13.9

Visa Reason Code 13.9: Cash Not Received at an ATM

A cardholder says the ATM paid nothing or too little. Here is what the code means and how to answer it with your ATM records.

Network: Visa
Published: October 5, 2026

Visa reason code 13.9 is called Non-Receipt of Cash at an ATM. It is one of the codes in Visa's 13 Consumer Disputes group. The cardholder says they used a cash machine but got no cash, or got only part of what they asked for. The money still left their account, so they asked their bank to take it back.

What is Visa reason code 13.9?

A Visa dispute is how a card issuer sends a contested transaction back. When the claim is about a cash machine, the issuer uses code 13.9. Under 13.9, the cardholder used a cash machine but got no cash or only part of it.

Visa sorts disputes into four categories: 10 Fraud, 11 Authorization, 12 Processing Errors and 13 Consumer Disputes. Code 13.9 sits in the last group. That group holds claims where the cardholder says something went wrong with a purchase or withdrawal they made themselves. It is not a fraud claim. The cardholder admits they used the machine. They just say the machine shorted them.

If the dispute is valid, the acquirer takes the disputed amount from the merchant account and tells the merchant. In this case, the merchant is the ATM operator.

When does a cardholder file a 13.9 dispute?

This code fits a narrow set of facts. The cardholder must have used a cash machine with their card. The machine must have debited their account. And the cardholder must say they received no cash, or less than the amount shown on the receipt.

Common examples include a machine that jammed before the cash came out. Another is a machine that paid part of the money and then stopped. A third is a withdrawal that posted to the account but never opened the cash drawer.

The code does not fit other problems. If the cardholder says someone else used their card at the machine, that is a fraud claim, not 13.9. If the machine charged a fee the cardholder did not expect, that is a different dispute. If the same withdrawal was processed more than once, that is also not this code.

What evidence can a merchant use to fight a 13.9 chargeback?

A merchant can accept a Visa dispute, or reject it by sending supporting documents to its card processor. If you believe the ATM paid out correctly, send the ATM record showing the card number, the time and a success indicator. That record is the heart of your reply.

Good evidence for this code includes:

The ATM transaction log for that withdrawal, with the card number and timestamp
A success code or completion indicator from the machine
The cash count or cassette balance for that day, if it shows the machine was not short
Any camera footage of the machine at the time of the withdrawal, if you keep it
The cardholder's withdrawal amount as requested, matched against the amount paid

Your proof must answer the exact claim. The cardholder says the machine paid nothing or too little. So show that the machine completed the payout. A general record of machine uptime does not answer that. A stack of unrelated receipts does not either.

Visa dispute evidence must be easy to read and in English, or come with an English translation. If your ATM logs print in another language, include a translation.

Each step of a Visa dispute has a set time limit, so a late answer can lose the case. Send your response to your card processor as soon as you get the notice.

What makes a 13.9 dispute invalid?

Some 13.9 claims fail on their face. Check the notice for these problems before you answer.

A 13.9 dispute is invalid if the cardholder calls it fraud or it was processed more than once. If the issuer used 13.9 but the claim is really that a thief used the card, the code is wrong. If the same withdrawal appears on the account two or three times, the problem is a duplicate processing error, not missing cash. Either way, you can point out the mismatch in your reply.

The dispute is also weak if the ATM record shows a clean payout. A success indicator with the right card number and time goes a long way toward ending the claim.

If you are not sure how to read the notice, start with how to read a chargeback notice. The reason code tells you which claim you are answering, and a 13.9 notice needs a different reply than a fraud notice.

How does 13.9 differ from other consumer dispute codes?

The 13 group covers many claims, and each code points to a different kind of proof. Code 13.9 is about cash that never reached the cardholder's hand. Your best proof is the machine's own record of the payout.

Compare that with a code like 13.8, which deals with a credit that was not accepted. That claim is about a refund or credit transaction, and the proof is different. See Visa reason code 13.8 explained for that code.

The difference matters because proof only helps if it fits the code. An ATM log does nothing for a credit dispute. A refund record does nothing for a missing cash claim. Read the code first, then build your reply around it.

After you send your reply

An acquirer may respond only once to the original Visa dispute. Make that one response count. The acquirer may send a Dispute Response unless the merchant already accepted the dispute through Rapid Dispute Resolution.

If the issuer still disagrees, the case can move to pre-Arbitration. There the issuer must deal with the evidence the acquirer gave in its Dispute Response. The issuer may switch dispute conditions at that point, but only if the first condition was valid.

To see the full path a case can take after you answer, read what happens after you answer a chargeback. Keep copies of your ATM records either way. If the case comes back in a later round, you will want them again.