Requirement
In order to dispute a card transaction and initiate a refund, both technical and legal requirements must be met. There are no exceptions to the following points:
Mastercard’s 120-Day Rule: Mastercard has a strict 120-day rule. This means that a refund process must be fully initiated within 120 days of the transaction date. It is technically no longer possible to initiate a chargeback after these 120 days have elapsed. We therefore recommend that you report the fraud to us immediately upon becoming aware of it. You are responsible for ensuring that the refund form is submitted complete and error-free within this time frame, either by email to support@finway.de or via the chat where you have already reported the fraud.
A fully and accurately completed refund form: Simply reporting credit card fraud is not sufficient to receive a refund. You must complete the refund form explained in this article and attached below, and submit it to a finway support agent via chat or email (support@finway.de). If the form is submitted incomplete or contains errors, it must be corrected. Please make sure to provide all information accurately and truthfully. Mastercard takes this policy very seriously and immediately rejects applications that contain errors. Our support team reviews every form before forwarding it to Mastercard to maximize your chances of success.
Potential blockers:
To successfully dispute a credit card fraud claim, the following factors must be taken into account beforehand:
3DS verification (two-factor authentication): If a 3DS verification was performed during a transaction, this drastically reduces the chances of a successful chargeback. From a purely legal standpoint, a transaction can still be disputed; however, merchants and their banks typically cite the successful 3DS authentication as grounds for denial. Unless merchants and banks are willing to be accommodating in such cases, the refund is usually denied.
Cost-Effectiveness of Refunds: A refund is only cost-effective if the transaction value exceeds the applicable processing fees. These fees are charged per disputed transaction and may vary. You can contact our support team to inquire about the exact costs. According to our Terms and Conditions, the standard fee is 50 € per transaction. We explain the topic of costs in the following paragraph of this article.
Not fraud, but failure to fulfill the contract by the merchant: If there is no credit card fraud, but a merchant you paid has failed to fulfill the contract, you can still initiate a refund. In this case, however, Mastercard requires proof that you have contacted the merchant in writing and requested a voluntary refund or fulfillment of the service. This correspondence must be documented (e.g., as a PDF or screenshot) and submitted along with the refund form.
What about the fees for business customers (B2B)?
We are fully aware of how frustrating and stressful a case of credit card fraud can be. In such situations, we want to support you as transparently and fairly as possible.
Occasionally, we are asked why fees are charged when processing refunds in the business customer sector (B2B), while this is prohibited by law for personal customer accounts (B2C).
German law draws a clear line here: Consumers enjoy strictly regulated legal protection under which banks are not allowed to pass on any costs. However, this strict regulation does not apply to contracts between businesses (B2B). In these cases, the law allows banks and payment service providers to contractually stipulate and pass on the costs associated with the administrative effort involved in processing refunds (chargebacks).
Very important to know: We don’t make any money off this! The fees we charge in such cases are not hidden costs or additional revenue for us. They are simply a pass-through of the processing fees that the bank and Mastercard charge us for reversing the transaction. So we don’t earn a single cent from these amounts; we’re merely covering the external costs.
Chargeback Form:
Please fill out the form completely and accurately. If the form is filled out incorrectly, it may result in significant delays or even rejection of your refund.
Header:
Name: Cardholder's first name
Surname: Cardholder's last name
Company name: Full name of the company to which the card is registered. (Do not leave out any information or abbreviations. Use the official company name, not internal abbreviations.)
Email or Account Token ID: Cardholder’s email address
Card Number: The last 4 digits of the card
Valid Thru: Card expiration date, e.g., 12/26
for Example:
List of disputed transactions / DETAILS OF DISPUTED TRANSACTION(S):
Enter each transaction individually.
Transaction date: Enter the transaction date here.
Merchant name: Enter the merchant's name here.
Transaction amount&curr.: Enter the actual transaction amount and currency here.
Disputed amount&curr.: Enter the transaction amount you wish to dispute here.
Example: For a credit card fraud case of €50.00, the “Transaction amount & curr.” column would show €50.00 and the “Disputed amount & curr.” column would show €50.00.
Transaction token or FinId (for internal use): Leave this column blank. This is for later processing.
for Example:
DECLARATION: I dispute the above listed transactions due to the following reasons:
Credit Card Fraud:
Fraudulent/unauthorized transaction (card must be blocked): Check this box if the card was used by a credit card fraudster.
The card was in my possession during transaction processing:
YES: The card was in your possession when the transactions were processed. For virtual cards, check this box.
NO: Check this box if your physical card was stolen.
My card was lost/stolen on [date]: Enter “unknown” here or the date the card was stolen.
for Example:
Other Possible Reasons for a Chargeback:
Merchant charged the payment twice and refuses to issue a refund: Duplicate transaction,
ATM did not dispense cash: ATM service not received,
Merchant did not fulfill the order: Goods or services were not received,
Goods or services were not as described or defective, includes shipped merchandise received damaged or not suitable for its purpose,
Merchant did not apply a discount: Credit not processed,
Cancelled subscription continues to be charged: Cancelled subscription / recurring transaction
Incorrect transaction amount
Signature and Date:
Date: Enter the date the document was completed here.
Regards: The cardholder must sign here. Electronic signatures (such as DocuSign) are permitted. Alternatively, the document can be printed, signed by hand, and scanned back in.
z.B.:
Special Considerations:
Just as you have the right to dispute a transaction, the merchant and the merchant’s bank also have the option to respond to this dispute and contest it. This is common practice, particularly in the United States, where merchants and banks often contest disputes on the grounds that the service was properly provided.
In such cases, Mastercard subsequently requests a written statement from the cardholder. To expedite this process and avoid lengthy delays, it is advisable to include a letter in English with the dispute form in advance. In this letter, you proactively explain that the card is registered to a German company and that the service was not received.
Attached you will find a corresponding template (the statement must be written in English):
Explanation:
The card in question is a corporate debit card for the company “Mustermann GmbH,” headquartered in Germany. The card is issued to me, “Max Mustermann,” as an employee. The transaction was not made by me or any other employee.
Only I know the card details, and they were not made publicly available through gross negligence. The card details were apparently compromised and used by a fraudster. We neither received nor ordered the service.
Sincerely,
Cardholder
Signature
last updatet 09.Jul.2026