American Express · Chargeback reason codes
American Express A08 chargeback: Authorization Approval Expired or MCC Mismatch
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American Express reason code A08, Authorization Approval Expired or MCC Mismatch, means the charge was submitted after the approval expired, or the merchant category code in the authorization did not match the submission. Amex approvals are valid for 7 days, or 30 days for lodging, cruise and car rental. Answer with proof you authorized within 7 days of submission and that the merchant category codes match.
- Category
- Authorization
- Time limit for the bank to file
- Usually 120 days from the network processing date
- Time limit to respond
- 20 days from the Amex chargeback or inquiry in the US (your processor's deadline may be earlier); no reply means a "No Reply" chargeback
- Typical evidence
- Authorization within 7 days of submission with a matching MCC
- Can it be prevented?
- Yes: capture within 7 days or re-authorize
- Who usually wins
- The merchant who captured inside the approval window
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC creates and captures each card payment on the same processor payment for the same store account. PlatformDTC answers this kind of dispute with its standard evidence pack built from the order: customer name, email, IP address, billing and shipping address, items bought, carrier, tracking and ship date, the refund policy, and any refund already issued. With "Answer a chargeback automatically" switched on, it sends the response to the bank for you before the deadline.
What it means
You submitted the charge too long after it was approved, or under a different merchant category code. The merchant category code mismatch ground took effect on 24 October 2026.
Why customers file it
Pre-orders or backorders captured weeks after authorization, or a processor setup that authorizes and settles under different codes.
Evidence that wins
For every Amex code, a credit that directly offsets the disputed charge is also an accepted response.
- Proof the authorization was obtained within 7 days of submission
- Proof the merchant category code in the authorization matches the submission
- Proof the transaction is an excluded type
How to prevent it
- Capture within 7 days of authorization, or re-authorize before shipping
- Keep the same merchant category code from authorization to settlement
For developers
On Stripe the dispute object arrives with reason "general" and the card network's own code in payment_method_details.card.network_reason_code; listen for charge.dispute.created and read evidence_details.due_by for the deadline.
American Express uses one letter plus two digits for US and Canada merchants; elsewhere it uses four-digit ISO codes, and each letter code sits under one.
Frequently asked questions
- How long is an Amex approval valid?
- 7 days, or 30 days for lodging, cruise and car rental, under the American Express Merchant Rules.
- When did the MCC mismatch rule start?
- The merchant category code mismatch ground for A08 took effect on 24 October 2026.
Sources
Related
- A02 — The charge was submitted although the authorization was declined, reversed or never obtained.
- A01 — The amount charged was higher than the amount American Express approved.
- C02 — The Cardmember says a credit you owed them never reached their account.
- C04 — The Cardmember returned or refused the goods and did not get a credit.
- C05 — The Cardmember cancelled the order or service and did not get a credit.
- C08 — The Cardmember says the order never arrived or only part of it did.
- C14 — The Cardmember says they paid for the purchase another way.
- C18 — The Cardmember says they were wrongly billed for a guaranteed reservation or advance deposit.