Amex Chargeback Codes Explained

May 19, 2023

American Express Chargeback Codes (2023)

American Express functions as a card network and an issuing bank. This gives them more of an incentive to keep their customers happy, which means they usually side with cardholders during a dispute.

With that said, you still need to understand the reason codes with any chargebacks from Amex.

I created this guide to give you a quick resource to lookup American Express chargeback codes.

Amex Authorization Chargeback Reason Codes

A01 — Charge Amount Exceeds Authorization Amount

The approved authorization amount is less than the amount of the sale submitted by the merchant.

A02 — No Valid Authorization

The sale submitted by the merchant was declined, or the card in question was expired.

A08 — Authorization Approval Expired

The merchant submitted the transaction after the approved authorization expired. This happens when the merchant fails to process transactions in a timely fashion.

Amex Cardmember Dispute Chargeback Reason Codes

C02 — Credit Not Processed

The cardholder was expecting a full or partial credit from the merchant that was never received.

C04 — Goods/Services Returned or Refused

The customer returned a product or service, but a credit was never processed by the merchant. This can also happen if the cardholder refuses delivery.

C05 — Goods/Services Canceled

The customer cancels an order for goods or services but was still charged. This can happen if the cancelation was never received or hasn’t been processed yet by the merchant.

C08 — Goods/Services Not Received or Only Partially Received

The customer disputes the charge because the goods or services were not received. This can also happen if the goods or services were partially received.

C14 — Paid by Other Means

The customer paid for a transaction using another form of payment, but the Amex card was still charged for the transaction.

C18 — “No Show” or CARDeposit Canceled

An Amex cardholder says that an expected credit for a CARDeposit charge was never received. It happens when merchants bill customers for a canceled lodging service.

C28 — Canceled Recurring Billing

The cardholder claims to have canceled a recurring transaction but continues getting billed. It’s a common occurrence for subscription services.

C31 — Goods/Services Not as Described

The customer files a chargeback because the goods or services were defective or did not match the description.

C32 — Goods/Services Damaged or Defective

The Amex cardholder says that they received defective or damaged goods. This can happen if there is damage during the shipping process.

M10 — Vehicle Rental – Capital Damages

The cardholder says they were incorrectly charged for capital damages for a car rental.

M49 — Vehicle Rental – Theft or Loss of Use

The cardholder is disputing a charge related to theft or loss of use for a car rental.

Amex Fraud Chargeback Reason Codes

FR2 — Fraud Full Recourse Program

The charge was flagged by the Amex Fraud Full Recourse Program. This can happen to merchants in a high-risk credit card processing category.

FR4 — Immediate Chargeback Program

This merchant program allows Amex to process disputes as soon as a cardholder files a chargeback.

FR6 — Partial Immediate Chargeback Program

Amex placed the merchant in its Partial Immediate Chargeback Program. The cardholder files a chargeback with a merchant in this program.

F10 — Missing Imprint

This only applies to card-present transactions. The cardholder did not receive a copy of the card imprint.

F14 — Missing Signature

The signature on a card-present transaction receipt is not visible, does not match, or the merchant failed to give the cardholder a copy.

F24 — No Cardmember Authorization

The cardholder claims that they did not participate in the transaction. The merchant cannot prove otherwise.

F29 — Card Not Present

The customer says that an fraudulent transaction occurred on their card, without the physical presence of the card.

F30 — EMV Counterfeit

The cardholder claims that they did not participate in a sale involving a counterfeit chip card. In this case, the sale was not processed as a chip transaction.

F31 — EMV List/Stolen/Non-Received

The cardholder claims that a fraudulent transaction was made using their actual American Express credit card.

Amex Inquiry/Miscellaneous Chargeback Reason Codes

R03 — Insufficient Reply

Complete documentation or support of a transaction was requested but was not provided by the merchant.

R13 — No Reply

The merchant did not provide a response to an Amex inquiry within the specific time period.

M01 — Chargeback Authorization

The merchant authorizes Amex to process a chargeback for the transaction in question.

Amex Processing Errors Chargeback Reason Codes

P01 — Unassigned Card Number

The credit card number used for a sale is not assigned to a valid account or cardholder.

P03 — Credit Processed as Charge

The merchant debited a transaction that was supposed to be a credit. This is a common mistake when processing a reversal.

P04 — Charge Processed as Credit

The cardholder received a credit for a transaction that was supposed to be processed as a debit.

P05 — Incorrect Charge Amount

The transaction amount does not match the authorization amount.

P07 — Late Submission

The merchant failed to submit the sale within the required time limits.

P08 — Duplicate Charge

One single transaction was processed multiple times. This commonly occurs when merchants submit more than batch simultaneously, or there is a duplicate transaction in the system.

P22 — Non-Matching Card Number

The credit card number used in a transaction does not match the cardholder or does not match with a valid Amex account.

P23 — Currency Discrepancy

The merchant has made an error or errors related to the currency associated with the transaction.

American Express Dispute Process

The American Express chargeback reason plays a role in card member disputes. It’s known industry-wide that American Express customer service typically sides with the cardholder. They only bill customers during a dispute if there is compelling evidence to show the cardholder’s account is in the wrong.

That’s why it’s so important for you to keep complete and accurate records. Respond to chargebacks in a timely manner. Issue credit for items returned or orders canceled.

Internet transactions representing American Express disputes can be a pain. So while you may not win a dispute right now, you can learn from mistakes and strive to avoid them in the future.

Additional Resources for American Express Credit Card Processing

For more information on American Express, you can refer to the following guides:

These guides and tutorials will help you better understand how American Express credit card processing works and how to keep your costs as low as possible.

Chargeback Reason Code: Final Thoughts for American Express

If you get a chargeback from American Express, the first thing you need to do is figure out what the reason code means.

Once you’ve identified the reason, you can figure out the cause and potentially dispute the chargeback. Another reason why it’s important to understand these codes is so you can prevent chargebacks in the first place. You can learn more about this by referring to our complete guide to credit card chargebacks.

By Colin O’Keefe

Prior to founding Merchant Cost Consulting, Colin worked in the payments industry for 3 years gaining an extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of the industry. During that time Colin learned how deceptive the industry can be and wanted to do something about it. Before joining the payments industry in 2014, Colin played professional baseball for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Colin is from Waterford, CT and received his BA in business from Virginia Tech where he was a member of the varsity baseball team.

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