90
What Visa Reason Code 90 Meant for ATM Disputes
A cardholder used the machine but got no cash. Code 90 let them take back only the missing part. Here is how it worked.
- Network
- Old Visa codes
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Visa reason code 90 was one of the older Visa dispute codes. It was called Non-Receipt of Cash or Load Transaction Value at ATM. It covered a narrow problem: a cardholder used a cash machine and did not get the money.
What Is Visa Reason Code 90?
Under the older Visa rules, reason code 90 was Non-Receipt of Cash or Load Transaction Value at ATM. It applied when a cardholder used a cash machine but got no cash, or only part of it.
The same code also covered load transactions. A load puts money onto a prepaid card. If the cardholder paid for a load at a machine and the value never showed up, that fell under this code too.
This was not a fraud claim. The cardholder really did use the machine. The dispute was about the result: the cash or the loaded value never arrived.
When to Use Reason Code 90
The cardholder used this code when the machine took the money but paid out nothing, or paid out less than the full amount. The card was debited either way.
A few examples:
- The machine debited the card, then shut down before any cash came out.
- The machine paid out part of the amount, then stopped.
- A load was paid for at the machine, but the value never reached the card.
If the machine debited the card and paid out the full amount, this code did not fit. A claim that the cash was stolen after the payout was a different kind of dispute.
Chargeback Amount Limit
The chargeback was limited to the amount the cardholder did not receive. That is the key rule of this code.
Say a cardholder asked for 200 and the machine paid out 120. The chargeback could only cover the missing 80. The cardholder could not take back the full 200, because they did receive part of it.
This limit kept the dispute tied to the real loss. It made the case simple to check: what was debited, and what was paid out. The gap between the two was the amount in play.
How the ATM operator can respond
The ATM side was not stuck. It could answer the chargeback with a copy of the ATM transaction record proving how much cash came out.
That record is the whole defense. If it shows the machine paid the full amount, the chargeback fails. If it shows a partial payout, the operator owes only the missing part, which the chargeback already covers.
So an operator facing this code should pull the transaction record right away. Check the debit amount against the payout amount. Then send the record to the acquirer before the deadline.
If you got a notice and are not sure what it says or which code it names, start with how to read a chargeback notice.
The VCR Initiative and Reason Code 90 Today
Reason code 90 is no longer in use. As part of the VCR Initiative, Visa consolidated its 22 legacy reason codes into four dispute categories.
That means a new notice will not carry this code. An ATM dispute today lands in one of the four current categories instead.
The old code is still worth knowing. Some merchants keep old case files, and older disputes can still surface in questions from cardholders or processors. If an old case comes back in a later round, see what happens after you answer a chargeback for the steps that can follow.