C18

Amex Reason Code C18: No Show or CARDeposit Canceled

C18 means the Card Member says they canceled a lodging booking or never got credit for a CARDeposit. Here is how to answer it.

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American Express
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Amex reason code C18 is called "No show" or CARDeposit canceled. It sits in the Card Member Disputes group. It means the Card Member says they canceled a room booking. Or they say they never got credit for a CARDeposit charge. If you run a hotel, inn or rental home, a canceled booking will most often bring this code.

What C18 means

The claim comes in two forms. In the first, the Card Member says they canceled the room before your cutoff date, so the no show fee should never have been charged. In the second, they say they canceled. They say you promised a credit for the CARDeposit, but the credit never showed up on their bill.

Before you hear anything, the disputed charge is first worked on with the Card Member. You are contacted only if that does not settle it.

Why you received a C18 chargeback

A C18 usually starts one of these ways:

  • The guest says they called or emailed to cancel, and you have no record of it.
  • The guest canceled, but your staff charged the deposit anyway.
  • You agreed to refund the deposit, but the credit was never processed.
  • The guest canceled after your cutoff date and thinks the fee is unfair.

Each case turns on your records. If you can show the cancel never happened, or that the credit went through, you can win.

How to respond to a C18 chargeback

If Amex needs more facts, you get either an Inquiry or a Chargeback. An Inquiry means the Card Member disputed a charge that could not be resolved with the documents on file. If the Card Member gave enough detail, Amex may debit your account upfront. Then you get a Chargeback instead.

If your reply settles an Inquiry on time, there is no Chargeback. After a Chargeback, you can send supporting documents that might reverse it. The Chargeback is undone if your reply addresses the dispute and arrives on time. If you do not reply in time, or you leave out what was asked for, the Chargeback stands and the money stays gone.

The best way to respond is online through your Merchant Account. Work in this order:

  1. Read the notice and confirm the code is C18. If the wording is new to you, start with how to read a chargeback notice.
  2. Pull the booking file. Pull the cancel policy the guest agreed to. Pull any refund records.
  3. Write a short reply. Explain your papers and answer the exact claim.
  4. Upload everything before the due date on the notice.

A good reply explains the documents, addresses the specific dispute reason and describes the steps taken to resolve it.

Documents that answer a C18 claim

Send the papers that speak to the exact claim. For a no show claim, that means:

  • The signed or recorded reservation, with the cancel policy shown.
  • Proof the guest used the room, such as a folio, key records or a signed registration card.
  • Any notice the guest sent, if they claim they canceled.

For a CARDeposit claim, include a copy of the charge record or credit record. If you did issue the credit, the credit record usually ends the case. If you never agreed to a credit, show the booking terms. If they say the deposit was nonrefundable, that is your best paper.

Do not send a pile of unrelated files. A reply that does not fit the claim can come back as reason code R03, insufficient reply. Sending nothing at all leads to reason code R13, no reply.

How to prevent C18 chargebacks

  • Put the cancel policy in writing and get the guest to agree to it at booking.
  • Confirm every cancellation by email or text. Keep a copy of what you send.
  • Process agreed refunds fast, and give the guest the credit receipt.
  • State the cutoff date clearly on the booking page and in the confirmation email.
  • Log every no show the same day, with the room number and the date.

Most C18 cases come from weak records. Fix the records and the disputes shrink.

C18 is not the only cancel related code. A guest may say they canceled a service, not a room. That claim may fall under C05, goods or services canceled. If they say the charge itself was canceled and paid another way, look at C14, paid by other means. A claim about a canceled recurring billing goes to C28, canceled recurring billing.

Other codes cover other kinds of claims. C08 is for goods or services not received. C31 is for something not as described, and C32 covers damaged or defective items. C04 is for returned or refused goods.

If your case moves past the first round, see what happens after you answer a chargeback for the steps that follow.

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