So far I have lost two chargebacks. As a merchant selling and shipping physical products we are very focused on shipping and delivery times. The two chargebacks i lost were Subscription based orders that the customers signed up for willingly. Both customers recieved products on time and there is successful delivery. Our terms and conditions only apply refunds to damaged products. Despite full evidence and proof that these customers do not have a canceled subscription and received the product, we are losing. Shopify is of no help. What are other merchants doing to avoid this? One customer also had recieved 12 orders before deciding to chargeback the last one they recieved. How is this fair to merchants?
It’s not fair, that’s why there’s a market for chargeback protection. Chargeflow, Chargeback, Signifyd, all specialize in this.
But the unfairness does go both ways.. The data says that there could be upwards of 20% of all Shopify stores that are fraudulent or dangerous to consumers… That’s a pretty big number, and fraudulent stores vastly outweigh fraudulent customers.
Subscription chargebacks are tough because the card networks tend to side with the customer on recurring charges, even when the merchant has proof of delivery.
A few things that helped merchants I’ve worked with reduce these:
First, make sure your billing descriptor is super clear. If the customer sees a charge they don’t recognize on their statement, that’s often what triggers the dispute. Include your brand name and “subscription” in the descriptor if possible.
Second, send a reminder email 3-5 days before each renewal. Something like “your next order is shipping soon, here’s what to expect.” It reduces the “I didn’t know I was being charged” disputes significantly.
Third, make your cancellation flow obvious and easy to find. A lot of subscription chargebacks happen because the customer couldn’t figure out how to cancel. If cancellation is two clicks away, they’ll cancel instead of calling their bank.
For the dispute evidence itself, the order history showing 12 previous successful deliveries is actually strong evidence. Did you include that full history in your chargeback response? Sometimes merchants only submit the disputed order’s tracking instead of the full relationship timeline.
What reason code did the bank give for the chargeback? That changes the strategy for responding.
I have all possible email reminders set up that occur prior to a active aubscription being charged, as well as when payment doesnt process for some reason. Billing statements have our shop name, and we are a LLC. We have very clear access to manage accounts that appear on all emails that have “manage my account” and its all on our website as well. I showed the bank all the last 12 orders that were successfull as well. The reason code was just “subscription cancelled” however the customer had two active subscriptions the entire time that went out same day every month. they only cancelled one and not the other one. I showed the bank this and i still lost.
Well in my experience Shopify has been very picky about having the correct info so my Shop can stay open. I have had to submit EINs to prove who we are. I would find it incredibly difficult to try and open a fraudulent store in Shopify without some real Tax Docs, LLC papers etc…Even my social, bank info i submitted to them.
Oh and also, Shopify doesnt show me emails that are sent to customers either, just the check box i have set up to send customers those reminders. I have tested this with a “dummy” order/subscription i have open in my name so i can see what comes through
That’s a frustrating gap. For the email proof side, check your Shopify email notification logs under Settings > Notifications. It won’t show you the actual email content, but the order timeline should at least log when automated emails were sent. If you’re using a subscription app like Recharge or Bold, those usually keep their own email logs too which can be stronger evidence.
For the “subscription cancelled” reason code specifically, the strongest response is usually showing that the customer only cancelled one of two active subscriptions. That proves they understood how to cancel and chose not to cancel the other one. Screenshots of the cancellation action with timestamps alongside the still-active subscription are hard for the bank to argue with.
Are you using a third-party subscription app or Shopify’s native subscriptions?
For “subscription cancelled,” I’d structure the evidence around customer control and intent, not just delivery.
The strongest packet would show:
- The customer had two active subscriptions
- They successfully cancelled one subscription
- The disputed subscription remained active
- Renewal reminders were sent before billing
- Product was shipped and delivered after the active renewal
- Cancellation/refund policy was visible before renewal
The key point is: the customer knew how to cancel because they cancelled one subscription, but did not cancel the disputed one. I’d put that logic on the first page before adding tracking screenshots.
For subscription disputes, delivery proof is only one part of the file. If the reason code is closer to “subscription cancelled” or “recurring transaction not authorized,” I would build the response around customer control and subscription status, not only shipping.
The packet I would prepare for a case like this:
1. subscription timeline: signup date, renewal dates, billing dates, cancellation date if any
2. screenshot/export showing the customer had two subscriptions and which one was cancelled
3. proof that the disputed subscription remained active at the billing date
4. renewal reminder logs and any available email content
5. checkout/subscription terms shown at signup, especially cancellation timing
6. 12-order history showing prior accepted renewals, if that applies to the same customer
7. fulfillment and delivery proof for the disputed order
8. a short first-page narrative that ties each exhibit to the exact dispute reason
I would put the strongest subscription-control evidence first. If the reviewer sees only tracking and policy screenshots, they may still treat it as a cancelled-recurring-payment claim. If Shopify only shows reminder checkmarks, check whether the subscription app has fuller email logs or event history; those are often more useful than the Shopify order screen alone.
For prevention, I would preserve a copy of each renewal reminder, the cancellation link/page customers saw, and the subscription status at the moment of billing. That makes the next dispute file much easier to read.
For subscription chargebacks, delivery proof is usually not enough by itself. I would build the dispute response around the subscription timeline.
The evidence packet should make these points obvious:
- when the customer first subscribed
- each successful prior renewal/order
- whether renewal reminder emails were sent
- whether the disputed subscription was still active at the charge date
- whether they cancelled a different subscription but not this one
- delivery proof for the disputed order
- refund/cancellation policy visible before purchase
- any customer messages before the chargeback
The main goal is to remove ambiguity. A reviewer should not have to infer that the customer still had an active subscription; the timeline should prove it in the first few lines.
Unfortunately, chargebacks are often decided by the card issuer, and proving delivery alone isn’t always enough for subscription disputes. We’ve found it helpful to keep records of the customer’s subscription signup, acceptance of terms, renewal notifications, order history, and any customer communication.
For subscription products, sending reminder emails before renewal can also help reduce disputes.
I’d be interested to hear what evidence other merchants have successfully used to win these types of chargebacks?
One angle I have not seen in the thread yet: treat the customer as honestly confused rather than malicious, because with two subscriptions that is usually what happened. They cancelled one, believed they cancelled everything, saw another charge, and called their bank. The bank files it as a cancelled-recurring dispute, and those get decided on the subscription agreement, not on delivery. That is why the tracking number that wins a normal dispute does nothing here.
The single most useful piece of evidence, and also the cheapest prevention, is the cancellation confirmation email itself. If the moment someone cancels subscription A your email says “you cancelled A — note that your subscription B is still active and next bills on this date, manage it here,” you have done two things at once. Most confused customers go cancel B right then, so the dispute never happens. And for anyone who still files, you now have a timestamped message proving they were told exactly which subscription stayed active. That one email turns the weakest part of your case (they thought they cancelled) into the strongest.
The packet advice above is solid — lead with the timeline, both signup dates, and the cancellation confirmation showing which one they cancelled, and put delivery proof last, not first.
@kmarieg curious how this played out since March — did you end up winning any of them? And which part of fighting one actually eats the most hours for you? I work on support and dispute handling for stores and I am trying to understand where the real time goes for merchants dealing with this.