

2. Enrolled Elsewhere

This means your billing descriptor is already enrolled with another chargeback provider. Contact that provider’s support using this message:

Hello. Please unenroll and release my billing descriptor, BINs, and CAID.

Also, please confirm once this is complete.

After they confirm, tell a Chargeback.io specialist so we can resend your enrollment.

To avoid coverage gaps, request a transfer of your descriptor(s) along with your BINs and CAID (if RDR applies). See the transfer guide.

If you never used another provider, check with your payment gateway. Some gateways, such as Stripe, Authorize.net, or Airwallex, may enroll merchants in RDR automatically. Contact their support and send the same message above.

3. Generic Descriptor

Your billing descriptor is too similar to other businesses’, which can cause false chargeback alerts and unnecessary fees.

To make your descriptor unique, include:

  • Your business name or DBA
  • A short product or service description
  • Contact details such as a phone number or website

Avoid starting your descriptor with common terms like “KICKSTARTER”.

Here's a before / after example of what you should do:

  • Too generic: ONLINE PAYMENT
  • Improved: ZENFIT GEAR - zenfitgear.com

About 27% of chargebacks come from customers not recognizing a charge. A clearer, more specific billing descriptor can reduce disputes.

4. Banned Descriptor

The billing descriptor you added appears on a blocklist from Chargeback.io, Verifi, or Ethoca. Enrollment cannot continue with this descriptor.

5. Invalid ARNs

Verifi could not find accounts linked to the Acquirer Reference Numbers (ARNs) you provided, often because the ARNs are over 90 days old.

What to do:

  • Add new or recent ARNs.
  • Notify your Chargeback.io account specialist to re-submit your enrollment.

If you have no additional ARNs, provide your acquirer BINs (Bank Identification Numbers) and CAID (Card Acceptor ID).

Verifi can use these for Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) enrollment.

To get your BINs and CAID, contact your payment processor and send this message:

Hello. Please provide my BINs and CAID. I need them to activate Rapid Dispute Resolution chargeback alerts from Visa.

Refer to the BIN and CAID guide for details.

Once you receive them, confirm whether they are newly issued, since Verifi often requires that information. Then share the numbers and confirmation with Chargeback.io support for resubmission.

6. Invalid Descriptor

A general error category for issues not covered by other statuses.

Chargeback.io support will contact you with details and next steps.

7. Verification Needed

Verifi needs to confirm that your BIN and CAID are not shared with other merchants. This prevents you from receiving incorrect RDR alerts meant for other businesses.

Usually, Verifi requests a list of old billing descriptors used with your store. They often provide a hint about which one they need, and we’ll forward that to you.

What to do:

  1. Contact your current or past payment processors.
  2. Ask for a list of all past billing descriptors linked to your account.
  3. Send that list to the Chargeback.io account manager who contacted you.

If Verifi confirms that your BIN and CAID are shared, we cannot complete your RDR enrollment. Shared credentials would cause unrelated alerts and extra fees.

8. Unenrolled

These statuses mean no action is needed:

  • Unenrolled: The descriptor has been removed. You can enroll it with another chargeback alerts provider. You will no longer receive alerts for it.
  • Pending Unenroll: The unenrollment process is ongoing.
  • In Re-Enrollment: The descriptor is being re-enrolled.

 

⚠️ Unenrolling usually takes 1 – 2 business days for RDR and CDRN, but up to 5 business days with Ethoca. These timelines are controlled by Verifi and Ethoca, not Chargeback.io.

 

💡 Questions or concerns? Get help from our support specialists at Chargeback.io.