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Chargeback Time Frames

TL;DR
  • Miss a deadline and you lose automatically. There's no appeal for a late response
  • Representment windows: Visa 30 days, Mastercard 45, Amex 20, Discover 30
  • Cardholders get 120 days to dispute on every network. Issuers get 120 days to file, except Mastercard at 90
  • Pre-arbitration and arbitration are 30 and 45 days on Visa and Mastercard. Amex and Discover don't run those stages, so there's no window to miss
  • Regional variations exist. Check the tables below before you assume the US numbers apply

Missing a deadline means automatic loss. This reference covers all networks and regional variations.

Quick Reference​

Standard Time Frames (US/Global)​

StageVisaMastercardAmexDiscover
Cardholder to dispute120 days120 days120 days120 days
Issuer chargeback120 days90 days120 days120 days
Representment30 days45 days20 days30 days
Pre-arbitration30 days30 daysNo such stageNo such stage
Arbitration45 days45 daysNo such stageExists, window not published

The Amex and Discover columns used to say 45 days. They were wrong, and the number was borrowed from Visa. Neither closed-loop network runs the open-loop escalation ladder.

Amex's own dispute chapter goes representment, then re-dispute, then done. There's no pre-arbitration and no arbitration in it. If the cardholder brings new information, Amex reinvestigates and asks you for more (Merchant Reference Guide - U.S., section 11.9). Amex decides. That's the end of it.

Discover has arbitration but no pre-arbitration. The procedures live in its Dispute Rules, which aren't public, so the filing window isn't a number anyone outside can quote. Ask your acquirer.

Using This Table

Got a chargeback? Check your representment window above, then see Representment Guide for how to respond and Compelling Evidence for what to submit.

Approaching a deadline? Use the Reduce Chargebacks Fast playbook for emergency steps.

Mastercard Time Frames​

Chargeback Filing Windows​

RegionStandard CodesATM/Maestro
Global (default)90 calendar days90 calendar days
Europe (ATM/Maestro)120 calendar days120 calendar days
Mainland China domestic5-90 calendar daysN/A

Second Presentment (Representment) Windows​

Critical Regional Differences

Mastercard representment windows vary dramatically by region. Missing these can result in automatic loss.

RegionWindowNotes
Standard45 calendar daysFrom chargeback settlement
Costa Rica domestic10 calendar daysFrom Central Site Business Date
Kazakhstan domestic30 calendar daysFrom Central Site Business Date
Mainland China domestic30 calendar daysFrom settlement date
Nigeria domestic2 business days⚠️ Extremely short!
Tanzania domestic20 calendar daysFrom Central Site Business Date

Pre-Arbitration Windows​

RegionWindow
Standard30 calendar days
Costa Rica domestic10 calendar days
Tanzania domestic10 calendar days

Documentation Submission Windows​

After receiving chargeback/representment, how long to provide supporting documents:

Transaction TypeWindow
Standard8 calendar days
ATM/Maestro10 calendar days
Costa Rica domestic3 calendar days
Tanzania domestic4 calendar days

Arbitration Windows​

RegionWindow
Standard45 calendar days from pre-arbitration response
ATM/Maestro (Europe)75 calendar days from second presentment

Visa Time Frames​

By Dispute Category​

Reason Code CategoryChargeback Window
10.x (Fraud)120 days from transaction or delivery
11.x (Authorization)120 days from transaction
12.x (Processing Errors)120 days from transaction
13.x (Consumer Disputes)120 days from transaction or expected delivery

Special Situations​

SituationTime Frame
Merchandise not received120 days from expected delivery date
Services not rendered120 days from expected service date
Recurring billing120 days from transaction date
Delayed delivery120 days from actual delivery date

Visa Response Windows​

StageWindowNotes
Chargeback response30 calendar daysFrom chargeback date
Pre-arbitration response30 calendar daysFrom pre-arb filing
Arbitration filing45 calendar daysFrom pre-arb response

American Express Time Frames​

Inquiry vs. Chargeback​

Amex often sends inquiries before chargebacks:

StageWindowConsequence
Inquiry response20 calendar daysNon-response = auto chargeback
Chargeback response20 calendar daysNon-response = loss
Documentation10 calendar daysWhen requested

Dispute Windows​

TypeWindow
Fraud120 days from transaction
Service/Merchandise120 days from expected delivery
Processing errors120 days from transaction

Discover Time Frames​

Retrieval Requests​

Discover sends retrieval requests before some chargebacks:

StageWindow
Retrieval response14 calendar days
Chargeback response30 calendar days
Second chargeback30 calendar days

Calculating Day Zero​

Understanding when the clock starts is critical:

Mastercard​

  • Settlement Date: Present in DE 15 of clearing message
  • Central Site Business Date: Present in PDS 0158, subfield 5
  • Day zero = the date being counted FROM (exclusive)

Visa​

  • Transaction Date: Date the transaction occurred
  • Delivery Date: Date goods were delivered (if applicable)
  • Day zero = event date (exclusive)

Example Calculation​

Transaction Date: January 1
Chargeback Filed: March 15 (Day 73)
Representment Due: April 14 (30 days later)

Timeline:
Jan 1 ──────── Mar 15 ──────── Apr 14
Transaction    Chargeback       Response
               Filed            Due

Calendar Days vs. Business Days​

NetworkStandardExceptions
MastercardCalendar daysNigeria = business days
VisaCalendar daysNone
AmexCalendar daysNone
DiscoverCalendar daysNone

Business Day Definition (Nigeria)​

  • Monday through Friday
  • Excludes Nigerian public holidays
  • Bank holidays count as non-business days

Hardship Variances​

Mastercard Hardship Variances​

During natural disasters or severe operational difficulties:

  • Mastercard may grant time frame extensions
  • Announced via network bulletins
  • Removes time frame edits for specific period
  • Not supported in Single Message System

Visa Business Continuity​

  • Similar provisions for major disruptions
  • Contact Visa directly
  • Documentation of business impact required

Authorization to Clearing Deadlines​

Two different rules get called by the same name, and merchants pay for the confusion.

Mastercard runs two clocks: a presentment deadline and a separate chargeback protection period tied to message reason code 4808. They carry identical numbers today, so people treat them as one rule. They're not, and they can diverge.

Visa used to run two clocks as well. Since 13 April 2024 it runs one. Authorization validity and the clearing deadline were merged into a single authorization-to-clearing timeframe. "How long is my auth good for" and "when do I have to clear by" are now the same question with the same answer.

Count in calendar days, always. Every number below is calendar days on all three networks. Visa and Mastercard count from the authorization approval date, not the transaction date. Weekends and holidays are inside the window. Nothing here uses business days.

Mastercard: message reason code 4808 chargeback protection period​

Authorization TypeWindow
Preauthorizations30 calendar days
Final auth (India domestic)4 calendar days
Final auth (all other)7 calendar days
Deferred authorizations7 calendar days
Undefined authorizations7 calendar days
Refund transactions5 calendar days

Source: Mastercard Transaction Processing Rules, 9 December 2025, sections 2.5.1, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 and 2.9. India's 4 days took effect 3 April 2024. The 5-day refund period took effect 12 April 2024. Costa Rica final authorizations get 30 calendar days for presentment.

Mastercard splits by authorization type, not by channel. There's no card-present versus card-not-present table here because Mastercard doesn't write one. The 30 days only applies if the message was flagged as a preauthorization. Being a hotel isn't enough.

You can extend the clock. Submit an additional preauthorization for the same transaction, even a zero-amount one, and the 4808 period restarts (section 2.9).

Let it expire and the authorization isn't stale, it's gone. Section 2.8 says the approved amount of an authorization with an expired 4808 period "is deemed to be zero." Capture on day 8 against a 7-day final auth and Mastercard treats you as never having authorized at all.

Visa: authorization-to-clearing timeframe​

Authorization TypeWindow
Card-not-present, cardholder-initiated10 calendar days
Card-present, all other5 calendar days
All merchant-initiated (recurring, installment, unscheduled COF, advance payment)5 calendar days
Card-not-present with the extended authorization indicator30 calendar days
Cruise line, lodging, vehicle rental with the estimated authorization indicator30 calendar days
Smaller rental MCCs with the estimated authorization indicator10 calendar days
Automated Fuel Dispenser preauthorization2 hours

Source: Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules, 18 October 2025, section 5.7.3.5, Table 5-11. This structure took effect 13 April 2024.

The fuel number is hours, not days. An AFD preauthorization needs a completion message or a reversal within 2 hours of the approval response.

Not all rentals are equal. Cruise, lodging and vehicle rental get 30 days. Aircraft, bicycle and e-scooter, boat, clothing and costume, DVD and video, equipment and tool, furniture, motor home, motorcycle, and trailer parks and campgrounds get 10.

Incremental authorization does not extend any Visa window. The rule says so outright: "An Incremental Authorization Request does not extend the processing timeframes." That's the exact opposite of Mastercard. If your hotel or rental software sells incremental auths as a way to hold longer, it works on Mastercard and does nothing on Visa. On Visa the only route to 30 days is the right indicator on the original authorization.

Visa's Table 5-12 carries country-specific overrides for India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal and Argentina. If you process in those markets, get the current numbers from your acquirer.

Miss the window and the issuer disputes under Condition 11.3 No Authorization/Late Presentment. Visa retired Condition 12.1 Late Presentment on 12 April 2024 and folded it into 11.3.

Amex​

One number, no channel split. An authorization approval is valid for 7 days, and that same 7 days is the submission window.

The exception is lodging, cruise line and vehicle rental on estimated charge amounts. There the authorization stays valid for the life of the stay or the rental agreement. That's open-ended, not a fixed 30 days.

Source: American Express Merchant Reference Guide - U.S., section 5.4 "Authorization Time Limit."

Discover: nobody publishes a current number​

Discover doesn't publish a current edition of its Merchant Operating Regulations. The last public full edition is Release 11.1 from 2011, which set 30 calendar days of validity and 10 calendar days to submit sales data. Those numbers are more than a decade old, and processors enforce far shorter windows in practice.

Get your Discover window from your acquirer in writing. Anyone printing a current Discover number is guessing.

Your processor's window is not the network's window​

Processors set their own limits inside the network limits, and theirs are usually shorter. Stripe caps Visa at 4 days and 18 hours where Visa allows 5, and caps card-present Mastercard, Amex and Discover at 2 days where the networks allow 7. Stripe's own footnote explains why: "to allow time for clearing processes."

That's a reasonable buffer and you should plan to it. But know which wall you're hitting. A merchant who needs day 6 on a card-present Mastercard isn't asking for something the network prohibits. They're asking their processor to change a setting. One is a fulfillment rebuild, the other is one email.

Best Practices​

Track Deadlines Religiously​

  1. Use dispute management system - Automated tracking
  2. Set alerts - 7 days, 3 days, 1 day before due
  3. Document receipt dates - When did you receive notice?
  4. Build in buffer time - Never wait until last day

Account for Time Zones​

  • Networks operate on specific time zones
  • 11:59 PM your time may be past deadline
  • Build in 24-hour buffer

Consider Weekends/Holidays​

  • Calendar days include non-business days
  • Monday deadline after holiday weekend = still due Monday
  • Plan submissions before weekends

Document Everything​

  • Screenshot submission confirmations
  • Keep email timestamps
  • Record case numbers
  • Save all communications

Time Frame Summary by Network​

Mastercard at a Glance​

Chargeback → 45 days → Representment
                ↓
            30 days
                ↓
         Pre-Arbitration
                ↓
            45 days
                ↓
           Arbitration

Visa at a Glance​

Chargeback → 30 days → Representment
                ↓
            30 days
                ↓
         Pre-Arbitration
                ↓
            45 days
                ↓
           Arbitration

Amex at a Glance​

Inquiry → 20 days → Response
              ↓
         (if needed)
              ↓
Chargeback → 20 days → Response

Next Steps​

Responding to a chargeback?

  1. Check network-specific windows - Visa 30 days, MC 45 days, Amex 20 days
  2. Calculate day zero - When the clock starts
  3. Account for regional exceptions - Nigeria 2 business days!

Building deadline tracking?

  1. Follow best practices - Alerts, buffers, documentation
  2. Track by network - Different flows
  3. Account for time zones - Build in buffers

Handling special situations?

  1. Check authorization windows - Auth to settlement
  2. Know hardship variances - Disaster extensions
  3. Understand Amex inquiries - 20 days response window

See Also​

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