Visa's refund-failure code, decided on the merchant's refund records and the policy governing the original sale.
Visa 13.6 has an unusual feature among consumer-dispute codes: the right outcome is often not to fight. If the cardholder is owed a refund and the merchant has not issued it, the merchant should issue the refund and accept the chargeback rather than try to defend an indefensible position at representment. The cases worth fighting are the ones where the cardholder is not owed a refund (return outside the policy window, condition issues, partial-refund disagreements) and the merchant can document why.
How the dispute actually arrives
A 13.6 typically arrives between two and six weeks after the cardholder expected the refund. The notification cites the original transaction, the amount the cardholder says they are owed, and the cardholder's account of the return or cancellation. The merchant has 30 days to respond.
The pattern is most common in two situations: e-commerce returns where the refund timing slipped past the cardholder's patience, and subscription cancellations where the merchant declined a refund the cardholder believed they were entitled to. Both are defensible only with documentation.
What the issuer is looking for
Issuers reviewing a 13.6 ask one question: was the refund owed, and if so, was it issued. The answer is straightforward where the records exist. The merchant either issued the refund or did not. If issued, the refund record (date, amount, method) resolves the case. If not issued, the merchant must show why no refund was due.
The return or cancellation policy as accepted by the cardholder at point of sale is the foundation of the no-refund-was-due argument. A no-refund-after-30-days policy that the cardholder accepted at checkout is defensible. A no-refund-after-30-days policy that the cardholder never saw is not.
For physical goods, the condition of the returned merchandise can decide the case. If the policy required the goods to be unused and the returned items were used, the merchant has grounds. If the policy was silent on condition, the merchant does not.
For partial refunds, the documented amount the merchant and cardholder agreed to is the centerpiece. A communication trail showing the cardholder accepted a partial refund (restocking fee, shipping deduction) closes the case. A unilateral merchant decision to partial-refund without documented agreement is harder to defend.
Common scenarios merchants see
A returned physical product where the refund has not arrived within the policy window. If the return tracking shows the package was received but the refund has not been issued, the merchant has limited grounds. The right move is usually to issue the refund and accept the chargeback, then close the gap in operations.
A cancelled service where the merchant issued store credit and the cardholder wanted a refund to the original card. The defense is the policy at point of sale that stated store credit as the remedy. Without that policy, the cardholder generally wins.
A partial refund the cardholder believes should have been a full refund. The communication trail decides it. If the merchant explained the partial-refund calculation and the cardholder did not object before the chargeback, the merchant is protected. If the merchant unilaterally partial-refunded, the case is harder.
A refund issued to an expired or closed card account. Visa rules require the issuer to apply credits to the cardholder's available account; a refund that bounces back is the issuer's problem, not the merchant's, but the merchant must document that the refund was attempted.
What this code is not
Reason code 13.6 is not a non-receipt claim and not a fraud claim. If the cardholder says they never received the goods, the dispute belongs under Visa 13.1 (merchandise or services not received). If they say the charge was unauthorized, it belongs under Visa 10.4. If the cancellation is about a recurring subscription, Visa 13.2 is the narrower code.
Where this fits in our service
Visa reason code 13.6 is a code we are honest about. Where the refund was owed and not issued, we recommend refunding rather than drafting. Where the refund was not owed under a documented policy the cardholder accepted, we draft the rebuttal letter built from that policy, the communication trail, and the condition records. If you are reading this because you just received one, you can start with a free first letter.
Official source: Visa rules. Last reviewed 2026-05-11.