What is the difference between 4870 and 4871?

4870 covers counterfeit card fraud where a fake card was processed without EMV chip technology. 4871 covers genuine cards that were lost, stolen, or never received, used at terminals lacking PIN capability. Both shift fraud liability to the merchant for failing to support the stronger verification technology.

Can I get a 4871 chargeback on a contactless payment?

It is possible if a lost or stolen card was tapped and the terminal or transaction flow did not require a PIN where the liability shift demanded one. Transactions under contactless CVM limits and tokenized wallet payments with device authentication are generally protected, but raw card taps above CVM limits without PIN can qualify.

Mastercard · Fraud

Reason code 4871: Chip/PIN Liability Shift

Code 4871 covers lost, stolen, or never-received cards used fraudulently at terminals that did not support both chip and PIN verification. Where 4870 addresses counterfeit cards, 4871 addresses real cards in the wrong hands: if a hybrid PIN-preferring card was used without PIN capability at the terminal, liability for the fraud shifts to the merchant. It applies only in regions and scenarios where Mastercard's chip/PIN liability shift is in effect.

Issuer filing window

typically 120 days from the central site business date

Merchant response window

typically 45 days to respond via second presentment

Why 4871 chargebacks happen

A stolen chip-and-PIN card was used at your terminal, which supported chip but not PIN entry, so the thief was never challenged for the PIN.
A card reported lost or never received by the cardholder was accepted with signature verification where PIN was required for liability protection.
Your PIN pad was broken or disabled, and transactions on PIN-preferring cards proceeded on chip-and-signature instead.
A fraudster exploited a terminal configured to skip cardholder verification entirely on a card that required PIN.

How to fight a 4871 chargeback

Submit authorization data showing the transaction was chip-read and PIN-verified, which defeats the liability shift outright.
Show the card was not a hybrid PIN-preferring card, since the shift only applies when the card supported PIN and the terminal did not.
Verify the fraud type claimed; 4871 requires a lost, stolen, or never-received-issue event, and issuer filings that do not assert one are procedurally defective.
Confirm the transaction region falls under the chip/PIN liability shift, and represent through Mastercom if the shift does not apply to the transaction's country pair.

How to prevent 4871 chargebacks

Use terminals that support chip-and-PIN, keep PIN pads functional, and repair failures immediately rather than falling back to signature.
Enable PIN entry for contact and contactless transactions above CVM limits where your market supports it.
Watch for repeated high-value transactions with unusual patterns at retail points, since lost and stolen card fraud clusters in short bursts before cards are blocked.
Reconcile fraud alerts from your acquirer daily so compromised-card activity at your terminals is caught within hours.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 4870 and 4871?: 4870 covers counterfeit card fraud where a fake card was processed without EMV chip technology. 4871 covers genuine cards that were lost, stolen, or never received, used at terminals lacking PIN capability. Both shift fraud liability to the merchant for failing to support the stronger verification technology.
Can I get a 4871 chargeback on a contactless payment?: It is possible if a lost or stolen card was tapped and the terminal or transaction flow did not require a PIN where the liability shift demanded one. Transactions under contactless CVM limits and tokenized wallet payments with device authentication are generally protected, but raw card taps above CVM limits without PIN can qualify.

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