The short answer
A retrieval fee is what your processor charges you when an issuing bank files a retrieval request — a formal ask for a copy of the sales receipt or transaction documentation on behalf of a cardholder who is reviewing a charge. Fees are typically $5–$25 per request.
In plain English
A retrieval request is not yet a chargeback. The cardholder called the bank, the bank wants to see the paperwork before deciding whether to dispute. You respond quickly with clean documentation, and often the cardholder drops it. You don't respond, and it escalates to a chargeback.
What operators need to know
- Pay the fee regardless — whether you respond or not, whether the dispute escalates or not.
- Response window — typically 8–12 calendar days from acquirer notification.
- Documentation to provide — receipt, AVS/CVV results, delivery confirmation, terms of sale, billing descriptor, customer communications.
- Ignoring retrievals guarantees chargebacks — the issuer has no reason not to escalate.
- Retrieval requests don't count toward your chargeback ratio on their own, but the escalated chargebacks that follow absolutely do.
- Card networks are shrinking the window — Visa limited retrievals heavily post-2019, so if you see one it's often a sign the bank is already leaning toward a dispute.
Numbers to know
Typical processor retrieval fees: Stripe $15, Square $15, Braintree $15, traditional acquirers $5–$25. On a brand seeing 50 retrievals/month, that's $750/month of pure pass-through cost — but answering them fast prevents ~60–70% from escalating to the $15 chargeback fee + disputed transaction amount.
Why multi-brand operators care
Retrievals are early warning signals. Spikes per brand often precede chargeback spikes by 30–45 days. Monitor retrieval volume per brand at the parent level — a brand whose retrievals tripled last week is a brand whose VAMP ratio will be in trouble next month.