Chargeflow Automation handles your chargeback disputes end-to-end — collecting evidence, building the case, and submitting to the applicable payment processor or card network on your behalf, automatically. To get the best possible outcome in every case, there are a few things that work best when you're in the loop too. This article explains how the process works and what you can do to set your disputes up for success.
How submission deadlines work
Every chargeback has a hard deadline set by the applicable payment processor or card network. These deadlines are fixed and non-negotiable — if a response isn't submitted in time, the dispute is automatically lost regardless of the merits of the case.
Chargeflow's automated system is built to meet these deadlines every time. When a deadline is approaching and sufficient time for additional review is no longer available, the system will submit the dispute based on the best available information at that time — including cases where the deadline is within 24 hours.
Why the 5-day window matters
Chargeflow's automation works best when it has complete, up-to-date information to work with. To give your case the strongest possible response, any additional evidence you'd like included should be uploaded at least 5 calendar days before the chargeback deadline (or within the window set in your Automation Control settings).
Once evidence is in the system, Chargeflow's automation reviews, formats, and incorporates it into your dispute response — following the strict requirements of each payment processor or card network. Evidence that arrives after this window, particularly when the case is already in final preparation or has been submitted, may not be incorporated.
If you need more time to gather or upload evidence, consider extending your delay window in Automation Control — we recommend setting it to 20 days after the initiation date or 5 days before the due date to give yourself the most room to act.
What happens after a dispute is submitted
Once Chargeflow's system has submitted a dispute response to the applicable payment processor, card network, or financial institution, the submission generally cannot be recalled or replaced. Requests to modify, add to, or withdraw a submitted response are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, subject to:
Whether the deadline has passed
Whether the processor or network allows amendments
Whether there is sufficient time to action the request
Requests received less than 24 hours before a deadline cannot be guaranteed under any circumstances.
How to set your case up for success
Connect all relevant integrations during onboarding — order data, subscription data, tracking, and customer communications give Chargeflow the strongest foundation to work from automatically
Watch for "Optimize Dispute" cases and email notifications — when Chargeflow identifies a dispute that could benefit from additional evidence, the case will appear as "Optimize Dispute" in your dashboard, and you may also receive an email notification prompting you to upload supporting documents. Acting on these promptly gives the system the best chance of building the strongest possible response.
Upload evidence proactively — if you have relevant information (a refund you issued, a delivery confirmation, a customer message), don't wait. Upload it directly through the app. (See: How to Upload Evidence for Disputes)
Reach out early if your situation changes — if you've resolved a dispute directly with a customer, let us know as soon as possible so we don't submit a response unnecessarily.
What about older or recently onboarded disputes?
If you had open chargebacks before connecting to Chargeflow, we'll do our best to address them — but disputes that were already open at the time of onboarding may have limited options depending on how much time is left on the deadline. The closer a dispute is to its deadline when we receive it, the less room the system has to build a strong response.
If you have pre-existing disputes, reach out to our support team so we can assess what's still actionable.
📋 For more information on submission timelines and merchant responsibilities, please refer to Sections 4.2.1, 4.3 and 4.4 of the Chargeflow Terms of Service.
Need Help?
Reach our support team anytime via 24/7 Live Chat or at support@chargeflow.io.