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. | Ask payment processor for a list of historical descriptors and BIN + CAID |
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.
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 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.
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.
B. Transfer to Chargeback.io
To avoid back-and-forth with your current alerts provider, you can request a transfer of your descriptor(s) along with your BINs and CAID (if RDR applies) to Chargeback.io.
Follow 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 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.
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.
⚠️ 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.