Mastercard reason codes

Every Mastercard dispute reason code, what it means, and what the network says wins it. 13 current, and 11 the network has retired.

Fraud

Mastercard Fraud reason codes
Code	Name	Filed as
4837	No Cardholder Authorization	Fraudulent
4849	Questionable Merchant Activity	Fraudulent
4870	Chip Liability Shift	Fraudulent
4871	Chip Liability Shift - Lost/Stolen/Never Received Issue (NRI) Fraud	Fraudulent

Authorization

Mastercard Authorization reason codes
Code	Name	Filed as
4808	Authorization-related Chargeback	General

Point-of-interaction error

Mastercard Point-of-interaction error reason codes
Code	Name	Filed as
4834	Point-of-Interaction Error	Duplicate

Consumer dispute

Mastercard Consumer dispute reason codes
Code	Name	Filed as
4853	Cardholder Dispute Chargeback	Product not as described

Miscellaneous

Mastercard Miscellaneous reason codes
Code	Name	Filed as
4850	Installment Billing Dispute	Not in the processor map
4854	Cardholder Dispute-Not Elsewhere Classified-United States Domestic	Not in the processor map
4999	Domestic Chargeback Dispute (Europe only)	General

Mastercard-initiated dispute

Mastercard Mastercard-initiated dispute reason codes
Code	Name	Filed as
4804	Transaction Multiple Processing	Not in the processor map
4809	Transaction Not Reconciled	Not in the processor map
4811	Stale Transaction	Not in the processor map

How long you have

Second presentment: 45 days from the chargeback
Mastercard, Chargeback Guide Merchant Edition, 13 May 2025
Acquirer reply: 30 days
Mastercard, Chargeback Guide Merchant Edition, 13 May 2025

These are the network limits. Your acquirer often sets a shorter one, and theirs is the deadline that applies to you.

What changed recently

First-Party Trust: merchants share device, delivery, identity and purchase-history data at authorization or at dispute. Mastercard matches it against prior transactions and, where it validates, grants chargeback protection on 4837. Mastercard press release, First-Party Trust expansion, 25 June 2025
The US launch date for First-Party Trust is disputed: one source says October 2024, another October 2025, and Mastercard's own June 2025 release calls it already successful. It is expanding to Canada, Latin America and Asia Pacific. Mastercard press release, First-Party Trust expansion, 25 June 2025

Retired codes

Mastercard no longer files disputes under these. They are here because a dispute raised before the change still carries its original code, and because some processors still map them.

Mastercard retired reason codes
Code	Name	Filed as
4841	Cancelled Recurring	Subscription canceled
4855	Goods Not Provided	Product not received
4860	Credit Not Processed	Credit not processed
4859	Addendum/No-show	Not in the processor map
4863	Does Not Recognize	Unrecognized
4831	Amount Differs	General
4842	Late Presentment	General
4846	Currency	General
4840	Legacy code	Not in the processor map
4807	Legacy code	Not in the processor map
4812	Legacy code	Not in the processor map

Accessed 8 September 2026.

Do The Proof drafts dispute responses for Shopify stores.

You pay when a dispute is won. Not before.