American Express · Chargeback reason codes
American Express R03 chargeback: Request for Support Illegible or Incomplete
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American Express reason code R03, Request for Support Illegible or Incomplete, means the merchant replied to an inquiry but the documents were illegible or incomplete. The issuer must have asked within 105 days. Answer with proof you sent complete, legible documents on time, that the inquiry was invalid, or the documents themselves. A truncated card number does not make a document incomplete.
- Category
- Inquiry not answered
- 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
- Complete, legible documents sent on time
- Can it be prevented?
- Yes: send clear, complete documents
- Who usually wins
- The merchant who sent complete documents in time
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC builds every response from the order data as text fields, not scans: customer name, email, IP, billing and shipping address, items, carrier, tracking and policy, so replies are legible and complete. With "Answer a chargeback automatically" on, it sends them before the deadline.
What it means
Amex says your inquiry reply could not be read or was missing required documents.
Why customers file it
Blurry scans, missing pages, or documents that do not answer the question.
Evidence that wins
For every Amex code, a credit that directly offsets the disputed charge is also an accepted response.
- Proof complete, legible documents were sent on time
- Proof the inquiry was invalid
- The required documents themselves
How to prevent it
- Send clear, complete documents that answer the inquiry
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
- Is a masked card number incomplete?
- No. The Merchant Rules say a truncated card number does not count as incomplete.
- How long can the issuer take to ask?
- The issuer must have sent the request within 105 days.
Sources
Related
- R13 — The merchant did not answer an Amex inquiry in time.
- A01 — The amount charged was higher than the amount American Express approved.
- A02 — The charge was submitted although the authorization was declined, reversed or never obtained.
- A08 — The charge was submitted more than 7 days after approval, or with a different merchant category code.
- 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.