What Is Compelling Evidence 3.0 (CE 3.0)?

Compelling Evidence 3.0 (CE 3.0) is a Visa rule that lets a merchant win a card-not-present fraud dispute by proving that the same cardholder bought before and never disputed those earlier orders. When the proof holds up, the loss goes back to the cardholder's bank.

That sounds simple. So why do so many stores lose "I didn't authorize this" claims from customers who clearly ordered before?

The rule has strict conditions. Your case needs a Visa card disputed under reason code 10.4. It needs at least two qualifying earlier orders on that same card. And the data that ties those orders to one person must already exist before the dispute happens.

CE 3.0 works like a security camera. You can't mount one after the break-in and expect footage. The case is won or lost by what you logged weeks or months earlier.

A chargeback starts with the issuer. The issuer is the bank that issued your customer's card. It files the dispute and tags it with a reason code, a short label for the complaint type. Code 10.4 means "Other Fraud, Card-Absent Environment." Your side runs through the acquirer, the bank or processor that accepts card payments for you. CE 3.0 lets the acquirer answer with data. It shows a pattern:

• The same card was used to buy from you twice before.

• It's from the same device or account

• There were no other complaints.

Visa treats that pattern as proof the dispute is invalid.

A lot of friendly fraud falls under 10.4 because "That wasn't me" is the easiest story a customer can tell.

Does CE 3.0 Apply to Your Dispute? A Quick Self-Check

Check the gate before you gather a single log file. Open the dispute notice or your processor dashboard. The reason code is usually written next to the amount.

Then answer these five questions:

1. Was the card a Visa?

2. Is the reason code 10.4?

3. Did the sale happen without the card physically present?

4. Has this cardholder bought from you before?

5. Did those earlier orders happen roughly four months to a year before the dispute?

One "no" usually ends the case. A first-time buyer can't qualify under the standard rule. There is simply no history to point to. 

Here are common dispute types. Our guide to chargeback reason codes covers the full list.

Visa CE 3.0 Requirements: The Six Rules a Case Must Meet

The Visa Core Rules set out the test. Every rule has to pass. Missing one counts the same as missing all six:

1. Two earlier transactions on the same credential: A credential is the card number or the token that stands in for it. Both earlier orders must use it.

2. The right timing: Each earlier order must fall more than 120 and no more than 365 calendar days before the dispute processing date. The 120-day floor is waived for original credit transactions, which push money onto a card.

3. A clean record: Neither earlier order can carry a fraud report. A report only counts against you if Visa received it before the dispute processing date. Stripe's documentation warns that, rarely, an issuer files a late fraud report on an earlier order and sinks a case that looked solid.

4. A detailed description of what was bought: This applies to the disputed order and both earlier ones. Your store name or category won't do. Visa wants something concrete, like a product name or a subscription plan with its service dates.

5. Two matching data elements across all three orders: Say, the same IP address and the same login.

6. One match must come from the device or connection: At least one of the two matches must be the IP address or the device ID/fingerprint. A matching account ID plus shipping address, on its own, fails.

Rule four is the quiet killer. Stripe lists missing descriptions as a standard reason a case gets marked ineligible.

Visa measures the window from the dispute processing date. Some processors describe it from the transaction date, and Stripe documents 120 to 364 days.

What Changed in 2026 

Since 17 April 2026, Visa charges a fee per successful CE 3.0 qualification, and processors pass it on differently, so ask yours. 

From 24 October 2026, the two earlier orders may come from one or more merchants, as long as the same card or a linked token was used. In pre-arbitration, though, an acquirer may submit only transaction data it processed itself, so another store’s history helps only if your acquirer handled it. (Summary of Changes)

Two smaller edits also apply. Login IDs from agentic payment providers (services where an AI agent shops for the cardholder) count as a customer account ID, and the pre-dispute rule now also treats device ID and device fingerprint as one element. 

CE 3.0 Data Elements: What to Capture and Where It Comes From

Back to the data elements. Both earlier orders must already carry the data. You can't add it after the dispute arrives, and you can't rebuild it from memory. The format matters as much as the content. 

Device ID and fingerprint count as a single element, so sending both won't give you two matches. Stripe's docs say the same thing. 

Email and phone numbers aren't on Visa's CE 3.0 list. Some processors accept email as supporting detail, which is fine. It just won't count as a qualifying match.

Keep this data for at least 13 months. That covers the 365-day window plus the time it takes to respond.

Consistency counts too. Visa needs to tie all three orders to one merchant, so keep your billing descriptor and merchant ID stable. If you use network tokens, make sure earlier orders on the same token can be found.

One platform note: some ecommerce platforms don't show a device fingerprint in the admin. It may be with your processor or a separate tool.

Switch these on this week:

1. Log the customer's public IP in clear text on every order.

2. Save the device fingerprint with the order record.

3. Add specific product or plan names to each order description.

4. Set data retention to at least 13 months.

5. Encourage account creation at checkout so a login ID exists.

6. Ask your processor how it pulls CE 3.0 data.

Two Ways to Use CE 3.0: Before the Dispute and After

CE 3.0 can help prevent disputes before they become chargebacks. This is where it can make the biggest difference.

Before the Dispute, Through Order Insight 

Order Insight is a Visa service run by its subsidiary Verifi. When a cardholder calls their bank about a charge, the issuer can look up the transaction. If you're enrolled, your order data goes back automatically. If it passes the CE 3.0 test, the dispute is blocked before it's created. 

And a blocked dispute doesn't count toward your dispute totals.

After the Dispute, in Pre-Arbitration 

Pre-arbitration is the second round of a dispute. Your acquirer submits the evidence through Visa Resolve Online, Visa's dispute system, within 30 calendar days of the dispute processing date. The issuer then has 30 days to accept liability or decline. A win gets your money back. The chargeback fee and the dispute count already happened, though.

Then there's VAMP, the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program, which tracks fraud and dispute levels. A TC40 fraud report that qualifies for CE 3.0 is excluded from the VAMP ratio. Timing matters here. If the case closes after Visa's monthly data pull, it won't help that month. 

Thresholds have shifted lately, so ask your processor for the current figure. Our guide on your chargeback ratio explains the math.

Who Submits CE 3.0 Evidence?

Many merchants often ask: “Can I send CE 3.0 evidence to Visa myself?”

No. You collect and keep the data. Your acquirer or processor files it with Visa. The issuer decides, and your acquirer argues on your behalf.

That filing process is part of representment, the formal process of answering a chargeback with evidence. Some processors find the earlier orders and fill in the evidence themselves. Stripe does this. Others expect you to attach order data to each response by hand.

Questions to ask your processor:

1. Do you submit CE 3.0 evidence through Visa Resolve Online, and does it happen on its own?

2. Am I enrolled in Order Insight so the evidence works before a dispute?

3. What do you charge per qualification now that Visa charges a fee?

The answers tell you a lot about your real odds.

A Worked Example: One Pass, Two Near-Misses

The data below is made up for illustration. The IP addresses come from a range reserved for documentation.

A customer subscribes to a meal kit. Order A happened 270 days before the dispute processing date. Order B happened 150 days before. Then the customer disputes a third order under 10.4.

The pass: Four elements match. Two are needed, and at least one is device or IP data. The descriptions are specific. This case qualifies.

Near-miss one: Same customer, but they bought a new laptop and ordered over mobile data. The IP and fingerprint now differ. Only the login and address match. The case fails rule six, even though the history is real. That's what frustrates people most. Honest repeat buyers can fall short on a technicality.

Near-miss two: Order B happened 90 days before the dispute, inside the 120-day floor. Only one earlier order counts now. The case fails, though an older order inside the window could rescue it.

What to Do If the Data Is Missing

You can't backfill it. Check your gateway or fraud tool first, though. It may hold IP or device data you never looked at.

If CE 3.0 is off the table, fall back on standard fraud evidence. That includes authentication results and AVS/CVV matches. 

Shipping proof helps too, and so does any contact history with the customer. Visa's older compelling-evidence rules let you show matching details from an undisputed order, with looser conditions. That path doesn't produce the same "invalid dispute" result, so treat it as a backup.

Then try a quick self-audit. Pull your last ten 10.4 disputes and test each one against the six rules. The first failure that keeps showing up tells you what to fix first.

How MobiusPay Helps With CE 3.0 Readiness

For most merchants, the hard part isn't the rule. It's having the right data on file, then getting it filed correctly. That's where we spend our time.

MobiusPay has processed payments for high-risk merchants since 2010. In 2021, we connected our platform to Visa's Order Insight. That connection shares order data in real time and can stop some complaints before they become chargebacks. Our dispute resolution and representment team handles filings. Our fraud detection tools help you capture the elements Visa checks.

Facing a wave of disputes? Our team can help you see the bigger picture.

Next step: Request a CE 3.0 readiness review. We'll check your current data against the six rules and show you where the gaps are.