American Express · Chargeback reason codes
American Express F30 chargeback: EMV Liability Shift – Counterfeit explained
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American Express reason code F30, EMV Fraud Liability Shift – Counterfeit, means a counterfeit copy of a chip card was used in person and the chip was not read, so the fraud liability shifted to the merchant. The issuer must report the fraud first. The accepted answer is proof the issuer authorized a magnetic stripe read when the card's service code was not a chip code. Reading the chip prevents it.
- Category
- Fraud (card present)
- 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
- Proof the card's service code was not a chip code
- Can it be prevented?
- Yes: chip terminals that read the chip
- Who usually wins
- Usually the Cardmember unless the chip was read
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC's in-store point of sale sends every card payment to a Stripe Terminal card reader on the store's own Stripe account, and online orders are card-not-present. Online orders cannot receive an F30.
What it means
A counterfeit card was swiped where the chip should have been read.
Why customers file it
Skimmed card data copied onto a stripe-only card.
Evidence that wins
For every Amex code, a credit that directly offsets the disputed charge is also an accepted response.
- Proof the issuer authorized a magnetic stripe read and the card's service code was not a chip code
How to prevent it
- Use EMV chip terminals and always read the chip
For developers
On Stripe the dispute object arrives with reason "fraudulent" 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
- Can an online order get an F30?
- No. F30 requires a counterfeit card used in person.
- What is the online fraud code?
- F29 Card Not Present.
Sources
Related
- F31 — A lost, stolen or never-received chip card was used where the chip was not read.
- F29 — The Cardmember says they did not make an online, phone or mail order purchase.
- FR2 — Amex placed the merchant in Fraud Full Recourse, so any fraud dispute can be charged back.
- FR4 — The merchant is in Amex's Immediate Chargeback Program, so disputes skip the inquiry stage.
- FR6 — Disputes below a set amount are charged back immediately with no inquiry first.
- P01 — The card number submitted does not belong to any American Express account.
- P03 — A refund was processed as a charge, so the Cardmember was billed instead of credited.