An ARN (Acquirer Reference Number) is a unique reference assigned to a card transaction by the acquirer or its payment processor. It travels with the transaction through the card network's clearing system, allowing the payment or refund to be traced.
Not all ARNs are the same
Important: RDR is a Visa program, so your ARN must come from a Visa transaction. References from Mastercard, Amex, or other card networks won't work and will be rejected during enrollment.
Why does Disputifier need a Visa ARN?
Disputifier uses recent Visa ARNs primarily to set up Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR).
Visa ARNs help identify the payment-processing details associated with your account, including the information needed to recognize which transactions belong to your business.
Once those details are identified, Visa disputes can more accurately route to the correct merchant account.
This matters because RDR is designed to resolve qualifying Visa disputes automatically.
Think of the ARN as helping establish your merchant account's payment-processing "fingerprint."
Before you start
This guide explains how to find a recent Visa ARN in Shopify, Stripe, or another payment processor, what to do if you don't have an eligible refund, and where to submit the ARN in Disputifier.
💡 Only one Visa ARN is required for RDR enrollment. However, we recommend providing 2–4 recent Visa ARNs when possible.
Using multiple ARNs improves coverage because different transactions may contain different BIN/CAID combinations. Providing several ARNs give us more transaction data to identify and enroll the correct combinations. Occasionally, ARNs can be marked as invalid, so sending more than one avoids a restart.
Visa ARN eligibility checklist
Use this checklist to confirm that your transaction and ARN are eligible for RDR enrollment with Disputifier:
The transaction was processed using a Visa card
The original charge was at least 3 days old before it was refunded
The refund was completed within the last 45 days
At least 24–48 hours have passed since the refund was completed, allowing time for the ARN to appear
The ARN contains only numbers, is exactly 23 digits long, and begins with 2 or 7
You have at least one eligible Visa ARN
Important: If the ARN you have does not follow these requirements, it will not be eligible for Visa RDR enrollment.
How to find a Visa ARN in Shopify Payments
Option 1: Generate an ARN in Disputifier
This option only works for Shopify Payments. If you don't have an eligible ARN handy, Disputifier can help you generate one:
In your Disputifier sidebar, go to Chargeback Alerts → Chargeback Alerts → RDR box → Configure
Click Generate ARNs
The ARN will appear and then you can click on submit
If no ARNs appear, you can follow any of the other methods
Option 2: Find the ARN directly in your processor:
How to find a Visa ARN in Shopify
Log in to your Shopify account
Go to Orders
Enter VISA in the search bar
Add a filter for Payment Status
Select Refunded or Partially refunded
Open a refunded Visa order where the original charge was at least 3 days old when it was refunded, and the refund was completed within the last 45 days
Scroll down to the Timeline
Locate the refunded line with the Acquirer Reference Number (ARN)
If you cannot locate an ARN in your order timeline, contact Disputifier support. In many cases we can retrieve one for you.
How to find a Visa ARN in Stripe
Log in to your Stripe dashboard
Go to the Transactions tab
Filter your transactions by Status: Refunded
Add more filters: Card brand and select Visa
Open a refunded Visa transaction where the original charge was at least 3 days old when it was refunded, and the refund was completed within the last 45 days
Look for the ARN in the Payment breakdown section
How to find a Visa ARN in other payment processors
ARN availability, timing, and visibility vary by payment processor. Some payment processors display ARNs directly in their dashboards; others require you to contact their support team.
What to request from your processor
ARNs are often found in the chargebacks page of your processor, if you have visa disputes already.
If you cannot find ARNs in your processor's portal, contact your processor's support team and request either 2–4 Visa ARNs or your BIN/CAID combinations.
Shopify does not provide BIN/CAID combinations. If Shopify is your processor, request Visa ARNs instead.
What is BIN and CAID?
BIN and CAID are payment-processing identifiers used to identify how your transactions are routed.
BIN identifies the acquiring bank or processor handling the transaction
CAID identifies your specific merchant account with that acquirer
Together, the BIN and CAID help identify the processing path for your transactions and can be used for RDR enrollment when an ARN is not available.
What to do if you do not have refunds or Visa transactions
If your store does not have any Visa refunds from the last 45 days or any eligible Visa transactions, you can follow these steps to generate a Visa ARN:
Place a small test order using your own Visa card (can be a $1 transaction)
Wait 3 days
Refund the test charge. In Shopify:
Go to Orders
Open the order you want to refund
Click Refund at the top right
Select the items or enter the amount to refund
Confirm the original payment method is selected, then click Refund
Check the refunded order 24–48 hours after the refund has been processed
Locate the Visa ARN in the order timeline
Alternatively, issue a $1 partial refund on an existing customer order that was paid with a Visa card. The original payment must be at least 3 days old before you issue the refund. The ARN should appear within 24–48 hours after the refund is processed.
Do not refund the transaction before 3 days have passed. If you do not wait 3 days, the refund will be processed as a reversal, and the ARN will never appear.
ARNs typically appear within 24–48 hours after a refund is complete. Disputifier has no role in whether an ARN appears or how long it takes to appear.
If the ARN does not appear, contact your processor to request it.
How to submit your Visa ARN
Once you have your ARN, follow these steps in your Disputifier portal to submit it and start RDR enrollment:
In your Disputifier dashboard, navigate to the Chargeback Alerts tab in the left sidebar
Click on Chargeback Alerts
In the RDR box, click Configure
A window will open where you can enter your Visa ARN or your BIN/CAID
If you are entering several ARNs, separate them with commas (no spaces)
Select Submit
Submitting your ARN starts the enrollment process, which can take approximately 1–2 weeks. This is the time we typically need to review and complete the enrollment on our side.
You'll be notified once RDR is live or if any issues require your attention.
If your ARN is marked invalid
The most common reasons for this:
The transaction was not processed through the Visa network: In some cases, a Visa-branded debit card may be routed through another supported debit network. If the transaction did not travel through Visa's network, the transaction may be unable to be traced using the ARN.
The ARN is too old: submit ARNs from refunds completed within the last 45 days
If invalid, please provide a new ARN and contact Disputifier for support.
Should I provide BIN/CAID or a Visa ARN?
For RDR enrollment, BIN/CAID is preferred and usually sufficient because it directly identifies the merchant account being enrolled. Request the acquirer BIN and CAID associated with your account from your payment processor.A Visa ARN may be needed when:
You cannot obtain your BIN or CAID.
Your BIN/CAID cannot be matched to the correct merchant account.
Disputifier requests additional information to validate the account.
*Note for Stripe and Shopify Payments users: BIN/CAID is generally not displayed in the standard dashboard. Instead, provide recent ARNs from settled Visa transactions instead.
If your BIN and CAID are complete and verified, you generally do not need an ARN unless requested. Any ARN provided must come from a recent, settled Visa transaction processed through the same merchant account being enrolled.