Stripe dispute evidence — checklist for the next chargeback
Action-oriented self-audit of the dispute evidence you can produce per transaction — by business type and reason code — assembled before the next chargeback arrives.
A dispute is decided on what you can produce, not what you can argue. The checklist below assumes you do not yet have a dispute — assemble the evidence now and the next dispute is an export, not an excavation.
Definition. Dispute evidence assembly is the practice of ensuring every transaction has — at minimum — order confirmation, customer consent, delivery proof, and customer communication records, organized so they can be exported within five minutes of a dispute notification.
Universal checklist (every business type)
For every transaction, produce within 5 minutes:
- Order confirmation (structured: customer name, email, product, price, date)
- Customer consent record (ToS version, IP address, timestamp)
- Receipt sent (timestamp, content)
- Customer communication thread (all support tickets, chats, emails)
- Refund history (any prior refunds related to this customer)
- Terms of service in effect at the time of purchase
If any item takes more than five minutes, the gap is real exposure.
By business type
Physical goods
- Tracking number
- Carrier scans (origin, in-transit, delivery)
- Delivery signature (for signature-required shipments)
- Photo of package at delivery (where carrier provides)
- Return/exchange history
Digital goods (download / license)
- Download timestamp
- Download IP address
- License key activation record
- Subsequent access or use logs
- File hash or version identifier
SaaS / subscription
- Login record (dates, IP)
- Feature usage logs
- Session duration
- Most recent activity before dispute
- Cancellation flow log (was self-serve cancellation available? Did they cancel before disputing?)
Online courses / coaching
- Video watch percentage by lesson
- Quiz or assignment submissions
- Live session attendance
- Course completion certificate (if applicable)
Subscription boxes
- Renewal reminder sent (7-day-before)
- Tracking for the shipment in dispute
- Skip-month policy and whether customer used it
- Pause / cancel attempts
B2B services
- Statement of work or signed contract
- Deliverable status (with timestamps)
- Client communication acknowledging deliverable
- Invoice trail
By dispute reason code
Card networks use specific reason codes. Evidence priorities differ:
Reason: “Product not received” (4855 / 13.1 / similar)
Lead with tracking and delivery proof. Customer communication showing the order was received is also strong.
Reason: “Product unacceptable” / “not as described” (4853 / 13.3)
Lead with order confirmation showing the product description, customer’s pre-purchase acceptance, and any post-purchase communication where customer indicated satisfaction or did not raise an issue.
Reason: “Recurring transaction” / “cancellation not honored” (4859 / 13.2)
Lead with subscription terms acceptance, the renewal reminder you sent, the cancellation flow availability, and the customer’s last login (if subscription was used).
Reason: “Fraudulent / unauthorized” (10.4 / 4837 / similar)
Lead with the AVS / CVV match record, the IP address used at purchase, the customer’s prior order history (if any), and 3DS authentication if applicable.
Reason: “Duplicate” (12.6)
Lead with the two transactions side by side showing different products / dates / amounts.
Submission tactics
- Submit a structured PDF, not 12 attached screenshots
- Lead with a one-paragraph summary at the top
- Order evidence chronologically
- Cite the relevant policy at the time of purchase
- Avoid emotional language; let the evidence speak
- Submit before the deadline; late submissions are typically rejected
After the dispute
- Update Radar rules if a pattern is emerging
- Adjust disclosure language if the dispute pointed to a clarity gap
- Refund preemptively for customers with similar profiles where defensible
- Track win rate by reason code; argue what you can defend, refund what you cannot
What we do not do
We do not represent your business in a dispute. We do not contact issuers. We help you set up the evidence pipeline so that responding to a dispute is operational, not improvisational.
For the foundation of dispute-evidence-readiness, see our dispute evidence guide.
Frequently asked
- How quickly do I need to respond to a Stripe dispute?
- Issuer deadlines vary by card network — typically 7 to 21 days from notification. Stripe's dashboard shows the specific deadline.
- Should I refund before responding?
- Refunding does not close a dispute that has already been filed. You still need to respond. Refunding instead of responding usually results in losing the dispute on procedural grounds plus the refund.