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Compelling Evidence Guide

Prerequisites

Before building evidence packets, ensure you understand:

TL;DR
  • Evidence strength ranking: 3DS (+40-60% win rate) > Signed delivery (+30-40%) > Prior undisputed txns (+25-35%) > AVS+CVV (+15-25%)
  • Visa CE 3.0: 2+ prior undisputed transactions, 120+ days old, matching 2 of 4 elements (IP, device, address, account) - one MUST be IP or device ID
  • Mastercard: Include COMP EVID in DE 72; need signed receipt, delivery confirmation, or correspondence
  • Amex: Respond within 20 days (not 30); use Amex portal
  • Before building evidence packets: call 5 customers who disputed and understand the root cause
On this page
This Page vs. Winning Evidence

This page is the reference checklist: what evidence each network requires, CE 3.0 specs, submission deadlines, and format standards. Winning Evidence teaches you how to think about evidence: what issuers actually look at, how to organize your response, and common mistakes. Use Winning Evidence for strategy, this page for checklists.

Compelling evidence is documentation that proves the cardholder participated in or benefited from the transaction.

Before you build evidence packets, understand WHY you're losing. Evidence quality matters less than root cause.

Feedback Loop: Talk to Customers First​

Pull 5 recent disputes you lost. Call or email the cardholder.

Questions to ask:

  • "Walk me through what happened after you placed the order."
  • "When did you first think something was wrong?"
  • "Did you contact us before disputing?"

What you'll learn:

  • If it's descriptor confusion: you have a recognition problem, not an evidence problem (see descriptors and comms)
  • If it's shipping delays: you have a fulfillment problem
  • If the customer is lying: you have a friendly fraud problem (fight these)
  • If the customer genuinely didn't receive value: you have a product/service problem

5 conversations tell you whether you have a representment problem or a root cause problem. Then decide where to invest.

Evidence Experiment

For a month, add delivery photos to 50% of "goods not received" response packets. Track win rate difference. If no improvement, stop doing it. Your time is better spent elsewhere.

Evidence Hierarchy​

Not all evidence is equal. Here's the general strength ranking:

Evidence TypeStrengthWin Rate Impact
3D Secure authenticationStrongest+40-60%
Signed delivery confirmationStrong+30-40%
Prior undisputed transactionsStrong+25-35%
AVS match + CVV matchMedium+15-25%
Customer communicationMedium+10-20%
IP/device match onlyWeak+5-10%
What Counts as "Signed Delivery"?
  • Carrier signature: FedEx, UPS, or USPS signature confirmation (the strongest proof)
  • Photo proof of delivery: Amazon-style photo showing package at the door with visible address. Accepted by most issuers but weaker than signature
  • Carrier delivery confirmation without signature: Shows "Delivered" with date/time. Minimum standard, but may not win disputes for items over $100
  • For high-value items ($500+): Always require signature confirmation. Photo delivery alone won't win these disputes.

Mastercard Compelling Evidence​

E-commerce / Mail Order / Telephone Order​

You need at least one of the following:

Evidence TypeDescriptionDocumentation
Signed receiptReceipt or work order signed by cardholderScanned copy with signature visible
Delivery confirmationWritten confirmation of electronic delivery registrationCarrier confirmation + registration
CorrespondenceEmail, SMS, or chat with cardholder about the transactionFull conversation thread with timestamps
Pickup confirmationMerchant statement documenting in-store pickupPickup receipt with signature/ID
Authenticated follow-onFor partial shipments after authenticated initial transactionOriginal auth + subsequent transaction link

Message text: Include COMP EVID in DE 72

Registered Account Purchases​

When your site requires account registration, you can use:

Evidence TypeDescription
Purchase historyOther undisputed purchases from same registered account
Device/IP matchTransaction from registered device and IP address
Delivery proofSigned proof of delivery to registered address
Digital deliveryEmail addresses used for digital downloads
Product registrationCardholder registered goods for warranty/updates
Usage proofEvidence disputed goods were used
Identity CheckFully enabled Identity Check used for PAN registration
Guest Checkout

This defense does NOT apply to guest checkout purchases. Customer must have created an account before the transaction.

Airline Transactions​

You need at least one of:

Evidence TypeDescription
Boarding documentsFlight ticket or boarding pass with passenger name
ManifestFlight manifest or itinerary with passenger name
Connected chargesUpgrades, baggage fees, in-flight purchases
ID linkagePassenger ID documentation linked to cardholder
Loyalty creditsFrequent flyer miles credited for the flight
Ticket deliveryProof of ticket receipt (signed delivery, email confirmation)

Recurring / Subscription Transactions​

For recurring and subscription transactions, you need ALL of these:

  1. ✅ Description of goods/services provided
  2. ✅ Start date with:
    • Original transaction authorization date
    • Authorization approval code
    • CIT value (if present)
  3. ✅ Proof transaction was properly identified as recurring in both authorization and clearing

Gaming Payment Transactions​

When cardholder disputes funding but received payouts:

Required Per Gaming Payment
Date of each Gaming Payment Transaction
Switch Serial Number or ARN
Transaction amount

Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0​

Visa's CE 3.0 program provides enhanced representment for merchants with customer history.

CE 3.0 Requirements​

To qualify:

  1. Two prior undisputed transactions with same payment credentials
  2. Between 120 and 365 days before the disputed transaction
  3. Matching data elements - at least two of four, and one must be IP Address or Device ID:
Data ElementDescriptionRequired?
IP AddressSame IP as prior undisputed transactionsAt least one of these two is mandatory
Device IDSame device fingerprintAt least one of these two is mandatory
Shipping AddressSame shipping addressOptional (cannot be the only two matches)
User Account IDSame customer accountOptional (cannot be the only two matches)
IP or Device ID Is Mandatory

You cannot qualify for CE 3.0 with only Shipping Address + User Account ID matching. At least one of the two matching elements must be IP Address or Device ID/fingerprint.

CE 3.0 Process Flow​

CE 3.0 Benefits​

  • Pre-arbitration liability protection
  • Higher win rates (70-85%)
  • Faster resolution
  • Reduced dispute costs

Standard Visa Compelling Evidence​

For disputes not qualifying for CE 3.0:

Evidence TypeWhen to Use
Signed deliveryPhysical goods delivered
Access logsDigital goods accessed
Customer correspondenceEmail/chat showing acknowledgment
AVS/CVV matchAddress and CVV verification
Prior transactionsSame card, undisputed

American Express Requirements​

Fraud Disputes (F Codes)​

Evidence TypeEffectiveness
SafeKey (3DS) authenticationHighest - liability shift
Delivery confirmationHigh
Customer verification recordsMedium
AVS match documentationMedium

Service/Merchandise Disputes (C Codes)​

Evidence TypeEffectiveness
Signed service completionHigh
Delivery with signatureHigh
Terms and conditions acceptedMedium
Quality documentationMedium

Amex Response Requirements​

  • Respond within 20 days (not 30 like Visa/MC) - see time frames
  • Use Amex merchant portal
  • Include Amex case number
  • Provide required evidence per reason code

Evidence Quality Standards​

Document Requirements​

All documentation must be:

  • ✅ Legible - Clear and readable
  • ✅ Complete - All pages, not truncated
  • ✅ Relevant - Specific to disputed transaction
  • ✅ Properly identified - With transaction reference

PAN Handling​

Per PCI DSS requirements:

  • Show only last 4 digits of card number
  • Mask full PAN in all documents
  • Match visible digits to dispute

Language Requirements​

NetworkRequirement
MastercardEnglish translation for arbitration
VisaEnglish preferred
AmexEnglish required

Submission Deadlines​

These are documentation submission deadlines - how long you have to provide supporting evidence after filing. The total representment window is longer (Visa 30 days, Mastercard 45 days, Amex 20 days). See Time Frames for the full breakdown.

NetworkDocumentation Window
Mastercard8 calendar days (10 for ATM/Maestro)
Visa18 calendar days
Amex10 calendar days

Evidence by Dispute Type​

Fraud Disputes​

PriorityEvidence
13D Secure/SafeKey authentication data
2AVS + CVV match
3Delivery confirmation to verified address
4Prior undisputed transactions (same card)
5Device fingerprint match
6Customer correspondence

Non-Receipt Disputes​

PriorityEvidence
1Signed delivery confirmation
2Tracking showing delivered to billing address
3Photo proof of delivery
4Digital access logs
5Download confirmation

Not-As-Described Disputes​

PriorityEvidence
1Product listing as shown to customer
2Terms and conditions accepted
3Customer communications (pre-sale)
4Inspection/return refusal documentation
5Quality specifications met

Credit Not Processed​

PriorityEvidence
1Proof credit was issued (with ARN)
2Credit pending notification
3Terms showing refund not applicable
4Return not received

Common Mistakes​

Documentation Errors​

MistakeImpact
Wrong transaction referencedAutomatic loss
Illegible copiesEvidence rejected
Missing pagesIncomplete case
Late submissionTime frame expired
No English translationRejected at arbitration

Evidence Gaps​

GapHow to Fix
No delivery proofImplement tracking + signature
No customer communicationStart confirmation emails (see descriptors and comms)
No AVS dataRequire address verification
No login recordsEnable access logging (see behavioral analytics)

Building Your Evidence Collection System​

At Transaction Time​

Collect and store (per your evidence framework):

At Order Confirmation​

Document:

  • Order details email sent
  • Confirmation page shown
  • Terms acceptance timestamp
  • Customer contact info verified

At Fulfillment​

Record:

  • Shipping carrier + tracking
  • Delivery confirmation
  • Signature (if applicable)
  • Digital delivery logs

Throughout Lifecycle​

Maintain:

  • Customer communications
  • Support tickets
  • Login/access history
  • Transaction history
Minimum Viable Evidence (No Fancy Infrastructure Required)

Don't have device fingerprinting or advanced logging? Use what you have:

  • Order confirmation email (screenshot it) - proves the customer received purchase details
  • Shipping tracking page (screenshot the carrier's delivery confirmation) - proves delivery
  • Customer communication (screenshot email/text thread) - proves engagement after purchase
  • Login or access logs (even basic Google Analytics showing visits from their IP) - proves digital delivery
  • Signed agreement or invoice (for services) - proves scope was agreed

This gets you to a 20-35% win rate instead of the 50-70% you'd get with device fingerprinting. Still better than not responding. Start collecting better evidence going forward - see the evidence hierarchy above for what to add when you can.

Next Steps​

Building your evidence system?

  1. Start with transaction-time collection - IP, device, AVS
  2. Enable 3DS - Strongest possible evidence
  3. Implement device fingerprinting - CE 3.0 matching

Improving win rates?

  1. Talk to customers first - Understand root cause
  2. Check CE 3.0 eligibility - Higher win rates
  3. Review by dispute type - Match evidence to reason code

Responding to a specific dispute?

  1. Check the reason code - Know required evidence
  2. Review time frames - Don't miss deadlines
  3. Follow representment process - Step-by-step

See Also​

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