Visa 13.2: Cancelled Recurring Transaction: How to Respond and Win

Network: Visa · Reason code 13.2 · Covers Stripe, Shopify Payments, PayPal, Braintree and Adyen

What reason code 13.2 means

Cancelled Recurring Transaction is a Visa reason code (legacy code 41). The cardholder claims they attempted to cancel a recurring subscription or installment billing, and were billed anyway after the cancellation request.

The evidence that wins this code

• Cancellation policy accepted at signup (timestamped)
• Proof the cancellation request was processed BEFORE the billing date (support ticket, email, account change log)
• Proof of continued service use after the alleged cancellation date (login records, API usage)
• Subscription terms showing the cancellation procedure the cardholder agreed to
• Refund or cancellation confirmation already issued, if applicable

Defense strategy

Show the cancellation never happened the way the cardholder claims: either no cancellation request was received before the billing date, or service continued in use after it. If a cancellation did land late (after billing), refund proactively and document it. Timestamped cancellation-request logs are the center of this defense.

How to respond, by gateway

Stripe

Stripe specifics for this dispute

• Deadline: 7-21 days depending on card network (check the Stripe dashboard deadline for your dispute)
• Where to submit: Stripe Dashboard → Payments → the disputed charge → Submit evidence. Stripe also supports automated dispute evidence with webhooks.
• Fee impact: Stripe charges a $15 fee when the dispute is received, kept win or lose. If you submit evidence (counter the dispute), a second $15 applies and that one is refunded when you win.
• Stripe quirk: Stripe requires evidence fields submitted via their structured form or API fields (uncategorized_text for anything else).

PayPal

PayPal specifics for this dispute

• Deadline: 10 days to respond to an 'Item Not Received' or 'Significantly Not As Described' claim
• Where to submit: PayPal Resolution Center → the case → Add Response. PayPal Seller Protection can shift liability entirely if shipping proof meets their terms.
• Fee impact: PayPal keeps the original transaction fee even on a refund; no separate chargeback fee for most seller cases.
• PayPal quirk: PayPal disputes are claims under their own flow, not card-network chargebacks, until the buyer escalates. Seller Protection criteria: proof of delivery to the address on the transaction, online tracking, signature for high-value orders.

Braintree

Braintree specifics for this dispute

• Deadline: network deadline shown per dispute (typically 7-14 days); Braintree emails a new-dispute notification
• Where to submit: Braintree Control Panel → Transactions → Disputed → Submit Evidence. Evidence text fields map to network evidence types.
• Fee impact: $15 per dispute (US), waived if the dispute is won.
• Braintree quirk: Braintree (a PayPal service) passes network chargebacks through under raw network rules. The evidence categories follow the card network, not Braintree's own taxonomy.

Adyen

Adyen specifics for this dispute

• Deadline: defense period shown in the Customer Area per dispute (usually 14-21 days)
• Where to submit: Adyen Customer Area → Transactions → Disputes → Defend. Adyen supports API-driven defense document upload (disputes/defend endpoints).
• Fee impact: Adyen passes the network chargeback fee through; amounts vary by scheme and region.
• Adyen quirk: Adyen's Defense Reasons map each network code to structured defense types. Choose the one matching your evidence, or Adyen defaults to a generic defense that loses specificity.

Response deadlines and fees at a glance

The gateway dashboard shows your exact deadline. At network level: Visa gives merchants up to 30 days to respond from the dispute date (the cardholder had up to 120 days to file, code-dependent). The dispute clock started when the issuer filed the case.

Frequently asked questions

What is the deadline for 13.2?

The gateway dashboard shows your exact date. Visa allows up to 30 days to respond; the cardholder had up to 120 days to file.

What if the customer really tried to cancel?

If a cancellation request arrived after billing, refund proactively and document it. Fighting a legitimate cancellation attempt loses the dispute and risks a second chargeback.

What ChargeGuard does with reason code 13.2

ChargeGuard maps this code to the exact evidence list above, checks your evidence vault for completeness, and drafts a network-compliant response you review before submission. The flow is identical whether the dispute landed in Stripe, Shopify Payments, PayPal, Braintree or Adyen.

Try ChargeGuard free for 14 days. No credit card required.