American Express · Chargeback reason codes
American Express C28 chargeback: Cancellation of Recurring Goods/Services
Checked
American Express reason code C28, Cancellation of Recurring Goods/Services, means the Cardmember says they cancelled a recurring charge and were billed anyway. The issuer has 120 days from the disputed charge. Win with a credit, or proof the Cardmember has not cancelled and still uses the service, plus your cancellation policy and process, how it was disclosed, and how the Cardmember did not follow it.
- Category
- Cardmember dispute
- Time limit for the bank to file
- 120 days from the disputed recurring charge
- 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
- Cancellation policy and process, how disclosed, proof of continued use
- Can it be prevented?
- Yes: easy cancellation, clear disclosure, intro-offer notices
- Who usually wins
- The merchant who proves disclosure and no valid cancellation
What PlatformDTC does
For a "cancelled subscription" dispute, PlatformDTC's response states that no cancellation was recorded before the renewal, gives the subscription reference, and quotes the cancellation policy the customer saw at checkout. Before a first renewal it emails the customer the charge date, and it stops the subscription the moment any dispute opens. With "Answer a chargeback automatically" switched on, it sends the response to the bank for you before the deadline.
What it means
The Cardmember says they ended the subscription and a later recurring charge still went through. Card-present, installment, digital wallet and deferred billing transactions are excluded.
Why customers file it
Cancellations not processed in time, hidden cancellation steps, or an introductory offer that turned into full-price billing.
Evidence that wins
For every Amex code, a credit that directly offsets the disputed charge is also an accepted response.
- A credit, or proof the Cardmember has not cancelled and continues to use the service
- A copy of your cancellation policy and process
- How the policy was disclosed to the Cardmember
- How the Cardmember did not follow it
- If billed after an introductory offer ended: proof you met Amex's notice requirements for that offer
How to prevent it
- Make cancellation easy and confirm it
- Disclose renewal terms and the cancellation process at checkout
- Notify the Cardmember before an introductory offer converts
For developers
On Stripe the dispute object arrives with reason "subscription_canceled" 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
- What does Amex require for a C28 response?
- A credit or proof of no cancellation and continued use, plus the cancellation policy, how it was disclosed and how the Cardmember did not follow it.
- Does C28 apply after a free trial?
- Yes, and if the charge followed an introductory offer you must also show you met Amex's notice requirements for that offer.
Sources
Related
- 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.
- C31 — The Cardmember says the goods or services did not match the description or quality promised.
- C32 — The Cardmember says the goods arrived damaged or defective.
- M10 — The Cardmember disputes a car rental charge for damage, theft or loss of use.
- F29 — The Cardmember says they did not make an online, phone or mail order purchase.
- F10 — The Cardmember denies an in-person charge and there is no card imprint or swipe record.
- F14 — The Cardmember admits one real purchase but disputes other charges from the same merchant.