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Visa reason code 13.9: cash not received at an ATM

Visa code 13.9 applies when a cardholder is debited for an ATM withdrawal but receives no cash or only part. See defenses, evidence, and deadlines.

What Visa code 13.9 means and when it applies

Visa code 13.9, “Non-Receipt of Cash at an ATM,” covers a cash withdrawal from an automated teller machine (ATMATM stands for Automated Teller Machine. It is the machine where the cardholder tried to withdraw cash.) in which the cardholder participated but received no cash or only part of the amount.

For the issuer to file a 13.9 dispute, all of these requirements must be present:

  1. The cardholder participated in the withdrawal. If the cardholder says they do not recognize the transaction, the claim is fraud and does not fall under this code.
  2. The full amount was not dispensed. The ATM dispensed no bills or less cash than the requested withdrawal amount.
  3. The dispute covers only the shortfall. If the cardholder requested $1,000 and received $400, the disputed amount may be $600, not $1,000.
  4. The issuer met the deadline. As a general rule, the dispute must be filed within 120 calendar days of the Transaction Processing Date. For a US Domestic adjustment of an ATM Cash Disbursement or PIN-Authenticated Visa Debit Transaction, the same 120-day period may instead run from the Transaction Date of the Adjustment.

In addition, any one of these situations makes a 13.9 dispute invalid:

  1. The transaction was a Cash-InA cash deposit made at a merchant that accepts mobile payments to fund an account or Payment Credential.. This value load is not the ATM cash withdrawal covered by the code.
  2. The transaction was a Cash-OutA cash withdrawal made at a merchant that accepts mobile payments. It is not a withdrawal made at an ATM..
  3. The cardholder stated that the transaction was fraudulent. Table 11-142 excludes the case from 13.9 but does not specify which other code should be used.
  4. The same transaction was processed more than once. Table 11-142 also does not specify the code to which a duplicate should be routed.

Source for the condition, amount limit, exclusions, and deadline: Visa Core Rules §11.10.10, Tables 11-140 through 11-143 (ID# 0030360–0030363).

The former name “Non-Receipt of Cash or Load Transaction Value” still appears in vendor materials, but it does not describe the current rule. The current code covers cash not received from an ATM withdrawal. Cash-In and Cash-Out are express exclusions. Code 13.9 is also exempt from the USD 25 minimum dispute amount in Table 11-5.

Source for the current name and minimum-amount exception: Visa Core Rules §11.10.10 and §11.4.3, Table 11-5 (ID# 0030219).

Deadlines for each party under Visa 13.9

1 block represents 10 calendar days.

  1. IssuerFile the 13.9 disputeThe clock starts when Visa processes the transaction.
    Up to 120 calendar days
  2. AcquirerSubmit a Visa-permitted defense pathThe clock starts when Visa processes the dispute.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  3. IssuerTake the case to pre-arbitrationThe clock starts when Visa processes the acquirer’s defense.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  4. AcquirerRespond to the issuer’s pre-arbitration attemptThe clock starts when Visa processes the issuer’s pre-arbitration attempt.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  5. 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, Tabelas 11-143 (ID# 0030363) e 11-2 (ID# 0030213)

Who files the dispute and what happens next

The issuer, the bank that issued the card, files the 13.9 dispute after the cardholder reports that they did not receive the full amount of cash. When filing, the issuer must certify one of two situations: the cardholder received no cash, or the cardholder received only part of the amount. In the second case, the issuer must also state how much cash was dispensed.

A cardholder letter is required only when both conditions occur together: the cardholder has disputed three or more transactions for non-receipt of cash and all of them occurred within the same 30-calendar-day period. If a credit had already been processed, the issuer must apply it to the disputed transaction or identify the credit and explain why it does not resolve the case.

Source for the certifications and letter: Visa Core Rules §11.10.10.5, Table 11-144 (ID# 0030364). Source for handling a prior credit: Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213).

For this code, the acquirer is the Visa participant that provided the cash disbursement to the cardholder. In practice, it is the party responsible for the ATM service, not an e-commerce merchant. The issuer files the dispute, and the acquirer may challenge it with a Dispute ResponseThe formal response the acquirer submits to challenge the dispute and present the documentation Visa permits..

The response is submitted through VROLVisa Resolve Online is Visa’s system for processing the dispute, submitting documents, and tracking each stage of the case.. If the acquirer has no valid defense, it accepts the dispute and assumes financial responsibility. If the acquirer responds, the issuer reviews the documents and may start pre-arbitrationThe stage in which the issuer challenges the acquirer’s response before asking Visa to decide the case.. After the acquirer responds to pre-arbitration, only the issuer may take the case to Visa arbitration.

Source for the actors and process: Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, glossary (“Acquirer”) and Condition 13.9, p. 49, and Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213), and §11.3.1.

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 Cash-In (value load) or Cash-Out — the rule makes the dispute invalid but does not name the code to which it should be rerouted.
  • The cardholder states that the transaction is fraudulent — in that case, the dispute falls outside 13.9.
  • The same transaction was processed more than once.
  • The dispute was filed after the 120-calendar-day window.

Source:Visa Core Rules §11.10.10.3 Tabela 11-142 (ID# 0030362); janela de 120 dias em §11.10.10.4 Tabela 11-143 (ID# 0030363)

How to reduce the risk of this code

Visa recommends two actions to keep an ATM discrepancy from becoming a dispute:

  1. Reconcile ATMs promptly. Compare the physical cash with the transaction records to identify machines with excess or missing cash.
  2. Correct the discrepancy as soon as it appears. If reconciliation shows that the withdrawal failed or was partial, process the corresponding credit or reversal before the cardholder needs to file a dispute.

Also preserve the individual record for every withdrawal. If the ATM dispensed the correct amount, that is the document the acquirer will need to submit. An aggregated end-of-day report does not, by itself, show the transaction time or sequential number for a specific withdrawal.

Source for the prevention steps: Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Condition 13.9, p. 49. Source for the fields in the individual record: Visa Core Rules §11.10.10.6, Table 11-145 (ID# 0030365).

Evidence the acquirer needs to gather

Prove the cash withdrawal

In the Dispute Response, the acquirer must prove at least one of the four paths Visa accepts. It does not need to collect all four. First identify the ground that matches the case, then submit the documentation that ground requires.

  1. The ATM dispensed the correct amount. Submit a copy of the ATM Cash Disbursement Transaction record. The same copy must contain all three of these elements:

    • the Payment CredentialAn account number or other credential that identifies the cardholder’s account used for the transaction. In the defense document, it links the ATM record to the disputed withdrawal.;
    • the transaction time or a sequential number that identifies that withdrawal;
    • an indicator confirming that the cash disbursement was completed successfully.

    Visa does not define which technical indicator values prove success. The record must show the outcome, but the meaning of each code depends on the ATM system.

  2. The issuer did not address a prior credit or reversal. Submit documentation of the credit or reversal showing the amount and the date it was processed.

  3. The cardholder no longer disputes the transaction. Submit a letter or email from the cardholder stating that they no longer maintain the dispute.

  4. The dispute is invalid. Submit the record proving Cash-In, Cash-Out, a fraud statement, or duplicate processing. For a late dispute, compare the Transaction Processing Date with the filing date to show that more than 120 days elapsed.

Source for the four paths and the three required elements in the ATM transaction record: Visa Core Rules §11.10.10.6, Table 11-145 (ID# 0030365). Source for the amount and date of a credit or reversal and the cardholder’s letter or email: Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Condition 13.9, p. 49.

Cassette balances, end-of-day reconciliation, and authorization records may help with the investigation. However, for the path asserting that cash was dispensed, they do not replace the copy of the ATM Cash Disbursement Transaction record with all three elements Visa requires. If that record shows a partial dispense or no dispense, it supports the cardholder’s claim; the defense must use another applicable path, or the acquirer must accept the dispute.

Deadlines for Visa code 13.9

Visa’s global rules use these deadlines unless a domestic regional exception listed below applies:

  1. Issuer: 120 calendar days from the Transaction Processing Date to file the dispute. For a US Domestic adjustment of an ATM Cash Disbursement or PIN-Authenticated Visa Debit Transaction, the clock may instead start on the Transaction Date of the Adjustment.
  2. Acquirer: 30 calendar days from the Dispute Processing Date to submit the Dispute Response.
  3. Issuer: 30 calendar days from the Dispute Response Processing Date to start pre-arbitration.
  4. Acquirer: 30 calendar days from the Processing Date of the pre-arbitration attempt to accept or decline it.
  5. Issuer: 10 calendar days from the Processing Date of the pre-arbitration response to ask Visa for arbitration.

Visa’s domestic rules shorten the acquirer’s Dispute Response window for some markets: 10 calendar days for domestic ATM transactions in Egypt, 6 in India, and 20 in Poland; 2 business days for domestic transactions in Nigeria; and 20 calendar days for domestic transactions in Tanzania. Tanzania also uses a 10-calendar-day pre-arbitration response window for domestic transactions.

Source for the filing deadline: Visa Core Rules §11.10.10.4, Table 11-143 (ID# 0030363). Source for the other deadlines and the arbitration actor: Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213).

Frequently asked questions

When does Visa chargeback code 13.9 apply?

Code 13.9 covers the dispute condition “Non-Receipt of Cash at an ATM.” The cardholder participated in the transaction and was debited for an ATM withdrawal but received no cash or only part of the amount. The dispute is limited to the amount not received.

Does a prepaid-card load or Cash-Out transaction qualify for 13.9?

No. The former name “Non-Receipt of Cash or Load Transaction Value” still appears in vendor materials, but the current scope covers only ATM withdrawals. Visa expressly treats Cash-In and Cash-Out transactions as invalid under 13.9.

What document supports the defense of a 13.9 dispute?

To prove that the ATM dispensed the cash, the defense requires a copy of the ATM Cash Disbursement Transaction record. It must show all three minimum elements together: the Payment Credential, the transaction time or sequential number that identifies the transaction, and an indicator confirming that the cash disbursement was successful. This is one of four response paths Visa accepts.

Who acts as the acquirer in a 13.9 dispute?

It is the Visa participant that provided the cash disbursement to the cardholder, not an e-commerce merchant. The defense therefore depends on the ATM transaction record.

When must the issuer attach a cardholder letter for 13.9?

The letter is required only when both conditions occur together: the cardholder has disputed three or more transactions for non-receipt of cash, and all of them occurred within the same 30-calendar-day period. Otherwise, the issuer’s certification is sufficient.

Does Visa code 13.9 have a minimum dispute amount?

No. Visa’s rules exempt 13.9 from the USD 25 minimum dispute amount.

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