Dispute / Chargeback · decode any status
"Chargeback Filed"
The cardholder formally disputed the charge through their bank. The bank pulls the funds back from the merchant pending investigation. Different from a refund — disputes are adversarial; refunds are mutual.
Where you see this phrase
Merchant processor dashboards (Stripe, Square, PayPal). Cardholders see this as a "credit" or "provisional credit" on the statement.
What you can do
Merchants have a fixed window (often 7–20 days) to submit evidence ("representment"). Cardholders should keep records — banks may reverse the credit if the merchant wins.
Other wordings for the same state
Other dispute / chargeback phrases
The cardholder formally challenged the charge.
“Representment Submitted”
The merchant has responded to a chargeback with evidence (delivery proof, signed receipts, refund history) arguing the charge is valid. The card network now decides.
“Reversal”
The transaction was undone — either an authorisation reversal (before settlement) or a dispute won by the cardholder (after settlement). Funds return to the card.
“Pre-Arbitration”
The dispute escalated past the first round. The cardholder rejected the merchant's evidence, and the case heads to arbitration where the card network makes a binding decision.
Other stages of the payment lifecycle
The same transaction passes through several stages — each with its own phrase library.