Amex Reason Code C18: No Show or CARDeposit Cancelled

What Amex reason code C18 means

C18 is a reservation-industry code. It covers two situations:

• No show: the Card Member guaranteed a lodging reservation with their Amex card, was billed when they didn’t arrive, and says they had cancelled.
• CARDeposit cancelled: the Card Member paid an advance deposit (a “CARDeposit” in Amex terminology) to secure a reservation, cancelled, and says the deposit wasn’t credited.

American Express has specific rules for guaranteed reservations and advance deposits, including how cancellation policies must be disclosed and how cancellation numbers should be issued. The exact requirements vary by market and by your agreement, so check the current American Express Merchant Regulations or your acquirer’s guide.

For a typical ecommerce store, C18 doesn’t apply; a cancelled order is usually a C05.

Common causes

• Cancellations by phone with no cancellation number issued or recorded
• Cancellations through a third-party booking site that never reached the property
• Policies (for example, a 48-hour cutoff) that weren’t clearly shown at booking
• Deposits cancelled within policy but never refunded

Evidence that wins a C18 dispute

1. Reservation record: dates, rate, guarantee or deposit terms, and the booking confirmation sent to the Card Member.
2. Cancellation policy disclosure: the policy text as shown at booking and in the confirmation.
3. Cancellation log: proof no cancellation was received, or that it arrived after the cutoff. If you issue cancellation numbers, show none was issued.
4. No-show record: front-desk or property-system log showing the guest didn’t check in.
5. Credits issued for any deposit refunded, with date and amount.

Third-party bookings

If the reservation came through an online travel agency or booking site, check whether the cancellation was made there and never reached your property system. The Card Member may have a valid cancellation confirmation from the booking site even when your records show nothing. Reconcile before you reply.

How to prevent C18 disputes

• Issue a cancellation number for every cancellation and email it to the guest.
• Show the cancellation deadline in the booking flow and the confirmation email.
• Reconcile cancellations from booking channels daily.
• Refund deposits on cancellation within policy automatically.

Should you fight or accept?

Fight when there’s no valid cancellation on record and the policy was clearly disclosed at booking.

Accept when the guest has a cancellation number or confirmation, when the cancellation came through a channel you failed to reconcile, or when the deposit was cancelled within policy.