Wero's Disputes and Chargebacks Process

How does the dispute process work?

The Wero dispute process consists of four consecutive phases. The goal is to resolve issues between the consumer and the merchant as much as possible before a formal dispute arises.

Step 1 – Pre-dispute

When a consumer experiences a problem, they are first asked to contact the merchant. Only when this does not lead to a solution can the consumer start a pre-dispute via the Wero or banking app. (Wero Wallet Support)

During this phase:

• the PSP receives a notification of the dispute;
• the merchant gets the opportunity to offer a solution themselves;
• the merchant can:
  • issue a full or partial refund;
  • offer a replacement product;
  • provide additional information or evidence.

When both parties reach a solution, the case is closed and no chargeback arises. 

Step 2 – Formal dispute (Chargeback)

When the consumer is not satisfied with the proposed solution, the case can be escalated to a formal dispute.

In this phase, the consumer's bank assesses the case based on the available evidence. The merchant is given the opportunity via their PSP to submit documents, such as:

• proof of shipment;
• Track & Trace;
• proof of delivery;
• order confirmation;
• communication with the consumer;
• terms and conditions;
• proof of services rendered.

If no evidence is submitted within the set deadline, the dispute is usually automatically lost. 

Step 3 – Pre-arbitration

If the consumer and merchant still cannot agree during the formal dispute, the case can be forwarded to a pre-arbitration.

Here it is assessed whether both parties can still reach a solution before the case is definitively submitted to EPI. This step occurs relatively rarely. 

Step 4 – Arbitration

If the pre-arbitration also does not yield a solution, the European Payments Initiative (EPI) ultimately decides on the dispute.

EPI's ruling is binding for all parties involved. This phase is only used for exceptional or complex cases. 

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Disputes

Wero has an official dispute process for situations in which a consumer and merchant disagree.

There are three main categories of disputes:

• Administrative disputes, such as a duplicate payment or an incorrect amount.
• Fraud disputes, for example when a payment was not authorized by the account holder.
• Commercial disputes, such as:
  • product not received;
  • product or service differs from the description;
  • refund not received;
  • incorrect subscription charges

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Timelines

The most important deadlines within the Wero dispute process are:

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Consequences for merchants

Because Wero supports chargebacks, merchants face a different risk than with traditional iDEAL payments.

In the event of a lost dispute:

• the amount paid is credited back to the consumer;
• a dispute or chargeback fee may be charged;
• the PSP may hold a reserve or rolling reserve when the dispute rate increases. 

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How do you prevent disputes?

Many disputes can easily be prevented with good customer service and clear communication.

We advise merchants to:

• respond quickly to consumer questions;
• process refunds immediately when a claim is valid;
• keep shipping and delivery evidence properly;
• use clear product descriptions;
• apply transparent return conditions;
• record all communication with the consumer.

By resolving a dispute already during the pre-dispute stage, a formal chargeback can often be avoided. 

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 MCC codes excluded from commercial disputes 

According to the EPI Rulebook v1.4 (30 June 2026) the following Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) are exempt from Pre-disputes and Chargebacks (DIS-EX-04):

Important exceptions

This exemption applies only when the original transaction was authenticated with Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). For follow-up payments within Subscriptions and Consumer-Present Future Payments this exception therefore does not apply, because SCA no longer takes place there.

In addition, for these MCCs, in subscription transactions only the following dispute reasons remain possible:

• Reason Code 33 – Cancelled Subscription
• Reason Code 36 – Subscription Price Increase

One more important exception

In addition to the above MCCs, Invoice Payments are also fully excluded from Pre-disputes and Chargebacks, provided they are processed as an Invoice Payment according to EPI rules.

If you like, I can also convert this list into a neat table for the PAY.nl Knowledge Base, including a brief explanation per MCC.

Costs for disputes and chargebacks

Depending on the outcome and the step within the dispute process described earlier, the costs or credits below may apply.

Rate ID	Description	Costs
4719	Any dispute that is received and accepted by the Merchant	€6.25
4722	Any dispute that is challenged by the Merchant and accepted by the Issuer	- € 6.25
4725	Any dispute that is rejected by the Merchant, but not accepted by the Issuer	€18.75
4728	Any dispute that is rejected by the Merchant, challenged again by the Merchant, and accepted by the Issuer	- € 18.75
4731	Any new arbitration case that is accepted by the Merchant	€406.25
4734	Any new arbitration case that is dropped by the Issuer	- € 406.25
4737	Any new arbitration case that is challenged but faces non-compliance issues	€593.75
4740	Any new arbitration case that is challenged and ruled in favor of the Issuer by the Scheme	€743.75
4743	Any new arbitration case that is challenged and ruled in favor of the Merchant by the Scheme	- € 743.75

A negative amount represents a credit for costs previously charged. The actual rates may differ when other contractual pricing agreements have been made.

This is similar to the process for card payments. As a dispute continues for longer and the merchant and payer do not reach agreement, the costs increase. These additional costs are ultimately borne by the party that loses the dispute. 

 

Wero versus iDEAL