Visa Reason Code 12.6.2: Paid by Other Means

What Visa reason code 12.6.2 means

Reason code 12.6.2 is the second half of Visa’s 12.6 group. Where 12.6.1 covers the same card charged twice, 12.6.2 covers a purchase paid twice using two different methods: the Visa card, plus cash, a check, another card, a digital wallet, a bank transfer, a gift card or store credit.

The cardholder’s claim is that the Visa charge is redundant because they had already paid. The issuer will normally expect the cardholder to provide some proof of the other payment.

12.6.2 is a collaboration code. You can respond in the dispute-response stage before any pre-arbitration.

Common causes

• A checkout fails with one method, the customer pays again with their Visa, and the first payment later completes
• A deposit and a balance payment where the customer believes the deposit covered everything
• An invoice paid by bank transfer and also charged to a card on file
• A gift card or store credit that the customer thought would be applied, but the full amount went to the card
• Wallet payments (PayPal, Apple Pay) that the customer doesn’t recognize as separate from their card

Evidence that wins a 12.6.2 dispute

1. Your payment ledger for the order, showing every payment received against it and that only one was applied.
2. Proof the other payment relates to a different order, with separate order IDs, items and dates.
3. Proof the other payment failed or was reversed: a declined or abandoned payment record, or a refund confirmation for it.
4. For deposits and balances, the agreement or invoice showing the total, the deposit and the remaining balance the card covered.
5. For gift cards or store credit, the balance history showing how much was applied and why the card paid the remainder.

If the cardholder’s “proof” of other payment is a statement line from a different merchant, point that out clearly.

How to prevent 12.6.2 chargebacks

• When a payment attempt fails, cancel it completely before taking another method, and tell the customer it was cancelled.
• Reconcile all payment methods against orders daily, not just card payments.
• Itemize deposits, balances, gift cards and store credit on every receipt.
• Before charging a card on file for an invoice, check for transfers or other payments already received.

Should you fight or accept?

Fight when the other payment was for a different purchase, never completed, or was already refunded. A clean ledger usually settles it.

Accept when the customer genuinely paid twice for the same order and you haven’t refunded either payment. Let the chargeback return one payment, and don’t also refund the other method, or you’ll pay the customer back twice.