Q: Our chargeback rate hit 2.8% and the offer paused us — what specifically caused it?

Q: Our chargeback rate hit 2.8% and the offer paused us — what specifically caused it?

A: A chargeback is when a buyer disputes a charge with their bank instead of asking the merchant for a refund. Card networks get nervous above roughly 1%, and at 2.8% you're in pause-the-account territory.

We reviewed a real sweepstakes-to-subscription case. The chargeback breakdown:
— 71% were filed in the first billing cycle, citing 'don't recognize this charge'
— The rebill descriptor on bank statements was a random LLC name, not the brand the user signed up under
— No reminder email before the trial converted to paid

The fix was unglamorous: the descriptor was changed to match the product name, and a 'your trial ends in 3 days' email was added.

Result: chargebacks fell from 2.8% to 0.9% in two billing cycles, and the affiliate was reinstated.

Short version: most first-cycle chargebacks are confusion, not fraud — match the billing descriptor to the brand and warn before rebill.

Still stuck? Drop your case in the comments.