Visa · Chargeback reason codes
Visa 11.3 chargeback: No Authorization / Late Presentment explained
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Visa reason code 11.3, No Authorization/Late Presentment, means a required authorization was not obtained or the transaction was not processed within Visa's time limits. The bank has 75 days from the processing date to file, and the dispute is limited to the unauthorized amount. Late presentment, once Visa 12.1, now falls under 11.3 in Visa's current rules. Authorize every charge and capture it promptly.
- Category
- Authorization
- Time limit for the bank to file
- 75 days from the transaction processing date
- Time limit to respond
- Your processor's deadline (on Stripe usually 7–21 days); under Visa rules the acquirer must answer within 30 days of the dispute processing date
- Typical evidence
- A valid authorization for the amount; proof of the correct transaction date
- Can it be prevented?
- Yes: authorize every charge and settle on time
- Who usually wins
- The cardholder unless you prove authorization and timely processing
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC authorizes every card payment through the processor at checkout and on each subscription renewal, so the order always carries its own authorization. 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
Either no authorization was obtained when one was required, or the transaction was presented after Visa's processing deadline. The dispute covers only the unauthorized amount (or the amount above the floor limit for chip offline approvals).
Visa 12.1 Late Presentment does not appear in Visa's October 2026 rules; late presentment is part of 11.3.
Why customers file it
An authorization expired before capture, a charge was raised above the authorized amount, or settlement was delayed.
Evidence that wins
Under Visa rules every response can also show that you already refunded and the bank ignored it, that the dispute is invalid, or that the cardholder withdrew it.
- The valid authorization and that the clearing record's date was wrong
- A receipt that disproves late presentment
- Estimated and incremental authorizations done correctly: indicators, one transaction ID, every authorization's date, amount and code
How to prevent it
- Authorize every transaction
- Capture and settle promptly, ideally the same day
- Re-authorize if the amount rises
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. Stripe still lists 12.1 Late Presentment under general.
Category 11 disputes go straight to pre-arbitration.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Visa 12.1 still used?
- Visa's October 2026 rules list no 12.1; late presentment is covered by 11.3 No Authorization/Late Presentment.
- Can the bank dispute the whole amount?
- No. Visa limits an 11.3 dispute to the amount that was not authorized.
Sources
Related
- 11.2 — The sale was completed even though the authorization was declined.
- 12.5 — The cardholder was charged a different amount than they agreed to.
- 12.2 — The transaction was processed with the wrong code, such as a credit processed as a sale.
- 12.3 — The transaction was processed in a different currency than the one shown to the cardholder.
- 12.4 — The charge was posted to a card number that does not match the cardholder's account.
- 12.6 — The cardholder says they were charged twice, or already paid another way.
- 12.7 — The authorization carried invalid data, such as a merchant category code that does not match settlement.