What is a dispute (chargeback)?
Short answer
A dispute is when your customer asks their card’s bank to take back a payment. The card network and the banks decide who wins, not us and not you.Verified 1 November 2026
In this article
Query or chargeback
There are two kinds, and the dashboard tells them apart:
| On screen | What it means | Is money held? |
|---|---|---|
| Query — answer needed | The customer’s bank is asking a question. It may never go further. | No |
| Response needed | A chargeback. The bank is asking to take the money back. | Yes |
A query can turn into a chargeback. It stays the same dispute, and the money is held at that moment.
How it reaches us
The bank tells us, and a person at Secure Processing records the dispute. You then get an email, and the dispute appears under Disputes in your dashboard.
You cannot open a dispute yourself. Only the card network can claim one.
Who decides
The bank decides, on its own timeline, after reading your evidence. We forward your evidence and tell you the answer. We cannot overrule the bank, and neither of us can extend its deadline.
How it ends
| On screen | What it means |
|---|---|
| Won | The bank found for you. The money is back in your balance. |
| Lost | The bank found for your customer. The money stays with them. |
| Query closed | The question ended. No money moved at any point. |