Amex reason code F31
Amex F31: EMV Lost/Stolen/Non-Received
What the cardholder is claiming
A lost, stolen, or never-received card was used at your terminal, and because the transaction did not meet EMV processing requirements, the fraud liability shifted to you.
The evidence that actually wins
Bank analysts skim responses in minutes against a checklist for this exact code. Lead with the strongest fact; never make them dig.
- ✓Authorization records showing a proper chip read with cardholder verification, including the POS entry mode and verification method
- ✓PIN verification data from the transaction, if your terminal supports chip and PIN
- ✓Proof the transaction occurred before the card was reported lost or stolen, with authorization timestamps
- ✓Evidence the code was misapplied to a card-not-present transaction
The honest read
Like F30, this is a rules-based liability shift, not a debate about the facts of the fraud. If the physical card was used at your terminal without a compliant chip read, the loss lands on you and no narrative changes that. Check the authorization message first: if it shows a proper chip read with verification, submit that data and the liability argument collapses in your favor. If it shows a swipe or keyed entry, take the loss and treat it as the cost of your terminal setup.
Nobody can promise you a win; the cardholder's bank decides. What you control is submitting the strongest complete case your records support, on time. Our plain-language guarantees say exactly what that means.
Fighting a F31 right now?
Send us the dispute and a person builds the complete, submission-ready response: the narrative mapped to F31, your evidence compiled and ordered, and the field-by-field walkthrough. 24-hour rush available. If our review says yours isn't worth fighting, we tell you for free.