A payment dispute — often called a chargeback — happens when a guest asks their bank to reverse a card payment you have already received. Their bank then pulls the funds back from your account while the case is reviewed.
This article explains what a dispute is, how the process works on Amenitiz Pay, the fees that apply, and how our team helps you respond.
What is a payment dispute?
A dispute is triggered when a cardholder contacts their bank to challenge a charge. The bank opens a formal dispute through the card network (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), which immediately withdraws the disputed amount from your balance — even before any investigation takes place.
The money stays on hold until the case is resolved. If you win, the funds are returned. If you lose, the payment is permanently refunded to the guest.
Note: A dispute is different from a voluntary refund. A refund is an action you choose to take. A dispute is initiated by the guest through their bank, and neither you nor Amenitiz can cancel it — only the guest's bank can.
How the dispute process works
1. The guest contacts their bank
The guest asks their bank to reverse the charge, giving a reason (unauthorised payment, service not received, duplicate charge, etc.).
2. The dispute is opened and funds are withheld
The card network formally opens the dispute and withdraws the disputed amount from your Amenitiz Pay balance. You receive an email from Amenitiz with the guest name, booking reference, amount, reason, and deadline.
The dispute also appears in your admin dashboard under Amenitiz Pay > Disputed payments.
3. Amenitiz sends you a Typeform to collect evidence
As the payment facilitator, Amenitiz is the only party with access to the Amenitiz Pay Stripe account — so you do not submit evidence in Stripe yourself. Instead, our team sends you a short Typeform asking for everything the issuing bank needs to review the case: booking details, cancellation policy, proof of stay or service, guest communication, and any supporting documents.
Important: The issuing bank's window to receive evidence is short — typically 7 to 21 days depending on the card network — and there is only one opportunity to submit it. Please complete the Typeform as fully and as quickly as possible. The quality and completeness of the information you provide directly affects the chance of winning the dispute.
4. Amenitiz submits the evidence on your behalf
Once we receive your Typeform response, the Amenitiz team reviews the evidence, organises it, and submits it to the issuing bank through the Amenitiz Pay Stripe dashboard. You do not need a Stripe account or any access to Stripe — we handle the submission for you.
5. The guest's bank decides
The issuing bank (the guest's bank) reviews the evidence and decides the outcome. The final decision can take anywhere from a few weeks to up to 3 months.
6. Outcome
Won — the bank sides with you. The funds are returned to your balance. The dispute fee is not refunded.
Lost — the bank sides with the guest. The payment is permanently refunded, and the transfer is reversed from your account. You receive a confirmation email from Amenitiz.
Dispute fees
The card network charges a dispute fee as soon as a dispute is opened. This fee is billed to you by Amenitiz on a separate invoice and covers the processing cost applied by the card network.
Important: The dispute fee is charged as soon as the dispute is opened, regardless of the outcome. If you win the case, the disputed amount is returned, but the fee itself is not refunded.
Common dispute reasons
Each dispute comes with a reason code from the card network. The most common categories are:
Fraudulent — the cardholder says the payment was not authorised by them.
Product/service not received — the guest claims they never received the stay or service.
Product/service unacceptable — the guest claims the stay did not match what was advertised.
Duplicate — the guest claims they were charged twice for the same booking.
Credit not processed — the guest says they cancelled and never received their refund.
Subscription cancelled — the guest was billed after cancelling (less common in hospitality).
General / unrecognised — the guest does not recognise the charge on their statement.
Best practices to prevent disputes
Most disputes can be avoided with clear information and good guest communication.
Use a recognisable descriptor. Make sure the name that appears on the guest's bank statement matches your property name, so guests recognise the charge.
Confirm the booking in writing. Send the confirmation email so guests have a record of the reservation, dates, amount, and cancellation policy.
Make your cancellation and refund policies clear. Display them on your booking engine and include them in the confirmation email.
Reply quickly to guest messages. Many disputes start because a guest could not reach the hotel for a refund or a cancellation.
Keep records of every stay. Registration forms, check-in confirmations, signed receipts, email exchanges, and ID scans are all useful if a dispute arrives.
Issue refunds before a dispute opens when possible. A refund costs less than a lost dispute (no fee, no funds held, no paperwork).
Use 3D Secure authentication. When a card is authenticated by the issuer at payment time, the liability for fraudulent disputes shifts to the bank.
What Amenitiz provides
Automatic notifications — you receive an email as soon as a dispute is opened, and a second one if the case is lost.
Disputed payments view — all disputes are listed in
Amenitiz Pay > Disputed payments, with the current status and the amount.Evidence collection via Typeform — when a dispute opens, our team sends you a pre-filled Typeform with every question the issuing bank will ask, so you know exactly what to provide.
Evidence submission on your behalf — the Amenitiz team reviews your response and submits it to the issuing bank through our Stripe dashboard. You never have to interact with Stripe directly.
Fee invoicing — the dispute fee is billed on a separate invoice so your accounting stays clean.
Fund reversal on a lost case — if the dispute is lost, Amenitiz automatically records the refund and reverses the transfer, so your payout report reflects reality.
Stripe Radar — card payments processed via Amenitiz Pay are screened by Stripe's built-in fraud detection to block suspicious transactions before they become disputes.
Tip: The most important thing you can do when a dispute opens is return the Typeform quickly and completely. The more detail you provide — booking confirmation, guest communication, cancellation policy, proof of stay — the higher the chance of winning the case.
FAQs
Do I submit evidence myself?
Do I submit evidence myself?
No. You do not have access to the Amenitiz Pay Stripe account. When a dispute opens, the Amenitiz team sends you a Typeform asking for all the information the issuing bank needs. Once you return it, we submit the evidence to the bank on your behalf through our Stripe dashboard.
Can I cancel a dispute if the guest agrees to withdraw it?
Can I cancel a dispute if the guest agrees to withdraw it?
No. Once a dispute has been opened by the bank, only the guest's bank can close it. If the guest agrees the charge is valid, ask them to contact their bank directly — but you should still fill in the Typeform within the deadline in case the bank does not withdraw the dispute in time.
Will I get the dispute fee back if I win?
Will I get the dispute fee back if I win?
No. The dispute fee covers processing costs applied by the card network and is charged as soon as the dispute opens, regardless of the outcome.
How long does a dispute take to resolve?
How long does a dispute take to resolve?
It depends on the card network and the issuing bank. The window to submit evidence is typically 7 to 21 days, and the bank can take up to 3 months to reach a final decision.
What happens if I don't complete the Typeform in time?
What happens if I don't complete the Typeform in time?
If you do not return the Typeform before the deadline, Amenitiz cannot submit evidence to the issuing bank and the dispute is lost automatically. The disputed amount is not recovered and the transfer is reversed from your balance.
Is a refund the same as a dispute?
Is a refund the same as a dispute?
No. A refund is an action you choose to take: you return the payment to the guest voluntarily, at no extra cost. A dispute is initiated by the guest through their bank, carries a fee, and locks funds until resolved. When a guest is unhappy, issuing a refund quickly is usually the best option for both sides.