Visa · Chargeback reason codes
Visa 12.5 chargeback: Incorrect Amount explained
Checked
Visa reason code 12.5, Incorrect Amount, means the amount charged differs from the amount on the receipt or the amount the cardholder agreed to. The bank has 120 days from the processing date to file, and the dispute is limited to the difference. It does not cover no-shows, advance payments or travel quotes. Answer with the receipt or order record proving the charged amount was correct.
- 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
- Receipt or order summary proving the amount
- Can it be prevented?
- Yes: show the final total before payment
- Who usually wins
- The merchant when the order record matches the charge
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC records the exact items, discounts, shipping, tax and total the shopper approved on each order, and emails subscribers before a renewal whose price differs from their last charge. 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 cardholder agrees they bought from you but says the amount is wrong.
Why customers file it
A changed total after checkout, a tip or surcharge added later, or a renewal at a new price the customer did not expect.
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 order record proving the amount was correct
- Where the final total was shown before payment
How to prevent it
- Show the final amount, including shipping and tax, before the customer pays
- Tell subscribers before a renewal at a new price
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
- Is the whole charge disputed?
- No. Visa limits a 12.5 dispute to the difference between the correct and the charged amount.
- Does it cover price changes on subscriptions?
- A charge different from what the cardholder agreed to can be disputed; telling subscribers about a new price before renewal helps prevent it.
Sources
Related
- 12.6 — The cardholder says they were charged twice, or already paid another way.
- 12.3 — The transaction was processed in a different currency than the one shown to the cardholder.
- 12.7 — The authorization carried invalid data, such as a merchant category code that does not match settlement.
- 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.
- 13.4 — The goods were identified as counterfeit by the brand owner, customs or an expert.