What Do Billing Descriptor Statuses Mean?
Learn what different statuses mean for your billing descriptors under different enrollments for Chargeback.io.
This guide will show you how to read the different billing-descriptor statuses so you know what’s happening in your Chargeback.io account.
ℹ️ Read this guide to learn what a billing descriptor is, why it’s important, and how to make one that’s easily recognizable.
Descriptor Statuses & Their Meanings
A Chargeback account specialist will email you when any of these statuses appear:
- Enrolled Elsewhere
- Generic Descriptor
- Invalid ARNs
- Verification Needed
- Invalid Descriptor
Read the sections below so you can gather the details your account manager will ask for. The faster we receive them, the faster we can finish your enrollment.
If you see any of the above statuses beside your descriptor, watch your inbox for our email. Without the requested information, we cannot complete your enrollment
And without that connection, we cannot protect you from chargebacks.
A Chargeback account manager will contact you within one business day after the status appears.
1. In Progress
Your billing descriptor is moving through enrollment.
Expected time in “In Progress”:
- CDRN & Ethoca: About 12 hours
- RDR: Usually 3 business days, but up to 2 weeks if Verifi has a backlog
⚠️ If the status lasts longer, email your Chargeback customer-account manager so we can check for problems.
2. Enrolled Elsewhere
Your billing descriptor is already enrolled with another chargeback-management provider. Contact that provider’s support team and send this script:
Hello. Please unenroll and release my billing descriptor, BINs, and CAID. Also, can you please let me know when this is done?
After the provider confirms the release, tell your Chargeback specialist so we can resend your enrollment.
Don’t think you used a previous provider?
- Payment gateways such as Authorize.net and Airwallex sometimes enroll businesses with other alert services without notice.
- Gateways like Stripe may auto-enroll you in RDR.
If you use any of these gateways, reach out to their support teams and send the same request above.
3. Generic Descriptor
Your billing descriptor is too generic because it’s too similar to what other businesses use. If your descriptor matches others, you could receive false chargeback alerts meant for those businesses. This leads to unnecessary fees and extra work for you.
To make your billing descriptor more unique, try including:
- Your business name or DBA
- A short description of your product or service
- Contact details (like a phone number or website)
Be careful about starting your descriptor with common terms (for example, “KICKSTARTER” or “ONLINE PAYMENT”).
Our system links chargeback alerts to transactions using a “starts_with” method, which means it matches any transaction beginning with those same words. If you use a generic term at the start, you risk getting alerts that belong to other businesses. Try to put your business’s unique information first in the descriptor.
4. Banned Descriptor
The descriptor you tried to add is on a blocklist maintained by Chargeback.io, Verifi, or Ethoca.
This most often means unpaid invoices for that descriptor from a previous provider.
5. Invalid ARNs
Verifi found no accounts tied to the Acquirer Reference Numbers (ARNs) you supplied. Often this is due to the ARNs being older than 90 days.
You’ll need to add more ARNs. Afterward, let a Chargeback account specialist know that you did so that they can re-submit your enrollment.
No extra ARNs?
Provide your BINs (Bank Identification Numbers) and CAID (Card Acceptor ID) instead. Verifi can also use them for Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) enrollment.
To get your BINs and CAID, reach out to your payment processor’s customer service and say the following:
Hello. Please send my BINs and CAID. I need them to activate Rapid Dispute Resolution chargeback alerts.
⚠️ If you use Oceanpayment or are a Shopify store located in France, customer support will not send your BINs and CAID. You will need to get ARNs.
After you receive the BINs and CAID, confirm whether they are newly issued — Verifi often asks. Then send the numbers (and whether they are newly issued) to your Chargeback account manager, and we will resubmit your enrollment.
6. Invalid Descriptor
This is a catch-all category for issues that didn’t fall under the other descriptors. There’s no way to prepare for this particular issue.
The support will reach out to you with details.
7. Verification Needed
Verifi needs more information because your BIN and CAID might be shared with other merchants. Verification is required to ensure it is a non-shared BIN and CAID. So you don't get RDR alerts that are not yours.
Usually, Verifi asks for a list of old billing descriptors you’ve used with your store. They’ll often send us a hint about which descriptor they’re looking for, and we’ll forward that hint to you.
To prepare, contact your current or past payment processors and request a list of all billing descriptors used for your account. Share this information with the account manager who contacts you.
If you end up having a shared BIN and CAID, we can not enroll you with RDR because then you will receive alerts that are not yours and be charged too much.
8. Other Descriptors
These statuses don’t require you to do anything:
- Unenrolled: This descriptor is now unenrolled.
- You can add it to a different chargeback alerts provider.
- You won’t receive any more chargeback alerts tied to this descriptor.
- Pending Unenroll: Unenrollment is still processing.
- In Re-Enrollment: Your billing descriptor is being re-enrolled.
⚠️ Unenrolling a billing descriptor usually takes 1 – 2 business days for RDR and CDRN, but can take up to 5 business days with Ethoca. Chargeback.io cannot control these timelines, as Verifi and Ethoca handle all unenrollments.
💡 Tip
Need more help? Get support from our representatives at Chargeback.
We’re here to help with any questions you may have.