Glossary
Retrieval request
A retrieval request, also called an inquiry or request for information, is the issuer's request to the acquirer for the documentation of a payment: the receipt, the order, the delivery proof. The cardholder has asked about a charge they do not recognise, and the issuer wants to check before filing a chargeback. The merchant has a short deadline to answer through its acquirer; a good answer often ends the matter, and no answer can turn into a chargeback the merchant cannot contest.
What to send
The receipt with the descriptor and the amount, the order details, the payer’s name and contact, the delivery or access proof, the terms the payer accepted and the refund policy. For digital goods and subscriptions, the login or usage records and the renewal reminder sent.
Why it matters
Retrieval requests do not count against the merchant’s chargeback ratio; chargebacks do. The request is the cheapest moment in a dispute: a clear receipt and a contact often remind the cardholder of the purchase. Visa handles many of these through the inquiry stage of its dispute platform; Mastercard uses retrieval requests less and goes to chargeback faster.
On the platform
Tranzify keeps every payment’s data, the descriptor sent, the payer’s details and the merchant’s reference in the journal and the trace, so the licensed client can answer a retrieval request from one record within the deadline.
Updated: 2026-11-08