Descriptor Statuses & Their Meanings
Status | Meaning | What to Do |
Pending | Onboarding finished but not yet enrolled. | No action needed. |
In Re-enrollment | Re-enrollment request sent, you're in the re-enrollment process. | No action needed. |
In Progress | Enrollment request sent, you're in the enrollment process. | No action needed. |
Active | Chargeback alerts are enabled. You are now protected. | No action needed. |
Enrolled Elsewhere | Descriptor is enrolled with another provider. | Ask your previous provider to transfer the descriptor to Chargeback, or to release your descriptor. |
Generic Descriptor | Your descriptor is too generic. Enrolling it would lead to alerts that are not yours. | Update it to a unique descriptor. View best practices. |
Banned Descriptor | This descriptor isn’t eligible for enrollment. | Contact our support for more details. |
Invalid Descriptor | This descriptor can’t be enrolled as entered. | Contact our support for more details. |
Invalid ARNs | The provided ARNs might be older than 90 days. | Use different ARNs or enroll with your BIN(s) and CAID(s). |
Pending Unenroll | Unenrollment process started, you may still receive alerts until unenrollment completes. | Wait for unenrollment to complete. |
Unenrolled | You’ll no longer receive alerts for this descriptor and this descriptor has been released. | No action needed. |
Verification Needed | Verifi requires an old billing descriptor for account verification. | Our support will reach out within 48 hours with more details. Watch your email inbox. |
Need Assistance (RDR) | Not all RDR enrollment information was entered. | Provide your ARNs, or your BIN(s) and CAID(s), to complete enrollment. |
Need Assistance (Ethoca/CDRN) | No descriptor added to Ethoca and/or CDRN. | Provide your billing descriptor(s) to complete enrollment. Our support will reach out on your email for assistance. |
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 don't 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.
ℹ️ 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.
You have two options in this case; ask your provider to unenroll or to transfer to Chargeback.io.
A. Unenrollment
Contact your previous provider’s support and send them this message:
''Hello. Please release my billing descriptor, BINs, and CAID, then send me the Ethoca and Verifi case IDs for those unenrollments. Also, let me know once this is complete.''
After they confirm, tell a Chargeback.io specialist so we can resend your enrollment.
If you never used another provider, check with your payment gateway. Some gateways, such as Authorize.net or Airwallex, may enroll merchants in RDR automatically. Contact their support and send the same message above.
B. Transfer to Chargeback.io
Follow these steps for a smooth transfer to Chargeback.io:
Create an account with us (if you haven't already)
If using Ethoca/CDRN, send this script: Please transfer our Ethoca and Verifi coverage to Chargeback.io no later than [DATE]. Also, please provide me with the Case IDs from Verifi and Ethoca. When contacting Ethoca, request that my descriptor is reassigned to Chargeback Solutions FZCO.
If using RDR, When you complete the Verifi enrollment form and send it to Verifi, please CC [email protected] and [email protected].
Once the Case IDs are received, send them to Chargeback.io support.
After Chargeback.io receives the transfer request, we'll CC you in the email thread to keep you updated.
Wait for the transfer.
Check out this transfer guide to find to find required information and a script to send to your provider for a smooth transfer.
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 may not be eligible for enrollment.
5. Invalid ARNs
Verifi couldn't 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.
To get ahead of this verification email, and to prevent any delays when enrolling RDR, reach out to your payment processor with the following script:
I'm enrolling for RDR Alerts through my third-party vendor, Chargeback.io. To complete this process, I need a full list of my historical billing descriptors and BIN + CAIDs.
Could you please provide this information as soon as possible? Let me know if you need anything else from me. I appreciate your help!
What to do:
Contact your current or past payment processors.
Ask for a list of all past billing descriptors linked to your account.
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.
If you stop using Chargeback.io and are trying to enroll under a different alerts provider, in rare cases, you may see a status error similar to our 'Enrolled Elsewhere' status. This doesn't mean you are still enrolled with us, it means there may have been an issue in Ethoca or Verifi's systems when they were supposed to release your descriptor.
To remove this and use your descriptor with your new provider, just ask our support to provide the Verifi and Ethoca Case IDs from your unenrollment. Once we send those to you, provide them to your new platform's support and they'll be able to get you 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.