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Why Am I Not Getting Chargeback Alerts?
Why Am I Not Getting Chargeback Alerts?

Reasons you might not be seeing chargeback alerts.

Theodore avatar
Written by Theodore
Updated over a week ago

If you aren't receiving chargeback alerts, it might be due to one of the following reasons:

  • The chargeback was not covered by any enrollments.

  • A payment gateway prevented alert detection.

  • Your alerts aren't fully set up.

  • The customer filed a chargeback before alerts activated.

  • Your billing descriptor doesn't match.

  • You missed the response window.

Below is a detailed explanation of each issue and potential solutions.


1. Not Covered

The most common reason is that the transaction isn't covered by any of your alert enrollments.

Here's the current coverage among all chargeback alert enrollments:

Ethoca

RDR

CDRN

Mastercard

95%

0%

5%

Visa

50%

97%

95%

Other Networks

~50%

0%

~30%

Notes:

  • CDRN applies only to cards issued in the United States.

  • Other Networks include Discover and American Express. Exact percentages for these networks aren't published or disclosed by Ethoca or Verifi.

Some banks and issuers don't participate in Ethoca and Verifi's programs. Meaning, there's no possibility of receiving an alert in these scenarios.

Additionally:

Some banks or issuers don’t participate in Ethoca or Verifi's programs, making alerts impossible for transactions involving those banks. While Ethoca partners with around 5,000 banks, this doesn't include all global financial institutions.

Smaller or international banks often aren't enrolled, leaving coverage gaps.

Potential Solutions

Unfortunately, there's no immediate action you can take through Chargeback.io or other alert providers. However, coverage may expand as more banks enroll in Ethoca and Verifi over time.


2. Payment Gateway

Gateways like PayPal, Link, and Cash App Pay may block Verifi and Ethoca from accessing transaction data. Without this information, alerts cannot happen.

Potential Solutions

If your chargeback rate is nearing 0.6% — or, if you have a warning from your payment processor — consider disabling these gateways until you see your rates decrease.

Or you may want to try other chargeback prevention strategies.


3. Your Alerts Are Not Fully Set Up

Many businesses sign up for chargeback alerts but fail to add ARNs, preventing connection to RDR. This oversight could affect up to 97% of your Visa coverage.

Issues may also occur connecting to CDRN or Ethoca.

Potential Solutions

Verify your dashboard to ensure all enrollments are active.

Complete your enrollments by following integration guides for:

These guides can also help you connect to RDR if you haven't generated refunds with ARNs.

Activation timeframe:

  • CDRN and Ethoca: up to 12 hours

  • RDR: up to 3 business days

Reach out to our support team to know the status of your connection if that time has passed.

Also, keep an eye on your email inbox.

Sometimes issues happen when trying to connect you to an enrollment. Verifi may request additional information (such as a previous descriptor), and we'll email you directly if needed.


4. Dispute Filed Before Alerts Activated

If a customer files a dispute before your alerts are activated, no alert provider — including Chargeback.io — can capture these disputes.

There is no solution for this point.


5. Mismatched Descriptor

Ethoca and Verifi rely on billing descriptors to match disputed transactions to your account. If your descriptor isn't an exact match or if dynamic billing descriptors are used, alerts may fail to trigger.

Dynamic descriptors vary per transaction, commonly created by processors like Airwallex or Shopify apps. They can disrupt alert matching if not properly configured.

Dynamic billing descriptors allow merchants to customize the text that appears on a customer's statement for each transaction.

Potential Solutions

Verify the billing descriptor on your Chargeback.io account and compare it with the descriptor attached to the dispute.

If mismatched, update your descriptors on Chargeback.io to ensure accurate alert matching in the future.


6. You Didn't Respond in Time

Each alert network provides a specific timeframe to respond. Missing this window — due to weekends, holidays, staffing, or technical issues — results in automatic chargeback processing by the issuing bank.

Potential Solutions

Change automatic refund thresholds to refund more transactions during periods where you will not have the staff to handle chargeback alerts.

Also consider adding more advanced rules to Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR), like:

  • Dispute category code

  • Purchase identifier

  • Transaction date

You cannot do this through your Chargeback.io dashboard. Please reach out to our support team to assist you with this.


💡 Tip

Need more help? Get support from our representatives at Chargeback.

We’re here to help with any questions you may have.

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