What the issuer is asking
Visa is not asking whether the charge was real. It is asking you to prove this cardholder took part in it.
Everything that proves identity or use counts. Everything that only proves the order exists does not.
An AVS and CVV match helps but never settles 10.4 on its own — those checks pass for anyone holding the card details.
filing window
The cardholder normally has 120 days from the transaction date to file.
Your processor states its own deadline on the notice, usually shorter than the 30 days above. That printed date is the one that binds you. Work to it.
The exhibits Visa 10.4 turns on
6 exhibits · 3 decisive
Decisive exhibits can answer this code on their own. Supporting exhibits are worth attaching and never worth relying on.
- 01decisive
Proof of delivery to the AVS-matched address
Carrier record naming the address that passed AVS. A signature or a photo at the door is stronger again.
- 02decisive
Two prior undisputed transactions
Visa's compelling evidence 3.0 route, live since 15 April 2023. Two earlier orders by the same person, the oldest at least 120 days before this one, sharing two of: IP address, device ID, login ID, shipping address.
- 03decisive
Evidence the goods or service were used
Login timestamps, download logs, licence activation, seat used, session recorded. Use is participation.
- 04strong
The authorisation record
AVS result, CVV result, 3-D Secure result, IP address, device fingerprint, and the exact timestamp.
- 05supporting
Order confirmation and invoice
Establishes what was sold and for how much. It does not prove who bought it.
- 06supporting
The cardholder email thread
Any message from the cardholder's own address about this order is participation evidence.
Arguments that carry weight
- yesDelivery to an address the cardholder has used before, evidenced by the carrier.
- yesThe account that placed the order also placed earlier orders that were never disputed.
- yesThe digital product was accessed from the same IP address or device as an earlier undisputed order.
- yesThe cardholder emailed you about the order before filing.
Arguments that lose this code
- noAn AVS and CVV match with nothing else attached.
- noA screenshot of your own admin panel showing the order, and no delivery record.
- noDelivery to an address the cardholder has never been linked to.
- noAn argument about the cardholder's honesty rather than about the evidence.
the common misreading
Visa 10.4 is not a claim that you did something wrong
It is a claim about identity. Arguing that the order was legitimate answers a question nobody asked. Prove the person, not the purchase.
You know what to prove. The file is the part that takes a week.
Upload the notice and everything you already hold. You get a dated timeline, a rebuttal argued against Visa 10.4 and numbered exhibits, as one PDF.
Single case — €39 · Five-pack — €79
Free until you see your own file.
No account, no password, ever.
related codes
- Visa 13.1merchandise or services not received
- Mastercard 4837no cardholder authorisation
- Amex F29card not present
where you file it
stripe·shopify·paypal·mollie·klarna·adyen
We build the file, the issuer decides.