American Express Reason Code M49: Vehicle Rental — Theft or Loss of Use
The cardholder disputes a charge you billed for theft of, or loss of use of, a rented vehicle.
Your strongest argument
The rental agreement and incident records show the theft or loss-of-use charge is valid and correctly calculated.
Evidence that wins a American Express M49 dispute
- Rental agreement and the theft / loss-of-use terms the cardholder accepted
- Police report or incident documentation for the theft
- Records substantiating the loss-of-use period and amount charged
Ordered strongest first — lead your rebuttal with the items at the top.
Source: American Express Merchant Reference Guide and Dispute (Chargeback) documentation. The American Express rulebook defines this code and its dispute framework; the issuer decides every dispute and sets the exact deadline shown in your processor dashboard.
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Run a free 60-second readiness check for American Express M49. Answer a few yes/no questions and get a 0–100 score, a green/amber/red evidence checklist, and your exact response deadline — no signup.
How processors label this dispute
| Processor | What you'll see |
|---|---|
| Stripe | reason: product_unacceptable |
Where to pull this evidence
Prove what shipped matched what the customer agreed to buy. Here's exactly where the relevant records live in each processor dashboard — gather them free before you build your pack.
Stripe
Dashboard → Payments → Disputes (or the email alert from Stripe).
- AVS & CVC check results: Open the original payment → Payment details → "Checks" (CVC, ZIP, address).
- Customer email, IP, and device: Payment → Customer section and the "Risk insights" / Radar panel.
- Receipt / order confirmation: Payment → "Send receipt" or your order-management system; export the PDF.
- Refund history & reference IDs: Payment → Timeline shows any refunds with their re_… reference IDs.
Shopify Payments
Shopify admin → Orders → the flagged order → "Chargeback" banner, or Settings → Payments → Manage disputes.
- Order & fulfillment details: Orders → the order → Fulfillment + Timeline (shows when items shipped).
- Tracking number & carrier: Orders → Fulfillment → tracking; confirm "Delivered" status with the carrier.
- Customer info & IP: Order → Customer section; Order → Additional details / fraud analysis for IP and AVS/CVV.
- Fraud analysis (AVS/CVV/risk): Order → "Fraud analysis" panel shows AVS, CVV, and Shopify’s risk indicators.
Square
Square Dashboard → Disputes (or Balance → Disputes), or the email from Square.
- Transaction & receipt: Transactions → the payment → receipt; "Resend receipt" for a copy.
- Card-present / chip details: Transaction detail shows entry method (chip, tap, keyed) — chip reads support card-present disputes.
- Customer details: Customer Directory → the customer; or the transaction’s customer section.
- Itemization & amount: Transaction → itemized breakdown to rebut "incorrect amount" claims.
PayPal
PayPal → Resolution Center → the open case (Dispute, Claim, or Chargeback).
- Transaction details & ID: Activity → the transaction → details; note the Transaction ID.
- Proof of delivery / tracking: Resolution Center → "Respond" → add tracking number + carrier (PayPal validates delivery).
- Proof of shipment / service: Resolution Center evidence upload: invoice, shipment receipt, or service-completion proof.
- Buyer communication: Resolution Center message thread + your own email records with the buyer.
Build a submission-ready American Express M49 response
ChargebackKit assembles your evidence into a formatted, labeled rebuttal pack with the exhibits and response letter card networks expect — pre-mapped to Not as Described disputes.
Build your evidence pack — $19Or run the free readiness check first.
Frequently asked questions
What is American Express reason code M49?↓
How do I win an M49?↓
Who receives M49?↓
Where to go next
Build the pack for Not as Described disputes, or dig into the matching guide, template, and processor evidence requirements.
Build the pack for this dispute
Guides for this dispute
Templates for this dispute
Updated June 2026. This code’s meaning and evidence requirements are sourced from the American Express Merchant Reference Guide and Dispute (Chargeback) documentation and may change as American Express revises its rules; always check your processor dashboard for the exact deadline and label on your dispute. The issuer decides every dispute — there is no guaranteed outcome.