Visa · Chargeback reason codes
Visa 12.4 chargeback: Incorrect Account Number explained
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Visa reason code 12.4, Incorrect Account Number, means the transaction was processed to an account number that is wrong or does not exist. The bank has 120 days from the processing date to file. It is not valid if an imprint or an authorization was obtained, or for chip transactions with a valid cryptogram. Answer with the receipt or record proving the correct card number was processed.
- Category
- Processing error
- Time limit for the bank to file
- 120 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 files a Dispute Response within 30 days of the dispute processing date
- Typical evidence
- Authorization record or receipt proving the right card number
- Can it be prevented?
- Yes: authorize every charge; never key card numbers
- Who usually wins
- The merchant when an authorization or imprint exists
What PlatformDTC does
Every PlatformDTC card payment is entered by the shopper in the processor's own card field and authorized before the order completes, which is the authorization that makes 12.4 invalid. 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
The card number in the transaction does not match a valid account.
Why customers file it
Manual keying errors or offline transactions without an authorization.
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.
- Receipt or record proving the correct account number was processed
- The authorization for the transaction
How to prevent it
- Authorize every transaction
- Avoid keyed entry
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.
Processing Error (category 12) disputes have a Dispute Response stage: the acquirer answers within 30 days, then the issuer may pre-arbitrate within 30 days of that response.
Frequently asked questions
- Does an authorization defeat 12.4?
- Yes. Visa says 12.4 is not valid when an authorization or imprint was obtained.
- How long does the bank have?
- 120 days from the processing date.
Sources
Related
- 12.7 — The authorization carried invalid data, such as a merchant category code that does not match settlement.
- 11.3 — No valid authorization was obtained, or the transaction was presented late.
- 12.5 — The cardholder was charged a different amount than they agreed to.
- 12.6 — The cardholder says they were charged twice, or already paid another way.
- 13.1 — The cardholder says the goods or services never arrived.
- 13.2 — The cardholder says a subscription billed them after they cancelled or withdrew permission.
- 13.3 — The cardholder says the goods or services were not as described or were defective.