Included for the life of the account
Chargeback help
A chargeback is a forced payment reversal: the cardholder disputes a charge with their bank, and the money is pulled back from you, usually with a fee. You can contest it, but only with the right evidence, in the right format, before the deadline. MerchantHQ is the comparison and introducer service that places you with a UK acquirer, then stays on as your named account team. When a chargeback lands, we map the reason code, tell you which evidence wins, and draft the representment for you. We do not process your payments and we do not decide the dispute; we make sure the case you submit is complete and argued correctly.
How we handle a chargeback with you
- 01
You forward the chargeback notification
The moment your acquirer raises a chargeback, you forward us the reason code and the dispute deadline. UK acquirers typically give you 7 to 14 days to respond, so the clock matters. We log it the same working day and tell you which evidence the reason code requires.
- 02
We map the reason code to the evidence that wins
Each Visa and Mastercard reason code (fraud, product not received, not as described, duplicate, subscription cancelled) has a defined evidence set. We tell you exactly what to pull: delivery proof, card-on-file consent, signed terms, communication logs, AVS and CVV results. No guessing.
- 03
We draft the representment letter
We write the rebuttal that goes to the acquirer, structured to the card-scheme template, citing your evidence against the specific reason code. A clear, scheme-formatted representment is the single biggest factor in winning a UK chargeback dispute.
- 04
We track the outcome and tighten your process
We follow the dispute to its decision and feed the result back into your setup, so the same chargeback type does not recur. If a pattern emerges (subscription cancellations, high-value first-time orders), we flag the process change that stops it at source.
When chargeback help matters most
The account team prioritises chargeback drafting in the situations where a dispute is most winnable, or most worth fighting:
- A first chargeback on a new acquirer account, when you do not yet know the process
- High-value transactions (£1,000+) where a single dispute is worth fighting properly
- Card-not-present and online orders, which carry the highest chargeback exposure
- Subscription or deposit businesses, where cancellation disputes are common
- A chargeback ratio creeping toward 0.9%, the level acquirers start monitoring
- Suspected friendly fraud, where the cardholder received the goods but disputes the charge
In one sentence
You should not lose a chargeback because you missed the deadline or got the format wrong.
Most merchants lose contestable chargebacks for procedural reasons: late response, wrong evidence, no scheme-formatted rebuttal. The account team closes that gap so the disputes you can win, you win.
Get matched, with chargeback help includedFAQs
What is a chargeback and how is it different from a refund?
A refund is something you choose to give a customer directly. A chargeback is forced: the cardholder asks their bank to reverse the payment, and the bank pulls the funds from your acquirer, who pulls them from you, often with a fee on top. You can contest a chargeback with evidence; that contest is called a representment, and it is the part MerchantHQ drafts for you.
Does MerchantHQ win the chargeback for me?
We draft the representment and assemble the evidence to the card-scheme template, which is what gives a dispute the best chance. The final decision sits with the card scheme and the issuing bank, not with us or your acquirer, so no honest broker can promise a win. What we can do is make sure the case you submit is complete, correctly formatted, and argued against the specific reason code.
How long do I have to respond to a chargeback?
UK acquirers typically give you 7 to 14 days from the chargeback notification to submit your representment, depending on the acquirer and the reason code. Miss the deadline and the chargeback is upheld automatically, regardless of how strong your evidence is. Forward us the notification the day it lands so we can work to the deadline, not against it.
What chargeback ratio is a problem for my account?
Card schemes start monitoring merchants whose chargeback ratio approaches 0.9% of transactions, and acquirers can place you in a remediation programme or raise your rates above 1%. We watch your ratio as part of the quarterly rate review and flag any process change needed to keep it low before it becomes a pricing or account-standing problem.
Is chargeback help free?
Yes. Chargeback drafting is included for the life of the merchant agreement, alongside switching support and quarterly rate reviews. Acquirers pay our commission on the completed introduction; the ongoing account-team service is built into that relationship and not charged to you.
Reviewed by Oliver Mackman. Last reviewed: 2026-05-23.