75

What Visa Reason Code 75 Meant for Merchants

Code 75 covered charges a cardholder did not recognize. Here is what it applied to and how a merchant could answer it.

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Old Visa codes
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Visa reason code 75 was one of the old dispute codes. Its name was Transaction Not Recognized. A cardholder used it when a charge showed up on their statement and they could not tell what it was or who it came from.

What is Visa reason code 75?

Under the older Visa rules, reason code 75 was Transaction Not Recognized. It was not a fraud claim. The cardholder was not saying the charge was fake. They were saying they needed more details to figure out what the charge was for.

That made code 75 different from a stolen card claim. With code 75, the cardholder still had the card. They just could not match the charge to anything they remembered buying.

When is reason code 75 used?

A cardholder used code 75 when they saw a charge they did not recognize and needed more details to identify it. This happens a lot when a statement line does not match the name of the store. A charge from a parent company can show up under a brand name the shopper has never heard of.

It also happens when two people share a card. One person buys something, and the other person sees the charge and does not know what it is.

Which transactions does code 75 apply to?

A code 75 chargeback applied only to key entered sales and unattended sales. Key entered sales are ones where the card was not dipped, tapped or swiped. The merchant typed the number in by hand. Unattended sales are ones with no staff present, like a fuel pump or a vending kiosk.

The code did not apply to sales where the card was present and read by a machine. Those sales left a card record, which often helped the cardholder remember the purchase.

How to respond to a code 75 chargeback

A merchant could answer with a copy of the receipt or a detailed description of what was bought. The goal was simple. Show the cardholder enough to jog their memory of the sale.

Good proof for this code included:

  • The receipt, with the items and the amount
  • The date and time of the sale
  • The name and location of the store
  • A description of what was bought
  • Any delivery or service record that ties the cardholder to the sale

If the charge came from a shared card, this proof often solved it. The other person on the account would see the receipt and remember the purchase.

Proof only helps if it fits the claim. Read the notice first so you know what the code says. If you are not sure how to find it, see how to read a chargeback notice.

Is reason code 75 still active?

No. As part of the VCR Initiative, Visa consolidated its 22 legacy reason codes into four dispute categories. Code 75 is gone, and disputes that once fell under it now land in one of the new categories.

If you get a dispute notice today, it will not carry code 75. Look for the new category on the notice instead, and answer that claim with proof that fits it. For what can happen after you send your reply, see what happens after you answer a chargeback.

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