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Issuer Appeals

When the card network rules a dispute in your merchant's favor, the cardholder's card issuer can appeal the ruling. The card networks call this stage pre-arbitration. JustiFi tracks the appeal on the same dispute. No new dispute is created and no additional dispute fee is charged.

The Appeal Window​

After a ruling in your merchant's favor the dispute is under_review for 60 days while the issuer can appeal. The disputed amount is held during that window, and funds_held_until on the dispute shows when the window ends.

No webhook event is sent when the window opens. Read funds_held_until from Get a Dispute or List Disputes to see that a dispute is in it. A dispute in the appeal window can no longer be responded to or forfeited.

  • No appeal: If the issuer does not appeal, the dispute status becomes won once the date in funds_held_until passes and the disputed amount is returned to your merchant's account. You receive payment.dispute.funds_returned followed by payment.dispute.closed.
  • Appeal opened: If the issuer appeals, pre_arbitration becomes true, pre_arbitration_received_at is when the appeal arrived and pre_arbitration_due_date is the deadline to contest it. The status stays under_review and the disputed amount stays held until the appeal is decided, even if that is after the date in funds_held_until. You receive payment.dispute.pre_arbitration_received.
  • Merchant wins the appeal: The dispute status becomes won and the disputed amount is returned without waiting for the window to end. You receive payment.dispute.funds_returned followed by payment.dispute.closed.
  • Merchant loses the appeal: The dispute status becomes lost and the held amount is not returned to your merchant. You receive payment.dispute.closed.

The dispute status tells you the outcome: won means the disputed amount was returned to your merchant, lost means it was not. funds_held_until goes back to null in both cases.

Note: An appeal can arrive after the funds were already returned to your merchant. You receive payment.dispute.pre_arbitration_received when it does. If your merchant wins the appeal, the dispute stays won and nothing else changes. If your merchant loses the appeal, the dispute status becomes lost, the amount the card network takes back is deducted from your merchant's next payout and you receive payment.dispute.closed.

Dispute Fields​

FieldMeaning
funds_held_untilEnd of the appeal window. Set while the disputed amount is held after a ruling in your merchant's favor. null otherwise, including once the dispute is won or lost
pre_arbitrationtrue once the issuer has appealed
pre_arbitration_received_atWhen the appeal arrived
pre_arbitration_due_dateDeadline for the merchant to contest the appeal

These fields are returned by Get a Dispute and List Disputes, and included in every dispute webhook event.

Contesting an Appeal​

Appeals cannot be contested through the API or the Dispute Management web component. To contest one, contact JustiFi Customer Success with the dispute id and the evidence you want submitted, no later than pre_arbitration_due_date. JustiFi submits it to the card network on your behalf.

Contesting an appeal carries heavy additional fees: card network fees that vary by card brand, and a non-refundable JustiFi pre-arbitration fee. For example, when a contested appeal goes on to arbitration, the card network charges the losing side a fee of roughly $500 or more. These fees can exceed the disputed amount, so weigh them against the payment before you contest.