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Visa reason code 13.6: what it means and how to respond

Visa code 13.6 covers a credit the merchant issued but never processed. Learn when it applies, what evidence helps, and the filing deadlines.

What Visa code 13.6 means and when it applies

Visa code 13.6, “Credit Not Processed,” covers a credit that the merchant acknowledged but did not process. The cardholder has a Credit Transaction ReceiptA document that records a refund or price adjustment that must be credited to the cardholder’s account., a voided Transaction ReceiptThe record of the transaction given to the cardholder. For this code, it must be voided and marked “void” or “cancelled.”, or another record showing that a credit was due but never appeared in the account.

The rule covers two alternative situations. Either one is enough:

  1. The credit or voided receipt was not processed. The cardholder received a Credit Transaction Receipt or a voided Transaction Receipt, but the merchant did not complete the credit. If the evidence is the voided receipt, the words “void” or “cancelled” must appear on the document itself.
  2. An ATM adjustment is disputed. The cardholder disputes an AdjustmentA financial transaction used to reduce or cancel an entry sent in error. Here, it includes an ATM Deposit Adjustment. because the original transaction was canceled or reversed.

Source for both situations: Visa Core Rules §11.10.7.1, Table 11-122 (ID# 0030343), and §11.10.7.2, Table 11-123 (ID# 0030344).

Even when one of those situations exists, code 13.6 is invalid if at least one of these conditions is present:

  1. The transaction is a Mobile Push PaymentA transaction the cardholder starts on a mobile phone or tablet to pay for goods or services or move funds..
  2. The transaction uses Straight Through ProcessingA Visa processing method used by participating acquirers. If the transaction record classifies it this way, code 13.6 cannot be used..
  3. The disputed amount is the cash-backCash given to the cardholder as part of a Visa Cash-Back purchase. The exclusion covers only the cash portion, not the purchase amount. portion of a Visa Cash-Back Transaction.
  4. The transaction occurred at an Automated Fuel DispenserAn unattended terminal the cardholder operates to dispense fuel..
  5. The cardholder states that the transaction was fraudulent. In that case, the issuer must use a Category 10 condition, not code 13.6.

Source for the five exclusions: Visa Core Rules §11.10.7.3, Table 11-124 (ID# 0030345).

Code 13.6 does not depend only on a formal receipt. When filing the dispute, the issuer may instead provide another record proving that a credit was due, such as an email in which the merchant agrees to credit the cardholder. That is why the difference from 13.7 is not simply whether a receipt exists: code 13.6 starts with a credit already issued or acknowledged, while code 13.7 covers the rules for a cancellation or return.

Source for the alternative proof: Visa, Updates and Clarifications to Dispute Rule Language, Condition 13.6, p. 5 (Article ID AI10681).

Deadlines for each party under Visa 13.6

1 block represents 30 calendar days.

  1. IssuerWait 15 days before filing the 13.6 disputeThe waiting period starts when the calendar reaches the date printed on the Credit Transaction Receipt.
    15-calendar-day waiting period
  2. IssuerFile the 13.6 disputeThe clock starts when the calendar reaches the date printed on the Credit Transaction Receipt or, if it is undated, the cardholder cancels the service or returns the merchandise.
    Up to 120 calendar days
  3. IssuerFile the 13.6 dispute before the absolute limitThe clock starts when Visa processes the transaction.
    Up to 540 calendar days
  4. AcquirerSubmit a Visa-permitted defense pathThe clock starts when Visa processes the dispute.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  5. IssuerRespond to the acquirer’s defenseThe clock starts when Visa processes the acquirer’s defense.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  6. AcquirerRespond to the issuer’s pre-arbitration attemptThe clock starts when Visa processes the issuer’s pre-arbitration attempt.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  7. IssuerAsk Visa to decide the caseThe clock starts when Visa processes the acquirer’s pre-arbitration response.
    Up to 10 calendar days
These are the time limits set by Visa.Your deadline to submit documents may be shorter; confirm it with your acquirer.Source:Visa Core Rules, Tabela 11-125 (ID# 0030346), pp. 774-776, e Tabela 11-2 (ID# 0030213), pp. 671-673

Who files the dispute and what happens next

The issuer, the cardholder’s bank, files code 13.6 in VROLVisa Resolve Online is Visa’s system where the issuer files the dispute and the acquirer, the institution that represents the merchant on the network, submits the response and case documents.. The merchant does not submit documents directly to Visa.

Before filing a dispute based on a Credit Transaction Receipt, the issuer must wait 15 calendar days from the date printed on the document. The wait does not apply if the receipt is undated or if waiting would cause the case to miss the filing deadline. The issuer must then provide at least one of these records:

  1. A copy of the Credit Transaction Receipt.
  2. A copy of the voided Transaction Receipt.
  3. Another record proving that a credit was due. A merchant email promising the credit is an example Visa accepts.

For disputes processed on or after April 18, 2026, an additional requirement applies when Visa processes the dispute more than 120 days after processing the transaction. In that case, the issuer must provide both items: an explanation of why the credit was requested late and details of the ongoing negotiations between the cardholder and the merchant.

Source for the wait and documents: Visa Core Rules §11.10.7.4, Table 11-125 (ID# 0030346), and §11.10.7.5, Table 11-126 (ID# 0030347).

After filing, the acquirer, the institution that represents the merchant on the Visa network, investigates the case. If there is a valid ground to respond, the merchant gives its records to the acquirer, which submits a Dispute ResponseThe formal response the acquirer submits in Visa’s Collaboration flow to contest the dispute and provide the permitted evidence.. If the credit is genuinely due and still has not been processed, Visa instructs the acquirer to accept the dispute.

Source for the flow and consequence: Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213), and §11.10.7.6, Table 11-127 (ID# 0030348), and Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Condition 13.6, p. 45.

Before building a defense, check whether this dispute is invalidProving any one condition is enough to challenge the dispute's validity.
  • The transaction is a Mobile Push Payment Transaction.
  • The transaction is a Straight Through Processing Transaction.
  • The disputed amount is the cash-back portion of a Visa Cash-Back Transaction — only the cash portion, not the purchase amount.
  • The transaction occurred at an Automated Fuel Dispenser.
  • The cardholder states that the transaction was fraudulent — the correct code belongs in Category 10, not 13.6.
  • The case concerns only cancellation or return rules, with no receipt, voided Transaction Receipt, or other record proving a credit was due — in that situation, review code 13.7.

Source:Visa Core Rules §11.10.7.3 — Invalid Disputes, Tabela 11-124, ID# 0030345; o último ponto é a fronteira com o 13.7 e não consta da Tabela 11-124

How to reduce the risk of this code

Visa’s direct recommendation is to process credits and reversals promptly. In practice, reconcile each credit until you confirm it has settled, then keep the record showing the amount and processing date. If the merchant issues a receipt, voids a Transaction Receipt, or promises a credit by email without completing the entry, that same record may support a 13.6 dispute.

The 15-day period is not a deadline Visa gives the merchant to settle the credit. It is the wait the issuer must observe before filing a dispute based on a dated Credit Transaction Receipt. The safer practice is still to process the credit promptly and track it through settlement.

Source for prevention: Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Condition 13.6, p. 45. Source for the wait: Visa Core Rules §11.10.7.4, Table 11-125 (ID# 0030346).

Evidence the merchant needs to gather for a defense

Prove the refund

The Dispute Response must establish at least one of the three remedies in Table 11-127. First, identify the remedy that matches the case; then gather the items required for that path:

  1. The credit or reversal was already processed and the issuer did not address it. Provide the credit or reversal record with the amount and processing date. The ARN or Transaction IdentifierARN stands for Acquirer Reference Number. A Transaction Identifier is the unique identifier Visa assigns; both help connect the credit to the disputed transaction. helps the issuer locate and match the correct credit.
  2. The dispute is invalid. Use the transaction record to prove that at least one of the five exclusions above applies, or show that the requirements for code 13.6 were not met. If the sale is valid and no credit is due, the documentation must refute the material submitted by the cardholder’s bank.
  3. The cardholder no longer disputes the transaction. Provide a letter or email from the cardholder containing that statement.

Source for the three remedies: Visa Core Rules §11.10.7.6, Table 11-127 (ID# 0030348). Source for the amount, date, and cardholder statement: Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Condition 13.6, p. 45. Source for the credit identifiers: Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213).

A return policy, proof of delivery, or a claim that the merchandise was not returned is not a standalone 13.6 remedy. Those records help only if they show that no credit was due and that the 13.6 dispute is invalid. If the case depends on cancellation or return rules, review code 13.7.

If the credit was due and was not processed, no document can turn that fact into a valid defense: the acquirer must accept the dispute. If the Dispute Response meets the rule and the issuer still wants to contest it, the issuer may start pre-arbitrationThe stage where the issuer requests another review after receiving the acquirer’s defense and before taking the case to Visa for a decision.. To do so, the issuer must confirm that it showed the evidence to the cardholder and explain why the cardholder still disputes the transaction.

The issuer may also continue code 13.6 in pre-arbitration because of an exchange-rate loss, but both conditions must occur: after the dispute was filed, the merchant issued a credit for the full transaction amount in the merchant’s local currency and the issuer lost money because of the exchange-rate difference between that credit and the Dispute Response amount.

Source for acceptance and the return-policy boundary: Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Conditions 13.6 and 13.7, pp. 45–46. Source for pre-arbitration: Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213).

Visa deadlines

Each stage has its own clock:

  1. Issuer wait: 15 calendar days from the date on the Credit Transaction Receipt, unless the receipt is undated or waiting would cause the dispute to miss the filing deadline.
  2. Issuer filing: no later than 120 calendar days from the date on the Credit Transaction Receipt. If it is undated, the clock starts when the cardholder cancels the service or returns the merchandise. In every case, the limit is 540 calendar days from the Transaction Processing DateThe date the original transaction was processed on the Visa network. It starts the absolute 540-day limit for this code.. For an ATM transaction, the limit is 120 calendar days from the Adjustment’s Transaction Processing Date.
  3. Acquirer Dispute Response: 30 calendar days from the Dispute Processing DateThe date Visa processes the filed dispute. It starts the acquirer’s deadline to submit the defense..
  4. Issuer pre-arbitration: 30 calendar days from the Dispute Response Processing Date.
  5. Acquirer response: 30 calendar days from the Processing Date of the pre-arbitration attempt.
  6. Issuer arbitration: 10 calendar days from the Processing Date of the pre-arbitration response.

Source for the filing deadlines: Visa Core Rules §11.10.7.4, Table 11-125 (ID# 0030346). Source for the workflow deadlines: Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213).

Frequently asked questions

When does Visa chargeback code 13.6 apply?

The “Credit Not Processed” dispute condition applies when the cardholder provides a Credit Transaction Receipt or a voided Transaction Receipt marked “void” or “cancelled.” The merchant issued the document but never processed the credit to the account. The code also covers ATM transactions when the cardholder disputes an Adjustment because the original transaction was canceled or reversed.

What is the difference between Visa 13.6 and 13.7?

Code 13.6 covers a credit the merchant issued or acknowledged in writing but did not process. Code 13.7 (Cancelled Merchandise/Services) covers a cancellation or return and the rules that apply to that event. A merchant email promising the credit may support 13.6 even without a receipt; return-policy or cancellation arguments belong under 13.7 and are not standalone defenses to 13.6.

Which transactions make a 13.6 dispute invalid?

Visa considers a 13.6 dispute invalid for a Mobile Push Payment Transaction, a Straight Through Processing Transaction, the cash-back portion of a Visa Cash-Back Transaction, or an Automated Fuel Dispenser Transaction. The same applies when the cardholder states that the transaction was fraudulent. In that case, the issuer must use a Category 10 code.

What defense can a merchant use against a 13.6 chargeback?

The acquirer submits the Dispute Response within 30 calendar days of the Dispute Processing Date. It must establish one of the three remedies in Table 11-127: a merchant credit or reversal the issuer did not address, an invalid dispute, or the cardholder’s withdrawal. If the refund is genuinely due and was not processed, Visa instructs the acquirer to accept the dispute.

Why must the issuer wait 15 days before filing a 13.6 dispute?

The 13.6 rule requires the issuer to wait 15 calendar days from the date on the Credit Transaction Receipt before filing the dispute. This is the period in which the credit may still settle. The wait does not apply if the receipt is undated or if waiting would cause the dispute to miss the filing deadline.

How long does the issuer have to file a 13.6 dispute?

The issuer has 120 calendar days from the date on the Credit Transaction Receipt. If the receipt is undated, the clock starts when the cardholder cancels the service or returns the merchandise. Filing may never occur more than 540 calendar days after the Transaction Processing Date. For an ATM Adjustment, the limit is 120 calendar days from the Adjustment’s Transaction Processing Date.

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