Save different proof depending on whether you sold an appointment, an order, or an access pass
Knows exactly what proof to save for each type of sale, appointment, order, or access pass, so you don't lose the chargeback by submitting the wrong document.
By Yodai · Published on September 6, 2026 · Updated on October 12, 2026
A chargeback lands, and you open the folder for that sale looking for something to stop it. You find a booking receipt, or the shipment's tracking number, or the record that the customer logged into your online course. You grab the first one you see and upload it to your payment processor's response form, which sends it on to the bank.
The reason code the bank gave you already told you whether it was worth fighting. But even with the reason code in your favor, you win or lose based on what you submit as evidence, and that evidence isn't the same whether you sold an appointment, an order, or an access pass. Being right doesn't matter: if you upload a document that doesn't answer the reason code, it won't help you. Stripe's recommendations for responding to disputes explain it with an example: your return policy is worthless if the customer says they never received the product, and banks won't dig through long files to find the argument that actually fits.
The bank doesn't ask whether the sale was a good one
Card networks don't ask you to prove you treated the customer well or that your price was fair. For each chargeback reason code, they set exactly what you need to prove. Under Visa's rules, if the customer says they didn't receive what they paid for, your response has to show it arrived at the agreed place or by the agreed date; if they say they canceled, you need to show you told them your cancellation policy at the time of sale and that they didn't cancel the way that policy required. There's no single template for this, and the bank won't call you to ask for more: you only get one shot to respond. It decides based on what you send, though not in minutes: according to Stripe's documentation, the bank typically has 60 to 75 days to resolve the case once your evidence arrives, and the whole process can take two to three months.
What counts as proof changes depending on what you sold. A physical order is proven with a delivery. An appointment is proven with a notice and an attendance record. Digital access is proven with actual use. Stripe's dispute reason guide breaks it down the same way: for something that never arrived, it wants tracking, carrier confirmation, or a signed delivery record; for a service, appointment or check-in logs; for digital products, access or download logs. Saving the wrong proof is like bringing a car's spec sheet to a traffic court hearing: it's paperwork, it has weight, it has official stamps, but it doesn't answer the question being asked.
The appointment: keep the notice, not the memory
For a booking, a consultation, a class, a table, there's no package to track. What the customer can claim is "I wasn't the one who booked this," which the bank treats as fraud, or "I canceled and got charged anyway," which falls under cancellation. Against that, the booking receipt doesn't carry much weight on its own: you generated it, the customer never signed it, and it only proves the booking exists in your system, not who made it or that they knew your policy.
What actually carries weight is the message you sent them, to their phone or their email, confirming the date, time, and cancellation terms. Visa's rules require anyone who limits cancellations to communicate that policy to the customer: on a website, before payment, with a checkbox or an "I agree" button; for a phone booking, by email or text message. That message, sent to their number or their email, proves they received the policy before the appointment date. What it doesn't prove is who made the booking: Stripe points out that emails and texts with the customer don't verify their identity. Add to that, if the appointment happened, a record that they showed up: a signature at check-in, a box checked when they arrived, or a charge processed after the service if you bill on completion.
The order: keep the signature at the door, not the sales receipt
With a physical shipment, the customer filing a claim might say "it wasn't me," but also "it never arrived" or "I got the wrong thing": according to Stripe, after fraud, which accounts for more than half of all disputes, these are the most common reasons. The purchase receipt doesn't help here: it proves they paid, not that they received anything. What Visa's rules ask for is proof of delivery with the full address, and that address has to match what was agreed on at the sale.
If you ship with a carrier that offers tracking, save a screenshot of the "delivered" status showing the date, time, and full address, and if you can, the digital signature of whoever received it: Visa won't accept tracking with a partial address. Without that, even if the package truly arrived, you have no way to prove it, and the money doesn't come back on its own: according to Stripe's documentation on disputes, the amount leaves your account as soon as the dispute opens, and the only way to get it back is to respond with evidence. Visa's rules don't require a signature as proof of delivery, but if you're selling something expensive, a piece of furniture, an appliance, ask for one anyway, and don't settle for just a photo: a picture of a door with no address or timestamp doesn't prove who it was delivered to.
The access: keep the usage, not the sale
An online course, a membership, a subscription to a dashboard: here there's no box, no signature, no attendance record. The customer files a claim saying "I never used this" or "I don't recognize this charge," and your only paperwork is the payment record, which again only proves you charged them, not that you delivered the service.
What you really need is the usage trail: the date of first access, the IP address or device used to log in, how many times they came back. If they claim it wasn't them, Visa's rules accept the following as proof of a digital online sale: a description of what was sold, the download date, and at least two more data points, such as the IP address, the device ID, or proof that they logged into your website or app on the day of the purchase or after. If your platform keeps that record, request it before you respond to the chargeback, not while you're already writing your response. Also add the moment they accepted the subscription terms, with a checked box and a date. If the customer says they canceled and kept getting charged, the chargeback comes in as a canceled subscription, and in that case Stripe recommends showing that they accepted the subscription terms, including the cancellation windows. In Spain, on top of that, if you sell to consumers, the General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users requires you to disclose, before signing someone up remotely, the terms for canceling a contract that renews on its own, and it's on you to prove you disclosed them. That's why the single most important piece of evidence in these cases is proof that they knew they'd be charged again, with a date and a checked box.
Now you know which folder to open based on what you sold: the notice for the appointment, the signed delivery for the order, the usage log for the access. What you still don't know is how much it costs you to open that folder, even when you win the case, and that's next.
- You know that proof of an appointment is the notice sent to the customer with date and policy, not the internal receipt.
- You know that proof of an order is the delivery confirmation with a matching address, not the sales receipt.
- You know that proof of a digital access is the usage log and the accepted terms, not the payment receipt.
- You know that proof needs to be saved on the day of the sale, because the chargeback can land months later, and by then the record might already be gone.
Test yourself
Answer before opening each one. If one gives you trouble, go back to the section that explains it.
1. A customer books a table for six on Saturday, doesn't show up, and ten days later files a chargeback claiming they never made the reservation. All you have is the WhatsApp notice sent to their number, with no confirmation reply. Do you fight it?
Yes, knowing it's weak proof. The message went to a specific number with the date, the time, and your policy: it proves you notified that contact, but not that the cardholder was the one who made the booking, because a message doesn't verify identity. It helps if that phone number, the email, and their customer account show up on an earlier purchase they paid for without disputing: Visa's rules accept that match, with at least three data points, as proof in a fraud chargeback. Even so, the notification is better proof than the internal ticket from your booking system, which doesn't prove anything on its own.
2. You shipped an order and the delivery app marks it "delivered," but all you've got is a blurry photo of a door that could be on any street. Do you upload that photo as proof?
Don't upload it alone. First ask the carrier for the report with the full address and the delivery time, and cross-check it against the delivery address the customer gave at checkout. Visa's rules don't accept tracking with a partial address: without the full, matching address, the photo doesn't link the delivery to that buyer.
3. A customer pays for your dashboard's monthly subscription, logs in twice in the first month, then doesn't come back for four months. In month five, she disputes last month's charge, saying she doesn't use the service. All you have is the record of those two initial logins. Which proof do you present first?
You present the terms acceptance first, showing the date she checked the box for automatic renewal. The logins from four months ago don't explain why she was charged this month, but the subscription acceptance proves she knew she'd keep being charged until she canceled.
With the exact proof uploaded on time, you have a real shot at the bank ruling in your favor, and if it does, the money comes back. Check your payment processor's statement before you consider it closed: the dispute has a cost even if you win, because on Stripe the fee for receiving one isn't refunded.
Sources
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules. Visa, April 18, 2026 edition, sections 5.4.2.5, 11.5.1, 11.10.2.6, and 11.10.8.6 (pages 383-384, 677-680, 751, and 784-785).
- Dispute reason codes. Stripe documentation, accessed October 2026.
- Dispute evidence best practices. Stripe documentation, accessed October 2026.
- Responding to disputes. Stripe documentation, accessed October 2026.
- How disputes work. Stripe documentation, accessed October 2026.
- Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007, of November 16, approving the consolidated text of the General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users and other related laws. Official State Gazette (BOE), consolidated text (Article 97, version in force since December 28, 2025).