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Retrieval Request

Terminated File

Visa / MasterCard Industry Terms

Overview
Occasionally, the cardholder and / or issuing bank may request a copy of the transaction document supporting the charge to the cardholder's account.  Prompt fulfillment of these requests will help the processor respond, on your behalf, to the questions about the transaction.

Visa / MasterCard rules require the merchant to i) respond and fulfill the request for within 5 calendar days and ii) provide sufficient information to satisfy the inquiry.  Failure to comply with this request will result in a chargeback (reversal of the sale amount) to your deposit account with no remedy.
 

• File your copies of credit card sales drafts by date, then by account number.

• Retain copies of credit card sales drafts for three years. (Your tax advisor may recommend for a longer period of time)

• Respond to requests for transaction copies at once.  Depending on which processor we work with, you will receive the request by mail, fax or e-mail.

• If the cardholder and plastic card was not physically present during the sales transaction, obtain additional information to support any inquiry.

• If you receive a request for a copy on a transaction for which you have already issued a refund, send copies of both the sales transaction AND refund transaction receipts within the 5 day time frame.  This will alert the card issuer and should prevent a chargeback.

 

Substitute Document
To satisfy the request, the merchant must provide a legible copy of the transaction receipt. For certain transactions,  the card issuer must accept a Substitute Transaction Receipt containing the following information.
 
 

Required Information	Mail/Phone Recurring Order Transactions	Electronic Commerce Transactions
Cardholder Account Number	Yes	Yes
Card Expiration Date	If available	Yes
Cardholder Name	Yes	Yes
Transaction Date	Yes	Yes
Transaction Amount	Yes	Yes
Authorization Code	If any	Yes
Cardholder Signature	Mail Order -Yes Phone Order - Must include "PHONE ORDER"	Not applicable
Merchant Name	Yes	Yes
Merchant location	Yes	Online Address
Description	Merchandise or Services	Merchandise or Services
Itemized Charges	Yes	Not applicable
"Ship to" Address	If applicable	If applicable
Address Verification Service (AVS)  Response Code	If used	Yes

 

Common Misconception:

 

Misconception: The merchant will ALWAYS receive a retrieval request prior to a chargeback.
Fact:  Not ALL chargebacks require the card issuer to first request a copy of the sales transaction. Some do, and those are an early-warning to the merchant of a potential chargeback.

 

Copyright © 2002-2008 Atlantic Payment Systems, LLC P.O. Box 9584, Niskayuna, New York 12309-0584 Telephone: 518-346-2115  Fax: 212-658-9003 Revised: September 02, 2008