American Express · Authorization
Reason code A02: No Valid Authorization
A02 is filed when a charge was submitted without a valid authorization approval, most often because the authorization was declined, never requested, or invalid for the amount and date processed. Amex compares the settled charge against its own authorization logs, so the facts are rarely in dispute.
Issuer filing window
typically 120 days from the charge date
Merchant response window
typically 20 days to respond
Why A02 chargebacks happen
- A declined authorization was force-posted or retried through a path that skipped the approval check.
- The merchant settled a charge days after the original approval expired without reauthorizing.
- Offline or store-and-forward transactions were uploaded without ever obtaining an approval code.
- A software bug or manual keying error attached the wrong approval code to the settlement record.
- An estimated authorization was settled for a materially different amount without an incremental approval.
How to fight a A02 chargeback
- Locate and submit the valid approval code with its date, amount, and the authorization response message.
- If a processing glitch attached the wrong code, provide the correct authorization record and a short reconciliation showing the match.
- For incremental or delayed-charge scenarios (lodging, rentals, split shipments), document that each settlement was covered by an appropriate authorization.
- If no valid authorization exists, consider accepting the chargeback and fixing the pipeline, because contesting a code Amex verifies against its own logs wastes a response cycle.
How to prevent A02 chargebacks
- Never force-post declines; route soft declines to a retry strategy that seeks a fresh approval instead.
- Settle within your processor's authorization validity window, and reauthorize when fulfillment slips past it.
- Audit your gateway-to-processor integration so approval codes map one-to-one to settlements.
- Use incremental authorizations for order increases rather than settling above the approved amount.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I win an A02 if I have an approval code?
- Yes, if the approval is genuinely valid for that charge: right card, right amount range, and settled within the validity window. Submit the full authorization record, not just the six-character code.
- Does an authorization guarantee I keep the money?
- No. An approval protects you from authorization-related codes like A02, but the cardmember can still dispute the same charge for fraud or service reasons under other codes.
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