Visa reason code 13.6: Credit Not Processed

Quick answer: Visa reason code 13.6 is Credit Not Processed. The cardholder says they were owed a refund or credit and never received it. On Shopify it appears as Credit not processed. It is one of the easiest disputes to lose and one of the easiest to prevent. If you promised a refund and did not send it, refund now. If you did send it, your proof is the refund record: date, amount and reference, plus the fact that a card refund can take several business days to appear on a statement.

Last reviewed 8 October 2026. Card network rules and Shopify's process change, so always check the due date and instructions on your own dispute.

Visa 13.6 at a glance

Network and code	Visa 13.6, Credit Not Processed
Shopify label	Credit not processed
What the customer claims	"I returned it or cancelled it and was never refunded."
Who it affects	Any store that accepts returns or cancellations
Your response window on Shopify	Usually 7 to 21 days, shown on the dispute page
Bank decision time	Up to 75 days after you submit, per Shopify
How many times you can submit	Once
Strongest evidence	The refund record on the order timeline with date and amount; proof of the return; confirmation email
Default call	Fight if the refund was issued. Refund in full if it was not.

What Visa 13.6 means

Visa's 13.x family covers consumer disputes, where the customer accepts the purchase but has a complaint about what followed. Code 13.6 is the "where is my money?" code. The cardholder tells their bank that they returned goods or cancelled a service, were told a refund would follow, and the credit never reached their statement.

It differs from its neighbours:

Code	Name	The claim
13.1	Merchandise/Services Not Received	"It never arrived." See 13.1.
13.2	Cancelled Recurring Transaction	"I cancelled my subscription and was still charged." See 13.2.
13.3	Not as Described or Defective	"It arrived faulty or different." See 13.3.
13.6	Credit Not Processed	"I returned it or cancelled it and was never refunded."
13.7	Cancelled Merchandise/Services	"I cancelled an order or service and was still charged."

Equivalent codes on other networks

Network	Code	Name
Visa	13.6	Credit Not Processed
Mastercard	4853	Cardholder Dispute (refund not processed is a named condition). See our 4853 guide
American Express	C02	Credit Not Processed

How a 13.6 dispute unfolds on Shopify

Shopify's help pages describe the sequence:

Stage	What happens
Day 0	The customer's bank raises the dispute. Shopify withdraws the disputed amount and the chargeback fee from your balance straight away.
Days 1 to 21	You gather evidence. Shopify says you usually have 7 to 21 days, and the exact deadline is on the dispute page.
Submission	You submit your response, which can be done once.
Review	The bank reviews it. Shopify says this can take up to 75 days.
Outcome	If you win, the amount is returned, and the fee may be too, depending on your country. If you lose, the money stays with the customer.

Look at the order timeline first. Shopify records refunds on the order, including the date, the amount and who issued it. In most 13.6 disputes the answer is already there.

What the bank actually checks

The reviewer is trying to work out three things.

1. Was a refund owed? Did the customer return the goods within your policy, cancel before dispatch, or accept a refund offer?
2. Was it issued? Is there a refund record on the order with a date and an amount?
3. Was it issued in time and in full? A partial refund, or one issued only after the dispute began, does not fully answer the claim.

If a refund was issued before the dispute, the reviewer will usually accept that, provided the amount and date match and enough time had passed for the bank to post it. If you refunded only after the chargeback arrived, you may end up paying twice: once to the customer and once through the dispute. See the double refund section below.

How long a refund really takes to show

Customers often raise a 13.6 because the money is not on their statement yet, not because it was never sent. A card refund can take several business days to appear, and longer across banks and borders. Shopify's help pages say that refunds to a card can take a number of business days depending on the bank. Check the current figure for your payment provider and put it in your response.

Date	Event	What the customer sees
12 September	Customer posts the return	Nothing yet
18 September	Return arrives at your warehouse	Nothing yet
19 September	You issue the refund	Often nothing yet
24 September	The bank posts the credit	The refund appears
30 September	Customer's bank raises a 13.6	The customer thinks it never came

If your refund was issued on 19 September and the dispute was filed on 22 September, the bank may simply not have posted it. Point to the date, the amount and the refund reference, and say that card refunds take several working days to show.

Worked example 1: a winnable case

A fashion store sells a jacket for £140.00. The customer returns it on 12 September. The merchant receives the parcel on 18 September and refunds the full amount on 19 September. On 30 September the customer's bank raises a 13.6 dispute saying the credit was never processed.

The merchant checks Shopify and finds:

• The order timeline showing a refund of £140.00 on 19 September.
• The returns portal log with the return label, the carrier scan on 18 September and the approval message.
• The email sent to the customer on 19 September confirming the refund.

The letter says: the return arrived on 18 September, a full refund of £140.00 was issued on 19 September, the timeline entry and the confirmation email are attached, and card refunds usually take several working days to appear. The reviewer sees a full refund issued promptly and well before the dispute. This is a strong case.

Worked example 2: a case to refund

A candle store tells a customer on 2 October: "We'll refund you once the parcel arrives." The parcel arrives on 6 October. Nobody processes the refund. The customer emails twice, then disputes the charge on 28 October.

There is no refund record on the order, two unanswered emails and a promise in writing. The reviewer will side with the cardholder. Refund the full amount at once, then either accept the dispute or send the refund record. Check with Shopify Support before refunding an order with an open chargeback, because the customer could be paid twice. The lesson is operational: returns need an owner and a deadline.

The double refund trap

If you refund a customer after a chargeback has been raised, the customer may be paid twice: once by you and once when the bank reverses the payment. Shopify takes the disputed amount from your balance when the chargeback begins, and a refund on top of that can cost you the money twice.

The pages we reviewed do not explain exactly how Shopify treats a refund on an order with an open dispute, so check with Shopify Support or your payment provider before refunding an order that has an open chargeback. If the refund was issued before the dispute, there is no problem: say so and show the record.

The break-even maths

The disputed amount and the fee are already withdrawn whether you fight or not, so the only extra cost of fighting is your time. When you have a refund record, the case takes minutes, which changes the sums.

Break-even win chance = value of your time ÷ money you would recover if you win.

Order value	Time to respond with a refund record (20 min at £20/hour)	Break-even win chance
£35	£7	20%
£80	£7	9%
£140	£7	5%
£400	£7	2%

Because the evidence is a single timeline entry, a 13.6 with a genuine refund is worth fighting almost every time. Where no refund was sent, the break-even is irrelevant: you owe the money. Run your own figures with our Should I Fight This Chargeback? calculator.

Should you fight it or refund?

What your records show	What to do
Full refund issued before the dispute, with a date and amount	Fight. Show the refund record.
Refund issued very recently, bank may not have posted it yet	Fight. Explain processing time.
Partial refund and the customer expected full	Check the policy. Fight if the policy is clear; otherwise refund the balance.
Customer returned goods and you never refunded	Refund the full amount.
Customer never returned the goods	Fight with the policy and proof of no return.
Return arrived outside your policy window	Fight if the policy was shown clearly at checkout.
Order cancelled before dispatch but still charged	Refund. This is a clear merchant error.
Refund to a closed or replaced card that bounced	Explain with the bounce record and offer an alternative.

How to respond to a Visa 13.6 dispute, step by step

1. Read the dispute and note the deadline. Open the dispute in Shopify and check the reason, the amount and the due date.
2. Open the order timeline. Look for a refund entry, its date, its amount and who issued it.
3. Decide before you write. If no refund exists and one was owed, refund after checking with Shopify Support, and then respond or accept.
4. Collect return proof. The return label, carrier scan, receipt date and any inspection note from your warehouse.
5. Collect customer communication. The confirmation email, any returns portal messages and the customer's own messages.
6. Check your policy. Confirm the return window, any restocking fee or shipping deduction, and where the policy was shown.
7. Write a short, factual letter. One page. Lead with the refund date and amount, and use the template below.
8. Attach the proof and submit once. Check every attachment opens, and remember you cannot add anything afterwards.

The evidence checklist

Evidence	Where to find it
Order number, date, items, amount and currency	The order page
The refund record: date, amount and reference	The order timeline in Shopify
Proof of return: label, carrier scan, receipt date	Your returns portal or carrier
The email confirming the refund to the customer	Your email provider's log
Your return and refund policy as shown at checkout	Your store policies
Messages with the customer about the return or refund	Support inbox or chat
Where goods were never returned: a note that nothing was received, with the policy window	Your warehouse records

A letter you can adapt

To the issuing bank,

We ask that this dispute for order [ORDER NUMBER], [AMOUNT] placed on [DATE], is reversed. A full refund of [AMOUNT] was issued to the customer's card on [REFUND DATE], before this dispute was raised.

Refund. The refund is recorded on the order timeline with reference [REFERENCE]. The customer was told by email on [DATE] that it had been issued.

Timing. Card refunds can take several business days to appear on a statement, depending on the issuing bank.

Return. The customer's return was posted on [DATE] and received on [DATE] (carrier scan attached).

The attachments show the refund, the return and the confirmation sent to the customer. We ask the bank to reverse the dispute.

Keep it short and factual. If the refund truly was not made, do not argue. Refund and move on.

Common mistakes

• Fighting an unpaid refund. If you promised it and did not send it, you will lose.
• Refunding twice. Check how an open dispute affects an order before refunding it.
• No proof of the refund. A statement without the timeline entry is not evidence.
• Ignoring the timing. A refund sent two days before the dispute may not have reached the statement. Explain this.
• Partial refunds without explanation. If you kept a restocking fee or deducted shipping, the bank needs to see the policy that allowed it.
• Forgetting cancelled orders. An order cancelled before dispatch must be refunded, not just cancelled.
• Missing the deadline. No response means automatic loss.

How to reduce 13.6 disputes

1. Refund quickly. Process returns as soon as the parcel arrives and confirm by email with the date and amount.
2. Say how long refunds take. Tell customers it can take several business days to appear on their statement.
3. Track returns. Use a returns portal or a spreadsheet with an owner so no return is forgotten.
4. Publish a clear policy: return window, who pays postage, any fees and how refunds are paid.
5. Answer "where is my refund?" emails the same day. A fast reply stops most disputes.
6. Do not leave cancelled orders charged. Cancel and refund in the same step.
7. Use a recognisable billing descriptor so customers do not dispute what they cannot place.
8. Send a refund confirmation with the amount, the date and the reference number.

Glossary

• Credit. A refund returned to the customer's card.
• Credit not processed. A dispute reason where the customer says a promised refund never appeared.
• Refund reference. The identifier of the refund in your payment system.
• Restocking fee. A fee deducted from a refund under your policy. It must be disclosed.
• Timeline. The history of events on a Shopify order, including refunds.
• Representment. Your response with evidence, sent back to the bank.

How ChargeFix handles it

ChargeFix reads the order, payment, shipping and refund totals from Shopify, including the amount already refunded, and uses them in the evidence checklist and the draft letter. If the order shows that nothing was refunded, it says so plainly instead of arguing a refund that does not exist. Your refund policy from your business profile is included in the letter and in the evidence sent to the bank. You review everything before anything is saved or filed. Install it free.

Frequently asked questions

What does Visa reason code 13.6 mean? The cardholder says they were owed a refund or credit and it was never processed. On Shopify it shows as Credit not processed.

What evidence wins a 13.6 dispute? The refund record from the order timeline with date and amount, proof of the return if relevant, the confirmation email and your return policy.

What if I already refunded the customer? Show the date, the amount and the reference. Add that card refunds can take several business days to appear. That is usually enough.

What if I refund after the dispute starts? Check with Shopify Support first. A refund on top of an open dispute can mean the customer is paid twice.

What if the customer never returned the goods? Fight, and show your policy and the lack of a return scan or receipt.

How long do I have to respond on Shopify? Shopify says you usually have 7 to 21 days, and the exact date is on the dispute page. Evidence can be submitted only once.

How long does the bank take to decide? Shopify says the review can take up to 75 days after you submit.

Is 13.6 the same as 13.7? No. 13.6 is about a refund owed after a return or cancellation that was never issued. 13.7 is about a cancelled order or service where the customer was still charged.

How long does a card refund take to appear? Several business days is common, and longer across banks and borders. Shopify's help pages say it depends on the bank.

Should I just refund every 13.6? If you owe the money, yes. If you already refunded, fight with the record.

What if I deducted a restocking fee? Show the policy that allowed it and where it was displayed. Without a disclosed policy, the bank is unlikely to accept the deduction.

Can the refund go to a different card? Refunds normally go to the original payment method. If that card is closed, explain what happened and offer another route, and keep the records.

Sources and review

• Shopify Help Centre, Overview of the chargeback and inquiry process: response window, decision time, fees and accepted evidence.
• Shopify Help Centre, Chargeback reasons: how Shopify groups dispute reasons
• Stripe, Dispute categories and reason codes: the card network code and the category it falls under
• Adyen, Dispute reason codes and defense requirements: what each code covers
• Visa's published reason code lists, as summarised by major payment providers. Card network rules change, so confirm current details with your payment provider.

Written by the ChargeFix team. We update this page when Shopify or the card networks change their rules.