It is Amex's program for guaranteeing reservations with a deposit charged to the card at booking. C18 disputes often involve a guest claiming the deposited reservation was cancelled in time for a refund.

The guest cancelled through Expedia but we never got it. Are we liable?

If the guest can show a valid, timely cancellation through an authorized booking channel, Amex will generally side with them. Your recourse is against the channel integration, which is why real-time OTA sync matters.

American Express · Consumer Disputes

Reason code C18: No Show or CARDeposit Cancelled

C18 arises mainly in lodging and reservation businesses: the cardmember disputes a no-show fee or a CARDeposit charge for a reservation they say was properly cancelled. The fight is over whether a valid cancellation occurred within the disclosed policy window.

Issuer filing window

typically 120 days from the charge date

Merchant response window

typically 20 days to respond

Why C18 chargebacks happen

The guest cancelled through an OTA or third-party channel and the cancellation never reached the property's system.
The cancellation policy or cutoff time was not clearly disclosed at booking, so the guest believed they cancelled in time.
A no-show fee was charged despite the guest actually checking in, due to a front-desk recording error.
The guest was given a cancellation number but the reservation was never released, and the fee billed anyway.

How to fight a C18 chargeback

Provide the reservation record showing the cancellation policy as disclosed and accepted at booking time.
Show that no cancellation was received before the cutoff: channel logs, PMS records, and call logs support this.
If the guest claims a cancellation number, ask for it; a number you never issued undermines the claim.
Document the room was held and unsold, or the service reserved, in accordance with the no-show terms.

How to prevent C18 chargebacks

Issue cancellation confirmation numbers automatically across all booking channels and log them centrally.
Present the cancellation deadline in the booking flow and confirmation email in plain language with the local time zone.
Sync OTA cancellations to your property system in real time so third-party cancellations always land.
Charge no-show fees the same day with a descriptor referencing the reservation, so the guest connects the charge to the booking.

Frequently asked questions

What is CARDeposit?: It is Amex's program for guaranteeing reservations with a deposit charged to the card at booking. C18 disputes often involve a guest claiming the deposited reservation was cancelled in time for a refund.
The guest cancelled through Expedia but we never got it. Are we liable?: If the guest can show a valid, timely cancellation through an authorized booking channel, Amex will generally side with them. Your recourse is against the channel integration, which is why real-time OTA sync matters.

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