Not upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against National Westminster Bank PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Miss H complained that NatWest failed to raise 14 chargeback requests for gambling transactions completed in November 2025, arguing the merchants used incorrect MCCs that bypassed her gambling block. NatWest refused, citing Visa scheme rules that prohibit chargebacks for gambling transactions and noting the requests would be unsuccessful. The ombudsman upheld NatWest's decision, finding that Miss H failed to provide evidence required under rule 12.7 (incorrect MCC, proof the correct code would have prevented the transaction, and proof of misrepresentation) and that Visa explicitly prohibits gambling-related chargebacks. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman agreed with NatWest's interpretation of Visa chargeback scheme rules. For a chargeback under rule 12.7 to succeed, Miss H would have needed to demonstrate: (1) the merchant was using an incorrect MCC; (2) evidence that the correct gambling MCC would have prevented the transaction; and (3) proof that the transactions were mispresented. Miss H failed to provide the necessary evidence for any of these criteria. Additionally, Visa's rules explicitly prohibit chargebacks for gambling transactions. Banks have discretion to refuse chargeback requests they believe are unlikely to succeed.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website