Visa 10.3 - Other Fraud (Card Present)
- Open the case and save the response deadline your processor gives you.
- Pull the receipt and terminal records. Check whether the card was read or its number was typed in.
- Match your evidence to the response route. A checked ID isn't a general defence.
- If the claim is valid and you've got no supported response, accept through your processor's dispute process.
Got this code?
Your deadline: the one in your processor's case notice or dashboard. Don't assume you have 30 days: the date on your notice wins.
The claim: The cardholder denies a key-entered, card-present payment. What 10.3 means
Records that answer it:
- The receipt, amount, date and processor transaction reference for this payment
- The POS entry mode and authorization response: was the card read or its number typed in?
- Any chip and PIN verification results your processor holds
- Any credit or reversal already made, with its amount and date
- Customer messages, including any saying they no longer dispute it
If you can't support it: Confirm the response route with your processor. If the claim is valid and you can't support a route, accept through the case.
Next: Decide whether it's worth fighting, then fill in the response outline for this claim and follow the Representment Workflow.
What Visa 10.3 Means
Visa 10.3 means the cardholder denies a key-entered, card-present payment. It isn't a catch-all for fraud after a successful chip read. See Visa's 18 April 2026 rules, section 11.7.4.1, Table 11-20.
Check These Before Responding
Start with the transaction records, not a statement that your staff remember the customer.
| Check | What to gather or ask |
|---|---|
| Correct payment | Match the case to the amount, date, receipt and processor transaction reference. |
| Entry method | Get the POS entry mode, authorization response and available chip and PIN verification results from your processor. |
| What happened at the terminal | Separate a successful card read from manual entry after a read failure. Ask your processor to explain any mismatch. |
| Evidence you can submit | Check which response route applies to this transaction and this stage of the case. |
| Money already returned | Find any credit or reversal record and its amount and date. Give it to your processor before taking another action. |
| Customer communications | Preserve relevant messages, including any statement that the customer no longer disputes the payment. |
Keep the response short. Connect each document to this payment and the cardholder's claim. Visa's merchant guide stresses relevant, consistent evidence, rather than extra paperwork.
When Chip, PIN and Liability Shift Matter
A working chip terminal helps only when the payment was processed correctly. Keep the actual transaction records. Owning a chip reader doesn't establish how this sale was taken.
EMV liability shift assigns responsibility for qualifying fraud losses according to the card, terminal and processing used. It isn't a promise that every dispute will be rejected.
- 10.1 concerns counterfeit fraud. Correct chip processing matters to that liability question.
- 10.2 concerns non-counterfeit fraud involving a PIN-preferring chip card. Terminal PIN compliance and transmission of required chip data matter. A chip read alone doesn't establish compliance.
- For a 10.3 notice, check the entry mode first. Visa lists an electronic imprint as a reason a 10.3 dispute is invalid. Ask your processor to check that route if the records show the card was electronically read.
See Visa's April 2026 rules, sections 11.7.2, 11.7.3 and 11.7.4.3, plus its merchant guide, pages 15 to 20. Don't use a blanket "chip + PIN + ID" argument.
The Narrow Key-Entered ID Path
For this compelling-evidence path, all four conditions must hold: US-domestic, card-present, key-entered, and not at a chip-reading device.
Submit copies of both the identification the cardholder presented and a receipt, invoice or contract containing information that links to that ID. An ID copy alone doesn't meet this path. Keying a number at a chip-reading terminal doesn't satisfy the device condition.
Under the same conditions, Visa also allows evidence of an earlier or later undisputed transaction using the same card. A general customer relationship isn't that evidence.
These are alternatives in section 11.5.1, Table 11-6, item 15, of the 18 April 2026 rules. They're specific evidence routes, not guaranteed outcomes.
Don't make ID a blanket purchase condition. Visa restricts that practice. In the US, its rules permit an ID request when you suspect fraud in a face-to-face sale. See section 1.5.5.3 and Table 11-6's ID footnote.
Other Response Routes
Ask your processor about a valid card imprint, an invalid dispute, an overlooked credit or reversal, or evidence that the cardholder no longer disputes the payment. Regional and case-stage requirements apply. Visa's section 11.7.4.6, Table 11-25, distinguishes US and non-US routes.
A valid imprint isn't a handwritten card number, a card photocopy or a pencil rubbing. Visa's merchant guide explains the manual and electronic imprint routes on pages 19 to 20.
When to Accept
Accept when the claim is valid and you can't support an available response route. Use your processor's case action to accept or return the disputed funds. Resolve an open chargeback through that process; don't send a separate refund to settle it.
Stripe, for example, provides an Accept dispute action. Follow the action and instructions shown by your own processor.
Time Frames
Your deadline is the one in your processor's case notice or dashboard. Don't assume you have 30 days. Stripe, for example, describes a response window that usually ranges from 7 to 21 days, depending on the network.
Visa's issuer filing limit for 10.3 is 120 calendar days from the transaction processing date. That's the issuer's limit, not your time to answer. See section 11.7.4.4, Table 11-23.
Next Steps
Prevent future 10.3 chargebacks:
- Read the card electronically where possible instead of typing its number.
- Train staff to follow your processor's procedures for terminal failures and required PIN entry.
- Review card-present fraud prevention.
Related Codes
- 10.1 - EMV Liability Shift Counterfeit
- 10.2 - EMV Liability Shift Non-Counterfeit
- 10.4 - Card Not Present Fraud
See Also
Sources
| Source | What it supports | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules, 18 April 2026 | Sections 11.7.4.1, 11.7.4.3, 11.7.4.4 and 11.7.4.6: scope, invalid disputes, issuer limit and response routes. Section 11.5.1, Table 11-6, item 15: narrow compelling evidence. Section 1.5.5.3: ID restrictions. Sections 11.7.2 and 11.7.3: EMV conditions. | Visa public rules |
| Visa Dispute Management Guide for Merchants, October 2026 | Pages 11 to 12: relevant evidence. Pages 15 to 21: EMV processing, imprint evidence and prevention. Use the April rulebook for the 10.3 name and formal criteria. | Visa merchant guide |
| Stripe: Dispute reason codes and defense requirements | Visa 10.3 evidence examples, including POS entry method and authorization records. | Stripe evidence guide |
| Stripe: Respond to disputes | Processor response timing, case review, acceptance and handling formal disputes through the dispute process. | Stripe response guide |