Match your evidence to the dispute reason the issuer actually gave
Start with the exact dispute reason and claim shown in the provider's case, then select records that directly answer that claim for the disputed payment and amount. Delivery records address receipt; the description shown when ordering addresses what was offered; a provider refund record addresses the attempted credit. None proves every other issue. In Stripe's documented response flow, evidence is submitted once and cannot be edited afterward. Work to the case's actual deadline and channel, preserve contradictions, and have the authorized owner decide whether to accept or challenge.
For: An owner or authorized support lead at a research-only merchant preparing evidence for an actual payment dispute.
Use the case's allegation as the evidence question
Open the provider's dispute record and retain its exact reason, any accompanying explanation, disputed amount, payment reference, submission channel and deadline with its time zone. The reason communicates the cardholder's claim through the provider and issuer process; it does not prove the allegation true. Do not replace it with the complaint your team remembers or the reason you think the buyer should have selected.
Stripe distinguishes formal disputes from inquiries and early fraud warnings. Confirm which record is open before using this workflow. A formal dispute reverses the payment and Stripe debits the disputed amount plus a dispute fee; that debit is a consequence of the process, not a finding that your records are false. The issuer decides a challenged dispute. Another provider or a non-card method can have different instructions.
Write the factual question the record asks you to answer. Then connect each candidate document to that question and the same order or payment. Keep the full chronology internally, but select relevant evidence from it instead of submitting an undifferentiated history. If the account's reason and narrative appear inconsistent, preserve both and ask the provider how to address the case within the existing deadline.
Separate payment recognition from receipt of goods
For an unrecognized-charge claim, compare the merchant identity shown in the payment record with the contemporaneous receipt, order acknowledgment and relevant communications. These can help connect the charge to the order and the business the buyer encountered. A recognizable business name may explain the context, but it is not proof that a particular person authorized the payment. Follow the actual case's requested evidence rather than claiming that a shipped parcel alone establishes authorization.
For a product-not-received claim, select the fulfillment and carrier records that connect the disputed order to the shipment and its actual delivery events. Verify that the evidence belongs to this order and the relevant shipment; distinguish dispatch from delivery and preserve missing or contradictory events. A tracking status does not automatically resolve a buyer's report that the goods were not received. Explain what the carrier recorded and what the record leaves unanswered.
Stripe's prevention guidance recommends tracking and delivery confirmation for physical goods and states that issuers do not follow tracking links. Preserve the actual carrier evidence and include a readable screenshot when using that tracking as evidence. Do not fabricate a scan, crop away a relevant exception or substitute an internal shipped label for a carrier event.
Answer description, refund and amount claims with their own records
For a product-not-as-described claim, compare the specific discrepancy alleged with the listing, selected variant, description or other terms actually shown for that purchase, plus the order and relevant communications. Identify the version and date of the material you retained. A current page revised after the order cannot by itself establish what the buyer saw then. A delivery record addresses arrival and does not establish that the contents matched the description.
For a refund-not-processed claim, use the actual provider refund reference, amount, status and date, alongside the commitment communicated to the buyer. Distinguish a requested refund from one the provider recorded, and a pending or failed refund from a completed one. If the evidence shows the credit remains unresolved, say that; a refund policy or staff promise alone does not establish that funds were returned. A refund and an open dispute on the same payment require the provider's overlap instructions, not an extra refund used as a shortcut.
For a duplicate or incorrect-amount claim, compare the identified payment records with the original order total, currency, receipt and any documented adjustments. Explain which records represent distinct purchases or amounts only when those records establish that distinction. Two store records are not automatically proof of two authorized charges. If the amount cannot be reconciled, preserve the gap rather than inventing an explanation that favors the business.
Make every selected file answer a stated point
For each item retained, write a short factual explanation of what it shows and why that matters to the claim. Identify the date and connection to the disputed transaction. Remove irrelevant duplication, while retaining any material contradiction. Keep original records unchanged in the merchant's authorized system; any organized submission must remain faithful to them.
Use the provider's evidence fields and file requirements for the actual case. Include the record itself in the supported form where requested, rather than expecting the issuer to visit a website. Do not recreate a missing historical page or manufacture a screenshot to fill a gap. A gap can affect the owner's decision to challenge, but the worksheet must make it visible.
Keep customer communications because they can explain the sequence and the specific issue raised. Select the relevant exchange with enough context to preserve its meaning. Full customer exports, card numbers, authentication codes and unrelated personal information do not belong in this worksheet or an ordinary consultation message. Handle the provider's required case evidence through its authorized channel.
Make the decision before the one submission
Stripe documents a limited response window and says missing it loses the dispute. Its response is submitted once through the Dashboard or API and cannot be edited afterward. Use the deadline actually shown in the case; gathering more material or sending a support inquiry does not establish an extension. Keep the final evidence decision with the person authorized to accept or challenge and submit.
Before submission, that owner should be able to identify the allegation, the records that address it, unresolved gaps and the actual response channel. Evidence can support the business's position without guaranteeing the issuer will accept it. Preserve the submitted version and the provider's confirmation in the case record.
If recurring order or checkout record gaps make evidence hard to assemble, describe those gaps in a scoped Prism checkout-review consultation. Agree any assistance and responsibilities before work. A consultation request does not submit the dispute, assign deadline coverage or determine the issuer's outcome.
Reason-to-evidence match sheet
Complete only the claim rows relevant to the actual case, plus the deadline row. Record non-sensitive document references, the exact point each supports and any gap. This is a selection aid, not the provider's submission form or a prediction of the result.
Worksheet entries are not submitted by Prism’s worksheet and are not saved by the site. Use record types, availability, anonymized observations, or match/mismatch results. Do not enter government identifiers, customer names or addresses, customer messages, receipt-access links, card or bank details, passwords, or keys. Send sensitive documents only through the provider’s verified secure channel.
Reason-to-evidence match sheet. The last column is for temporary notes.
Claim or constraint
Records to select
What those records cannot establish alone
Your match and gap
Unrecognized charge
Records to selectContemporaneous merchant identity, payment reference, receipt, order acknowledgment and relevant communications tied to the charge.
What those records cannot establish aloneRecognizable naming or a delivery event does not by itself establish the cardholder's authorization.
Product not received
Records to selectOrder-to-shipment association, carrier events and available delivery confirmation; preserve a readable tracking screenshot for the issuer.
What those records cannot establish aloneDispatch is not delivery; a delivery scan does not erase a conflicting buyer report or establish that the wrong order's evidence applies.
Product not as described
Records to selectThe alleged discrepancy, retained purchase-time listing or variant, order details and relevant communications.
What those records cannot establish aloneToday's revised page does not prove the earlier offer; arrival does not prove the contents matched that offer.
Refund not processed
Records to selectThe promised credit compared with the provider refund reference, amount, dated status and relevant messages.
What those records cannot establish aloneA promise or policy is not evidence that a refund succeeded. Preserve a pending, failed or missing refund as such.
Duplicate or incorrect amount
Records to selectThe disputed references, original order total and currency, payment records, receipt and documented adjustments.
What those records cannot establish aloneTwo order entries alone do not prove two valid charges. An unreconciled amount needs explanation from real records.
Deadline and submission owner
Records to selectExact deadline with time zone, case type, permitted channel and the person authorized to submit the selected evidence.
What those records cannot establish aloneThe worksheet and a provider inquiry do not submit a response or extend the window. Stripe's documented submission cannot be edited afterward.
These are temporary notes. Leaving or reloading this page may clear them. Worksheet entries are not sent automatically. If you copy notes into the consultation message and submit the form, Prism receives them as part of your request.
Limits
The dispute reason is an allegation to address, not proof of the allegation or permission to alter records.
Stripe's one-submission flow and the cited card-dispute guidance apply to Stripe's documented process; use the actual provider, method, deadline and evidence requirements.
The issuer decides the outcome. Neither an evidence worksheet nor a Prism consultation guarantees a win or provides unagreed deadline coverage.
Stripe respond to disputes — checked 2026-09-21. A formal dispute can be accepted or challenged within a limited window. Evidence is submitted once through the Dashboard or API and cannot be edited; missing the window loses the dispute. Communication records should be retained and the issuer decides the outcome.
Stripe, how disputes work — checked 2026-09-21. Distinguishes inquiries and early fraud warnings from formal disputes, explains the disputed-amount debit, and says refunds cannot be issued outside an open dispute process.
Stripe dispute and fraud prevention — checked 2026-09-21. Recommends recognizable merchant naming, customer contact routes, tracking and delivery confirmation. Issuers do not follow tracking links, so tracking evidence needs a screenshot; the guidance does not determine a particular case.
Stripe disputes — checked 2026-09-21. A cardholder questions a payment with the issuer; a formal dispute reverses the payment and Stripe debits the payment amount and a dispute fee.
Get help with store operations
Need help with the order, email or fulfillment step itself?