DiscoverFraudUpdated June 2026

Discover Reason Code UA: Fraud — Cardmember Does Not Recognize / Unauthorized

The Discover cardmember claims the transaction was fraudulent or unauthorized — the merchant-facing fraud dispute code, with variants for card-present, card-not-present, and chip transactions.

Respond within ~30 days
Highly winnable

Your strongest argument

Authentication and delivery/usage records tie the transaction to the genuine cardmember, or proper chip/PIN acceptance shifts liability away from the merchant.

Evidence that wins a Discover UA dispute

  • AVS and CID match results from the authorization
  • Device fingerprint / IP tied to the cardmember (card-not-present)
  • EMV chip / PIN or signed receipt records (card-present)
  • Delivery confirmation, proof of product use, and prior order history

Ordered strongest first — lead your rebuttal with the items at the top.

Source: Discover Network Dispute Rules and Reason Code documentation. The Discover rulebook defines this code and its dispute framework; the issuer decides every dispute and sets the exact deadline shown in your processor dashboard.

Not sure you have enough to win?

Run a free 60-second readiness check for Discover UA. 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

ProcessorWhat you'll see
Stripereason: fraudulent

Where to pull this evidence

Prove the genuine cardholder made and benefited from the purchase. Authentication data wins these. 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 Discover UA response

ChargebackKit assembles your evidence into a formatted, labeled rebuttal pack with the exhibits and response letter card networks expect — pre-mapped to Fraudulent / Unauthorized disputes.

Build your evidence pack — $19

Or run the free readiness check first.

Frequently asked questions

What is Discover reason code UA?
Discover "UA" is the fraud dispute code filed when a cardmember claims a transaction was unauthorized or fraudulent. It has variants for card-present (UA01), card-not-present (UA02), and chip (UA05/UA06) transactions.
How do I win a Discover UA chargeback?
For card-not-present, submit AVS/CID match data, device/IP evidence, and delivery proof. For card-present, submit EMV chip/PIN records showing proper acceptance.
How is UA different from AA?
UA is an outright fraud/unauthorized claim; AA is a "does not recognize" recognition dispute that often resolves once the purchase is identified.

Where to go next

Build the pack for Fraudulent / Unauthorized disputes, or dig into the matching guide, template, and processor evidence requirements.

Updated June 2026. This code’s meaning and evidence requirements are sourced from the Discover Network Dispute Rules and Reason Code documentation and may change as Discover 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.