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How do merchant chargebacks work?

New disputes

Here's what happens when your customer raises a dispute:

  • Your customer will raise the chargeback with their issuing bank (the customer's bank)
  • The customer's bank will raise the chargeback with the card payment system, which then sends the details of the chargeback to Revolut
  • We debit the chargeback amount plus a fee from your Merchant account and hold it until the case is resolved

If you're on the new app interface:

  • You'll see the new dispute in the 'Disputes' table. You'll be able to accept or challenge the dispute
  • You'll receive reminder communications to act on the new dispute

If you're not on the new app interface:

  • One of our agents will contact the account owner via email to let them know a chargeback has been raised
  • That agent will then support you and keep you updated throughout the case

You will have 15 days to reply to a new dispute, if you don't reply before the due date, the dispute will be marked as lost. This means that you will not be able to recover the funds and these will be transferred back to the cardholder.

Accepting a dispute

If you accept the chargeback, you agree to refund the customer for the charged payment and pay the fee. In this case, the money we withheld from your Merchant account previously will be passed on to the customer.

Challenging a dispute

If you disagree with your customer's claim, you'll have to build a case and use evidence to support your appeal. You'll be able to respond to the dispute directly through the 'Disputes' table, there you'll be able to upload all relevant documents and provide additional evidence (if you're not on the new app interface, the agent assigned to your case will guide you through the process). This is called a representment.

The customer's bank will review your evidence and either accept or reject it. If they accept it, you win the case and we return the withheld money to your Merchant account along with the chargeback fee.

If the customer's bank rejects your evidence, you may have a final opportunity to appeal. However, this means the case could go to arbitration. You'll receive the respective communications if the dispute reaches that stage.

Winning a dispute

If you win a dispute, the funds will be returned to your Merchant account, including the dispute fee that was initially charged when the dispute was received.

Ignoring a dispute

If you don't respond by the deadline, your customer automatically wins the case and the withheld money won't be returned to you. The dispute fee will not be returned.

To check if you're on the new app interface, see this FAQ.