Mastercard · Chargeback reason codes
Mastercard 4849 chargeback: Questionable Merchant Activity explained
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Mastercard reason code 4849, Questionable Merchant Activity, lets issuers charge back fraud transactions at a merchant that Mastercard has listed under its Questionable Merchant Audit Program, or where Mastercard has confirmed coercion. The issuer has 120 days from the Announcement first listing the merchant or from the transaction date. Defences are narrow: the merchant was not listed, the transaction is outside the listed period, or the fraud was not properly reported.
- Category
- Fraud
- Time limit for the bank to file
- 120 days from the Announcement listing the merchant, or from the transaction date
- Time limit to respond
- Your processor's deadline (on Stripe usually 7–21 days); Mastercard gives the acquirer 45 days from the chargeback for a second presentment
- Typical evidence
- Proof the merchant was not listed or the transaction is outside the listed period
- Can it be prevented?
- Yes: stay out of Mastercard's monitoring programs
- Who usually wins
- Usually the cardholder, if the merchant is listed
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC measures each store's dispute rate hourly against the card networks' lines and alerts before it reaches them, and its prevention chain refunds early fraud warnings, stops billing reported cards and can block highest-risk customers by card fingerprint and email.
What it means
Mastercard publishes Announcements listing merchants under its Questionable Merchant Audit Program. Issuers can then charge back reported fraud at those merchants.
Why customers file it
High fraud levels or questionable practices that lead Mastercard to list the merchant.
Evidence that wins
Any second presentment can also show that a refund was already issued, or that the chargeback was invalid (late, a duplicate, or missing the required documents).
- The merchant was not listed in the Announcement
- The transaction falls outside the listed period
- The fraud was not properly reported, or is an ineligible fraud type
How to prevent it
- Keep fraud and dispute rates low
- Use 3-D Secure, AVS and CVC2 on card-not-present payments
- Refund early fraud warnings and stop billing reported cards
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.
The acquirer answers with a second presentment within 45 days; the Central Site Business Date of the chargeback counts as day zero. For cardholder disputes the issuer may then file pre-arbitration within 30 days, and the acquirer has 30 days to accept or reject it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Questionable Merchant Audit Program?
- A Mastercard program that lists merchants in an Announcement so issuers can charge back reported fraud at them under 4849.
- Can I win a 4849?
- Only on narrow grounds: you were not listed, the date is outside the listed period, or the fraud was not properly reported.
Sources
Related
- 4837 — The cardholder says they did not authorize the purchase. Mastercard's main fraud chargeback.
- 4999 — A domestic chargeback allowed by local rules in Europe that fits no other code.
- 4855 — Legacy "goods or services not provided" code; the claim now sits under 4853 Cardholder Dispute.
- 4860 — Legacy "credit not processed" code; the claim now sits under 4853 Cardholder Dispute.
- 4841 — Legacy code for cancelled recurring billing or digital goods; now under 4853.
- 4831 — Legacy "transaction amount differs" code; now a 4834 Point-of-Interaction Error claim.
- 4863 — Legacy code: the cardholder does not recognize the transaction and suspects fraud.