# Chargebacks and disputes

https://www.uniwebpay.com/guides/chargebacks-disputes-singapore/

*Last updated: 2026-08-03*

A chargeback is a cardholder disputing a transaction with their issuer, not with you — and the money is pulled back out of your account while it is decided. It is a scheme process with deadlines and evidence requirements, it is not the same as a refund, and the businesses most exposed to it are the ones that take payment long before they deliver.

**In short**

- The customer goes to their bank, not to you. You find out after the money has moved.
- A refund is something you choose to give. A chargeback is something done to you.
- It runs on deadlines. Missing one loses the case regardless of the merits.
- Evidence is operational — delivery proof, signed terms, the receipt — and is assembled before the dispute, not after.
- Highest exposure: prepaid packages, tuition, advance bookings — anything paid for long before delivery.

## What actually happens, in order

The cardholder contacts the bank that issued their card and disputes the transaction. Depending on the scheme and the reason, the issuer may raise a chargeback immediately or first send a request for information.

The amount is debited from the merchant’s account, usually before the merchant has had any chance to respond. This is the part that surprises people: the money moves first and the argument happens afterwards.

The merchant is notified through their acquirer and given a window to respond with evidence — a representment. The issuer then either accepts it, in which case the funds return, or rejects it, in which case they do not. Some schemes have a further escalation stage beyond that, and it is rarely worth using for a small ticket.

Every stage has a deadline, and the deadlines are the part that loses cases. A merchant who has a complete answer and files it a day late has lost, on the same terms as a merchant with no answer at all.

## Chargeback, refund, and void — three different things

**Which one you are looking at**

|  | Who starts it | When | Cost |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Void | You | Before the transaction settles | Nothing moves at all |
| Refund | You | After settlement | The amount goes back out |
| Chargeback | The cardholder, via their issuer | Any time inside the scheme window | The amount, plus administration, plus the time |

The operational consequence is that a fast, easy refund is the cheapest chargeback prevention there is. A customer who can get their money back by asking you does not usually call their bank. A customer who has to chase you for two weeks does.

That is one of the arguments for a terminal where a member of staff can search the transaction and void or refund it on the device, rather than raising a support request and waiting. On a Sunmi P3 that is how it works; on some setups it is not, and the difference shows up in the dispute rate rather than on the rate card.

## What evidence actually helps, by dispute type

The useful thing to understand is that the evidence is different depending on what is being alleged, and almost all of it has to exist before the dispute does.

**Roughly, and it varies by scheme**

| What the customer says | What tends to answer it |
| --- | --- |
| "I did not make this purchase" | Card-present data from the terminal; for online, the checkout record, delivery address and any authentication that was performed. |
| "I never received it" | Proof of delivery or collection, with a name and a date. For a service, the appointment record. |
| "It was not as described" | Your published description, the terms shown at purchase, and any communication about it. |
| "I cancelled" | Your cancellation policy as shown at the time of purchase, and the record of what the customer was told. |
| "I was charged twice" | The transaction records showing two distinct sales, or a refund already issued. |

> **The four habits that prevent most of them**
> - A receipt that names what was bought, not just an amount.
> - A trading name on the statement that matches the name on the shopfront. Mismatched descriptors cause disputes from customers who simply did not recognise the line.
> - Terms and a cancellation policy shown at the point of purchase, not linked in a footer.
> - Refunds handled quickly, in person, without a ticket.
>

## Which businesses carry the exposure

It is not about how much you sell, it is about the gap between payment and delivery. The longer that gap, the more chances there are for something to change in between.

Prepaid packages — salons, aesthetics, gyms, anywhere a customer pays for ten sessions and takes the first one. The remaining nine are an outstanding obligation, and a dispute over them can arrive months later. [The wellness page](https://www.uniwebpay.com/industries/beauty-and-wellness/) treats this as the trade’s defining payments question rather than a footnote.

Tuition and long courses — a twelve-month programme paid up front, frequently card-not-present and frequently paid by a parent who is not the student, is a long delivery period and an underwriting fact as well as a dispute one. [The education page](https://www.uniwebpay.com/industries/education-and-study-abroad/) covers it.

Advance bookings and ticketing — sold weeks ahead, card-not-present, and cancelled by weather, illness or a change of plan. [The attractions page](https://www.uniwebpay.com/industries/attractions-and-tourism/) covers the split between advance and gate sales.

A shop where the customer walks out with the goods carries the least of it, which is worth knowing when a provider quotes you as though every merchant were the same risk.

## What to ask a provider — and what we do not publish

Ask before you need the answer, because the moment you need it you will be inside a deadline.

1. How am I notified of a dispute, and how fast?
2. Where do I upload evidence, and can I see the status?
3. What is the deadline I am working to, and does it come from you or from the scheme?
4. Is there an administration fee, and is it charged whether or not I win?
5. Does anyone review my submission before it goes, or is it passed through?

Uniweb Pay does not publish its chargeback handling specifics — the fees, the internal timelines, or the process detail. That is stated here rather than filled in with something plausible. If dispute handling is a material part of your decision, ask us directly and ask every other provider the same five questions, in writing.

What is published: disputes are handled through the merchant account you hold with us, alongside the settlement and reporting for it, rather than through a separate arrangement. And a general point that is true of every provider — nobody can promise you will win a dispute, and a provider who implies otherwise is describing a process they do not control.

## Questions merchants ask

**What is a chargeback?**

A cardholder disputing a transaction with the bank that issued their card. The amount is debited from the merchant’s account while it is decided, and the merchant responds with evidence through their acquirer.

**Is a chargeback the same as a refund?**

No. A refund is something the merchant chooses to give. A chargeback is initiated by the cardholder through their issuer, runs on scheme deadlines, and usually carries an administration cost on top of the disputed amount.

**What is the best way to reduce chargebacks?**

Make refunds fast and easy, make sure the name on the customer’s statement matches your shopfront, show terms and cancellation policy at the point of purchase, and put what was bought on the receipt.

**Which businesses get the most disputes?**

Those with the longest gap between payment and delivery: prepaid packages, tuition and long courses, and advance bookings. A shop where the customer leaves with the goods carries the least.

**Does Uniweb Pay publish its chargeback fees and process?**

No. Chargeback handling specifics are not published. Ask us directly if it is material to your decision, and ask other providers the same questions in writing.

## Related guides

- [Settlement and reconciliation](https://www.uniwebpay.com/guides/settlement-and-reconciliation-singapore/)
- [Taking payment at a Singapore salon, aesthetics clinic or wellness studio](https://www.uniwebpay.com/industries/beauty-and-wellness/)
- [Taking tuition and agency fees in Singapore](https://www.uniwebpay.com/industries/education-and-study-abroad/)
- [PCI DSS: what a Singapore merchant actually has to do](https://www.uniwebpay.com/guides/pci-dss-singapore-merchants/)

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