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Mastercard reason code 4837: what it means and how to respond

Mastercard 4837 covers transactions the cardholder says were unauthorized. See eligibility rules, defense evidence, and filing deadlines.

What code 4837 means and when it applies

Mastercard code 4837, “No Cardholder Authorization,” is filed when the cardholder tells the issuer that they did not authorize a transaction. It appears mainly in card-not-present transactionsThese are purchases in which the physical card is not read at a payment terminal, such as e-commerce, mail-order, or telephone-order transactions.. It can also cover an in-person purchase that does not fall under the more specific chip-fraud rules.

For the issuer to file a valid 4837 chargeback, all of these requirements must be present:

  1. The cardholder denied authorizing the transaction. The statement must appear in an email, letter, message, or Form 0412This is the fraud form the issuer completes from a conversation with the cardholder to record that the cardholder did not authorize the transaction.. For a corporate card, the statement may come from the company or government entity that no longer employs the authorized cardholder.
  2. The fraud was reported to Mastercard. Before filing the chargeback, the issuer must report the transaction to the Fraud and Loss DatabaseThis is Mastercard’s fraud database in the Fraud Center. The issuer must report the disputed transaction there before it can file a 4837 chargeback. no later than the chargeback date.
  3. The dispute was filed on time. The general rule gives the issuer 120 calendar days from the transaction’s Central Site Business DateThis is the business date Mastercard records when processing the transaction. It counts as day zero of the 120-day period..
  4. No exclusion applies. The transaction cannot fall into a situation Mastercard reserves for another code or treats as ineligible for 4837.

Source for the requirements: Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition, “Issuer Chargeback” and “Time frame,” pp. 497–499.

For exclusions, the logic reverses: at least one is enough to bar or defeat a 4837 chargeback. The exclusions most likely to matter to merchants are:

  1. Authentication or cardholder verification already protects the transaction. This includes an authorization with indicator 211, 212, 217, or 242, including Identity CheckThis is Mastercard’s service based on 3-D Secure. When the required authentication and issuer approval are recorded, fraud liability shifts to the issuer., as well as a PIN or verification on the cardholder’s own device. Contactless at an unattended terminal also invalidates the dispute when the amount does not exceed the applicable CVM limitCVM means cardholder verification method. The CVM limit is the amount up to which a contactless transaction may not require additional verification, based on the region and currency..
  2. The transaction belongs to another dispute category. Face-to-face fraud involving a card read proceeds under 4870 for counterfeit fraud or 4871 for a lost, stolen, or never-received card. Account takeover, a fraudulent card application, a separate later charge called an addendumThis is a separate charge made after a valid transaction between the same merchant and cardholder., and certain digital goods costing USD 25 or less also receive separate treatment.
  3. The product or terminal is outside this code. Examples include ATMs, emergency cash, purchases with cash back, consumer-presented QR transactions, certain Mastercard-classified self-service terminals, Mastercard Commercial Payments Accounts, Corporate Purchasing Department Account Program transactions, Mastercard Agro Card transactions in Brazil, and Mastercard Biometric Card transactions with successful biometric verification.
  4. Either fraud barrier was reached. A 4837 chargeback is invalid if the issuer approved the purchase after two or more earlier fraud chargebacks on the same account or if the FNSThe Fraud Notification Service is Mastercard’s mechanism for recording the date and number of fraud chargebacks on an account. Here, it bars the dispute when either threshold in the rule is reached. Counter reached 36 or more.
  5. The dispute no longer has a procedural basis. It is enough that the dispute was filed after 120 days, an applicable refund already existed for the same purchase, or the cardholder withdrew the dispute.

Source for the exclusions: Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition, “Transactions ineligible for chargeback,” pp. 489–493, and “Invalid chargeback,” pp. 515–522.

Deadlines for each party under Mastercard 4837

1 block represents 10 calendar days.

  1. IssuerFile the 4837 chargebackThe clock starts when Mastercard processes the transaction.
    Up to 120 calendar days
  2. AcquirerFile the second presentment with the merchant’s defenseThe clock starts when Mastercard settles or processes the chargeback.
    Up to 45 calendar days
  3. AcquirerUpload supporting documents to Mastercom (10 days for Maestro and non-Mastercard-BIN Maestro CNP)The clock starts when the chargeback or second presentment requiring the document is generated.
    Up to 8 calendar days
  4. IssuerRespond to the acquirer’s second presentmentThe clock starts when Mastercard settles or processes the acquirer’s second presentment.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  5. AcquirerRespond to pre-arbitration before automatic acceptanceThe clock starts when the issuer submits the pre-arbitration case in Mastercom.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  6. IssuerAsk Mastercard to decide the case, excluding ATM and MaestroThe clock starts when the acquirer rejects pre-arbitration.
    Up to 15 calendar days
These are the time limits set by Mastercard.Your deadline to submit documents may be shorter; confirm it with your acquirer.Source:Mastercard Chargeback Guide (Merchant Edition, 19 mai. 2026), “Supporting Documentation” (pp. 495–496), “Issuer Chargeback — Time frame” (p. 498), “Acquirer Second Presentment” (pp. 499–522), “Issuer Submission of a Pre-arbitration Case — Time frame” (p. 559), “Acquirer Response to a Pre-arbitration Case” (pp. 560–562) e “Issuer Submission of an Arbitration Case” (pp. 562–563)

Who files the dispute and what happens next

The issuer files 4837 in MastercomThis is Mastercard’s system where the issuer files the dispute and the acquirer submits its response and documents.. The merchant does not respond directly to Mastercard. It provides its records to the acquirer, the institution that connects it to the payment network.

If the issuer uses Form 0412, the form must result from a conversation with the cardholder. Before the chargeback, the issuer must also close the account and block it in the issuer’s system. When the rule requires it, the issuer must list the account number in the Mastercard Stand-in Account File with the response “capture card” for 180 days or until the card expires, whichever comes first. The catalog notes regional carve-outs for Latin America and the Caribbean and Germany, so the issuer must apply the rule for the relevant market rather than treating that listing requirement as universal.

After the chargeback, the acquirer may accept liability or file a second presentmentThis is the acquirer’s formal response to the chargeback. The acquirer selects a ground Mastercard permits and provides the records required for that path. within 45 calendar days. To respond, it must choose exactly one ground Mastercard accepts and use the matching code.

If the issuer maintains the dispute, it files pre-arbitrationAt this stage, the issuer asks for another review after the second presentment and before Mastercard decides the case.. This step is required for 4837 except for ATM and Maestro disputes. The acquirer may accept or reject the case with a rebuttal; if it does not act within 30 days, Mastercom accepts the case automatically. After a rejection, the issuer may take the case to Mastercard arbitration. For a US-issued card used at a US merchant terminal, the catalog also identifies a separate First-Party Trust path after a rejection with reason code 5002, supported by Form 0830.

Source for filing and the dispute flow: Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition, pp. 497–499, 522–523, and 559–564.

Documents supporting the chargeback or second presentment must be uploaded to Mastercom within 8 calendar days after the step requiring them is generated. The period is 10 days for Maestro and for a card-not-present transaction made with a Maestro card that does not have a Mastercard BIN in the Single Message SystemThis is Mastercard’s system where authorization and settlement are processed in one message. For such a Maestro card, it changes this documentation window from 8 to 10 days.. The full card number must not appear; only the last four digits may be shown. Mastercard also disregards second-presentment documents submitted only after pre-arbitration or arbitration has been filed.

Source for the documentation rules: Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition, “Supporting Documentation,” pp. 495–496.

Before building a defense, check whether this dispute is invalidProving any one condition is enough to challenge the dispute's validity.
  • The transaction was authenticated with a liability shift: DE 48 se42 sf1 (positions 1–3) contains 211, 212, 217, or 242, including Identity Check or secure remote payment through DSRP. This also covers a merchant-initiated transaction, partial shipment, or recurring charge tied to the authenticated purchase.
  • A PIN or cardholder verification on the cardholder’s own device (CDCVM) was used, or the transaction was face-to-face at an attended terminal that read the card. In the latter case, counterfeit fraud proceeds under 4870; a lost, stolen, or never-received card proceeds under 4871.
  • It was a purchase with cash back, a cash withdrawal without a purchase, a Mastercard mail-order, telephone-order, or e-commerce transaction with an invalid CVC2—the security code sent in the authorization—that the issuer approved, a correctly identified consumer-presented QR transaction, or an aggregated contactless transit transaction within the applicable cardholder verification limit.
  • It was an ATM transaction, emergency cash disbursement, or travelers check refund; a CAT Level 1 or 3 self-service terminal transaction; counterfeit fraud at a CAT Level 2 terminal approved with a full, unedited card read; or a card-read fuel transaction at a hybrid CAT 2 terminal (MCC 5542), classified as a never-received card, within the cardholder verification limit.
  • The case was reported to the Fraud and Loss Database as account takeover or a fraudulent card application; or the transaction used a Mastercard Commercial Payments Account, Corporate Purchasing Department Account Program, Mastercard Agro Card in Brazil, or Mastercard Biometric Card with successful biometric verification.
  • It was an addendum transaction or an e-commerce digital-goods purchase of USD 25 or less without purchase controls. These cases proceed under 4853 when that code’s requirements are met.
  • Either FNS barrier occurred: the issuer approved the transaction after two or more earlier fraud chargebacks on the account, or the FNS Counter exceeded 35, meaning it reached 36 or more.
  • The contactless transaction occurred at an unattended terminal and the amount was at or below the applicable CVM limit.
  • The issuer did not report the transaction to the Fraud and Loss Database by the chargeback date. When assessing the date recorded in the database, Mastercard treats the requirement as met within a three-day allowance for processing the report.
  • The dispute was filed outside the 120-day window, a refund or credit already applied to the same transaction, or the cardholder withdrew the dispute.

Source:Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition (19 mai 2026), pp. 489-493 (Transactions ineligible for chargeback), 497-499 (Issuer Chargeback e Time frame) e 515-522 (Invalid chargeback)

How to reduce the risk of this reason code

The guide does not provide a separate prevention list for 4837. These practices follow directly from the exclusions and second-presentment paths:

  1. Authenticate online purchases and retain the response. Identity Check bars 4837 only when the required indicators and the issuer’s approval appear in the authorization records.
  2. **Treat AVSAddress Verification Service compares the address entered at checkout with the address in the issuer’s records. X and Y are the positive responses Mastercard accepts for this defense. as two controls that work together. Obtain an X or Y response and ship the merchandise to the exact address AVS confirmed. Either element alone is insufficient.
  3. Do not confuse registration with proof. Guest checkout eliminates the compelling-evidence path for e-commerce, mail-order, or telephone-order transactions. Outside guest checkout, the registration record must still identify the authentication method and be accompanied by at least one accepted record.
  4. Preserve records when the sale occurs. Authorization, authentication, address, acceptance of terms, delivery, communications, and service-use records must be tied to the transaction. The acquirer cannot cure missing data only at pre-arbitration.

Source for the controls that form the defense: Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition, “Acquirer Second Presentment,” pp. 499–522.

Evidence the merchant and acquirer need to gather

Review my evidence

Before gathering documents, identify the path that actually applies. A second presentment uses one ground at a time. Within that ground, preserve Mastercard’s logic: at least one means one complete alternative is enough; all means that a missing item defeats that path. Evidence from different paths does not make up for a missing requirement.

  1. Authentication, PIN, or contactless: at least one of the three paths. The first requires indicator 211, 212, 217, or 242 in the authentication field, issuer approval, and, when position 3 is 1 or 2, the SL 1 or SL 2 marker in DE 72This is the field in a Mastercard message where the acquirer records the prescribed text for the defense path, including the date and approval code.. The second requires the PIN in the authorization message. The third applies to contactless at an unattended terminal within the CVM limit, with the date and approval code in DE 72.
  2. AVS: all requirements. The record must show an X or Y response in the authorization and the merchant must prove that it shipped the merchandise to the exact address AVS confirmed. This path is unavailable for Maestro and for a domestic transaction in Mainland China.

Source for the authentication, PIN, contactless, and AVS paths: Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition, pp. 501–504 and 515–520.

  1. E-commerce, mail order, or telephone order: at least one complete alternative. Compelling evidenceThis is Mastercard’s formal category of documents that links the cardholder to the transaction and allows the acquirer to respond under code 2700. may be a signed receipt, confirmation of registration for electronic delivery, correspondence showing participation, a statement identifying the pickup location, or the required package for a charge related to an authenticated purchase. For the registered-customer path, proof of registration and the authentication method and at least one supporting record are required, such as a prior undisputed purchase, a registered device and IP address, signed delivery, or proof of use. None of these alternatives is available for a guest purchase.
  2. Card-not-present airline transaction: at least one of six records. The accepted records are an airline ticket or boarding pass with the passenger’s name; a flight manifest or itinerary; an additional charge tied to the flight; identification linking the passenger to the cardholder; a frequent-flyer mileage credit; or proof that the ticket was delivered to the address the cardholder provided.
  3. Card-not-present recurring or installment charge: all requirements. The package must include a description of what was provided; the agreement start date, original authorization date, and original approval code; the cardholder-initiated transaction dataThis is data from the original purchase, also called the CIT. The rule requires it when the authorization recorded SLI 212 or 242, or positive CVC2 validation with result M. when those indicators were present; and identification of the charge as recurring or installment, or proof that the cardholder accepted the terms.

Source for the three compelling-evidence paths: Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition, “Compelling evidence,” pp. 505–508.

  1. Earlier refund: all requirements. The credit must have been processed before the chargeback, linked to the disputed transaction, and documented in the second presentment with its date and reference. If it was partial, the dispute may continue for the remaining balance. A refund issued or documented only later does not complete code 2011.
  2. Gaming payment: all requirements. After the disputed transaction used to add funds, the same account must have received at least one undisputed Gaming Payment TransactionThis is a transaction that returns gaming or betting value to the account and appears in Mastercard as C04-Gaming Repay. Here, it must occur after the disputed payment and must not itself have been disputed.. For each credit, the acquirer provides the date, reference number, and amount.
  3. No-show or addendum: all requirements for the selected path. For a no-showThis is a charge for a guaranteed reservation when the customer does not arrive., the required data are the text “No show,” the last four card digits, the cardholder’s name, and the reservation number. For an addendum, the merchant must prove participation in the original transaction and the cardholder’s responsibility for the later charge.
  4. Invalid chargeback: at least one independent ground. Examples include failure to report the transaction to the Fraud and Loss Database, either FNS barrier, a PIN, contactless at an unattended terminal within the limit, a duplicate chargeback, filing outside the deadline, or documentation tied to another case. For failure to report, account for the three-day tolerance that covers processing of the database report. Each ground uses the code and records assigned to it.

Source for the refund, gaming, no-show, addendum, and invalidity paths: Mastercard Chargeback Guide, Merchant Edition, pp. 499–501 and 509–522.

Frequently asked questions

When does Mastercard use chargeback reason code 4837?

The issuer uses 4837 when the cardholder says they did not authorize the transaction. The statement must be documented, the fraud must be reported to the Fraud and Loss Database within the rule’s deadline, and no exclusion may apply.

Does reason code 4837 apply to a transaction authenticated with 3-D Secure?

Not when the authorization correctly records Mastercard indicator 211, 212, 217, or 242, including Mastercard Identity Check. A PIN or CDCVM also bars 4837. For contactless, the specific path requires an unattended terminal and an amount at or below the applicable CVM limit.

What is the deadline to respond to a 4837 chargeback?

The acquirer has 45 calendar days from the chargeback Settlement Date or Central Site Business Date to file the second presentment. Required documents must be uploaded to Mastercom within 8 calendar days; the period is 10 days for Maestro and for a card-not-present Single Message System transaction made with a Maestro card that does not have a Mastercard BIN.

Is a positive AVS response enough to defend the merchant?

No. Both requirements are mandatory: an AVS response of X or Y in the authorization and proof that the merchandise was shipped to the exact address AVS confirmed.

Does guest checkout change the defense?

Yes. The compelling-evidence path for e-commerce, mail-order, or telephone-order transactions is entirely unavailable when the customer checks out as a guest. Registration alone is also insufficient: the merchant must prove the authentication method and provide at least one of Mastercard’s listed supporting records.

When does the fraud threshold bar a 4837 chargeback?

Either of two barriers is enough. A 4837 chargeback is invalid if the issuer approved the transaction after two or more earlier fraud chargebacks on the same account, or if the FNS Counter exceeded 35, meaning it reached 36 or more.

View all Mastercard chargeback reason codes or return to Knowledge.

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