4853 – Digital Goods Purchase

DESCRIPTION

Why did I receive a ‘digital goods purchase of USD/EUR 25 or less’ chargeback?

You received this chargeback because the cardholder claims you mismanaged the purchase controls for an online account. You asked the cardholder to provide card information to create an account that could be used to purchase digital goods at a later time. But you didn’t provide required purchase controls — like allowing the cardholder to disable purchases, limiting the ‘account open’ period to 15 minutes or less after login, and requiring cardholders to confirm pending purchases before completing the transaction. As a result, unwanted or unauthorized purchases costing $25/€25 or less were made.

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CLASSIFICATION

How does Mastercard classify this dispute?

Mastercard nests several subcategories under general, overarching reason codes. This ‘digital goods’ subcategory is part of reason code 4853 – cardholder dispute chargeback.

Cardholder disputes are typically the result of mistakes or misunderstandings. Either you made a mistake and didn’t fulfil expectations or the cardholder misunderstood what was supposed to happen.

Mastercard has two transaction processing workflows: dual message and single message. Reason code 4853 is for the dual message workflow.

ISSUER TIME LIMIT

How long can the issuer wait to file a ‘digital goods’ chargeback?

In nearly all situations, the issuer must file this type of chargeback within 120 days of the transaction processing date.

SECOND PRESENTMENT

Can I fight a ‘digital goods purchase of USD/EUR 25 or less’ chargeback?

Yes. You can fight this chargeback — a process called representment or second presentment — in the following situations.

• The merchant did offer purchase controls.
• The cardholder’s supporting documentation is suspected to be partially altered or completely falsified.
• You have already refunded the transaction.
• The chargeback was invalid.

There are a couple of reasons why this chargeback might be invalid.

• The chargeback does not meet Mastercard’s filing requirements.
• The chargeback was processed after the time limit.
• A single transaction had more than one chargeback.
• The primary account number (PAN) and acquirer reference number (ARN) used in the chargeback does not match what was sent in the original transaction record.
• The cardholder did not provide the required supporting documentation.
• The cardholder’s supporting documentation was illegible or incomplete.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

What supporting documents are needed for a ‘digital goods’ chargeback?

If an issuer inaccurately files a cardholder dispute chargeback and it can be challenged, your acquirer’s chargeback technology may automatically catch the error and respond on your behalf.

If your acquirer doesn’t automatically respond and you receive a chargeback notice, you can challenge the chargeback yourself. Here’s how.

Create a chargeback rebuttal letter and explain why the chargeback should be reversed. Include information that supports your case and is relevant to the reason for fighting the chargeback. If you want to be extra helpful, you could also provide the acquirer with Mastercard’s required message code.

• If you are disputing a chargeback because the issuer didn’t follow Mastercard’s rules, explain why the chargeback was invalid in your rebuttal letter. The message code is 2713 (Invalid Chargeback).
• If you are disputing a chargeback because it was filed after the time limit, share the transaction processing date and the chargeback processing date. The message code is 2702 (Past Chargeback Time Limit).
• If you are disputing a chargeback because the issuer had previously filed a chargeback for the same transaction, provide the processing date and the reference number for the first chargeback. The message code is 2701 (Duplicate Chargeback).
• If you are disputing a chargeback because the cardholder didn’t provide supporting documents, you can simply reply with the message code: 2002 (Non-receipt of Required Documentation to Support Chargeback).
• If you are disputing a chargeback because the cardholder’s supporting documents are illegible or incomplete, you can simply reply with the relevant message code: 2709 (Documentation Received was Illegible) or 2710 (Scanning Error-Unrelated Documents or Partial Scan).

The majority of the time, your acquirer probably won’t catch the issue and you’ll be responsible for challenging the chargeback yourself.

There are a couple situations that don’t require supporting documents — just specific data elements included in the rebuttal letter.

• If you are disputing a chargeback because a refund has already been issued to the cardholder’s Mastercard account, provide the date and ARN for the refund. The message code is 2011 (Credit Previously Issued).
• If you are disputing a chargeback because you suspect the cardholder altered or falsified documents, you need to clearly explain what has been manipulated. The message code is 2001 (Suspected Altered or Falsified Documentation).

The remainder of the time, your second presentment package does need documents to support the claims you made in your rebuttal letter.

If you are disputing a chargeback because you did offer purchase controls, provide proof that your platform has all of the following features.

• The default setting for your platform is that all digital goods purchases are disabled and the cardholder has the option to turn them on.
• The time period allowed for purchases — the ‘account open’ period — is not more than 15 minutes. If more than 15 minutes pass, the user must reauthenticate before a purchase can be made.
• The total transaction amount is clearly displayed for each purchase. And the cardholder is required to confirm each pending purchase before the transaction can be completed.

If you are disputing a chargeback because you have already issued a refund — but it was not to the cardholder’s Mastercard account — you need to prove where and how you returned the funds to the cardholder. For example, store credit, check, cash, prepaid card, etc.

NOTE: This information applies to chargebacks processed with the dual message system (which nearly all card-not-present transactions use). Chargebacks for single message transactions use a slightly different process.

ACQUIRER TIME LIMIT

How quickly do I need to file a chargeback response?

In most situations, a second presentment (also referred to as a representment or chargeback response) must be submitted to the issuer within 45 calendar days of the chargeback processing date.

However, there are a few timeline exceptions. The following countries have alternate time limits in certain situations — either 10, 20, or 30 days instead of 45.

• Costa Rica
• Kazakhstan
• Mainland China
• Nigeria
• Tanzania

NOTE: These time limits are for the acquirer — not you, the merchant. Merchant time limits are usually much shorter. Review your chargeback notice or check with your acquirer to find out how long you have to respond.

ADVANCING THE CASE

Are pre-arbitration and arbitration an option for a ‘digital goods’ chargeback?

Yes, in most situations, an issuer can advance the dispute after completing the chargeback and second-presentment stages of the dispute lifecycle.

An issuer can file pre-arbitration if the original chargeback was valid and one of the following happens after the second presentment:

• Your second presentment doesn’t resolve the dispute.
• The cardholder continues to claim that the digital goods were purchased because you had insufficient cardholder purchase control settings.
• The cardholder refutes your claim that the supporting documents were altered or falsified.
• The issuer claims the supporting documents weren’t legible or weren’t submitted within the time frame.

If the issuer escalates the case to pre-arbitration, you — the merchant — have the chance to respond. You can either accept or reject liability. If you reject the pre-arbitration case, the issuer will likely proceed to arbitration. If that happens, you could be responsible for paying the expensive filing fees.

Check our Mastercard pre-arbitration and arbitration guide to learn more.

PREVENT

How can I avoid chargebacks like this in the future?

Here are steps you can take to avoid this type of chargeback in the future.

• Ensure that purchases are disabled by default. Cardholders should opt into purchases.
• Ask the cardholder if a password or other form of authentication should be required before making a purchase. If a password is not required, the cardholder must agree to these terms (for example, checking a box). If the cardholder chooses to provide authentication information before each purchase, ask the cardholder to re-enter the information after 15 minutes of inactivity.
• Clearly display the total transaction amount for each pending purchase and ask the cardholder to confirm or cancel.
• Immediately send an email or text message to confirm a purchase was made.
• When refunds are warranted, use best practices to accurately identify which transaction is being refunded and act promptly so the credit appears on the cardholder’s account.

Want more information about preventing cardholder dispute chargebacks? Visit our detailed guide about chargeback prevention.

NOTE

Mastercard chargeback rules are complex. The guide is over 1,500 pages long — compared to 67 pages for Visa — and contains detailed rules for both issuers and acquirers.

In an attempt to simplify the complex, we are only sharing information that is most relevant to merchants. If you are an acquirer and in need of more details, reach out to our team. We’d be happy to walk through the specifics with you.