Visa 13.6 — Credit Not Processed: What It Is and How to Respond

Good news: This is one of the most winnable dispute codes — if you have a credit record. If you already issued the refund, providing proof of the credit date and amount almost always wins this dispute immediately.

Visa 13.6 is filed when a cardholder returned merchandise or cancelled a service and was promised a refund, but that refund has not appeared on their statement. It is one of the most straightforward dispute codes to resolve — either you issued the credit (in which case you can prove it), or you didn't (in which case you should). The dispute is not about whether the return was valid; it's about whether the credit was processed.

The most common source of 13.6 disputes is not a failure to issue a refund, but a timing gap. Refunds can take 3–10 business days to appear on a cardholder's statement after being processed by the merchant. Impatient customers may file a chargeback before the credit clears. A credit confirmation showing the processing date is typically sufficient to win these disputes immediately.

Common reasons you received this dispute

1You issued the credit but it hasn't appeared on the cardholder's statement yet (timing gap)
2You issued the credit to a different payment method than the original charge
3You issued a partial credit and the cardholder expected a full refund
4You declined the refund request because the return was outside your policy, and the customer disagreed
5A technical error caused your refund to fail silently — the card was never actually credited

Can you win this dispute?

Fight this dispute if...

✓You have already issued the credit — provide confirmation with exact date and amount
✓The return was outside your clearly communicated return policy (and you can prove the policy was communicated at purchase)
✓The credit was issued to a different card at the customer's request (provide documentation)
✓The customer kept the merchandise and still requested a refund

Accept this chargeback if...

✗You owe the refund and haven't issued it — process the credit immediately
✗The credit failed technically and was never actually posted

Evidence checklist

✅ Required
Credit confirmation showing the date and amount of the refund issued (from your payment processor or gateway)
✅ Required
If declining: your return policy as communicated at the time of purchase, showing the return was outside policy
⭐ Strongly recommended
The customer's return request and any acknowledgment from you
⭐ Strongly recommended
If timing gap: a note that the credit was issued on [date] and typically takes 3–10 business days to appear
○ If available
Email confirming to the customer that a refund was processed

How to write your response

“We are writing to dispute chargeback [reference] under Visa reason code 13.6. A credit of [amount] was issued to the cardholder's account on [date]. Exhibit A is the credit confirmation from our payment processor showing the credit was processed on [date] for [amount]. Depending on the cardholder's bank, credits may take 3–10 business days to appear on a statement. We respectfully request reversal of this chargeback.”

Key deadlines

Response window: 30 calendar days from the notification date.

If you haven't issued the refund yet, issue it before responding — a credit in transit significantly strengthens your position.

How to prevent this chargeback

1
Send a refund confirmation email the moment a credit is processed — this gives customers proof the refund is coming and prevents impatient chargebacks
2
Set realistic refund expectations: “Your refund has been processed and should appear in 3–10 business days depending on your bank” prevents disputes better than a vague “refund processed”
3
Audit your refund systems monthly for silent failures — a failed refund that you don't know about will arrive as a 13.6 chargeback weeks later
4
When refunding to a different payment method at a customer's request, get written confirmation from them first

Frequently asked questions

What is a Visa 13.6 chargeback?

Visa 13.6 is filed when a cardholder returned merchandise or cancelled a service and was promised a refund, but the credit has not appeared on their statement. It's one of the most winnable dispute codes — if you have issued the credit, a credit confirmation with the processing date is typically sufficient to win.

Can I win Visa 13.6 if I already issued the refund?

Yes, and this is the most straightforward case. Provide your processor's credit confirmation showing the date and amount of the refund. If the cardholder simply hasn't seen it yet due to bank processing time, include a note explaining the typical 3–10 day posting delay.

What if the return was outside my return policy?

You can fight 13.6 if your return policy clearly communicated at purchase shows the return was not eligible. Provide your policy as evidence, along with proof it was presented to the cardholder at the time of sale. Note that very restrictive policies (e.g., no returns on sale items) are contested more successfully when they are prominently displayed — buried policies rarely hold up.

What if the customer returned the product but I haven't received it yet?

If the return is in transit, issue the refund anyway — once you receive the product, you've resolved the issue. Withholding the refund pending return arrival and then getting a chargeback means you may lose both the goods and the transaction. Proactive refunding saves more than it costs in most cases.

Related reason codes

Visa 13.7

Cancelled Merchandise

Amex C02

Credit Not Processed

MC 4853

Goods/Services Not as Described

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