What Causes Chargebacks on OnlyFans
Chargebacks on OnlyFans fall into three main categories: buyer's remorse, unauthorized transactions, and deliberate fraud. Understanding which type you are dealing with determines how you respond.
Buyer's remorse chargebacks happen when a subscriber purchases PPV content or a subscription, enjoys the content, and then regrets the spending. Rather than accepting the purchase, they contact their bank and claim the charge was not as described or that they did not receive what was promised. This is the most common type of chargeback on OnlyFans. The subscriber got exactly what they paid for, but they want their money back anyway.
Unauthorized transaction chargebacks occur when someone's payment method is used without their knowledge. This can happen if a subscriber's credit card information is stolen, if a family member uses their card without permission, or if a shared account makes purchases that the account holder did not approve. These chargebacks are legitimate disputes, and in most cases the creator has no control over them.
Deliberate fraud chargebacks are the most malicious category. These are subscribers who sign up, download as much content as they can, and then file a chargeback knowing that the content cannot be "returned." Some serial fraudsters do this across multiple creator pages. They create accounts, purchase high-value PPV bundles, save everything locally, and then reverse every transaction. This type of subscriber is a known problem across the entire adult subscription industry, not just OnlyFans.
How OnlyFans Handles Chargebacks
When a chargeback is filed, OnlyFans receives a notification from the payment processor and deducts the disputed amount from your pending or future earnings. You are notified of the dispute, but the money is held or removed while the dispute is being processed. OnlyFans acts as the merchant of record for all transactions on the platform, which means the platform handles the dispute process with the bank on your behalf.
This is both an advantage and a limitation. The advantage is that you do not have to deal with the bank directly, which would require revealing your real identity in some cases. The limitation is that you have less control over the outcome. OnlyFans submits evidence to the bank based on the transaction records, and the bank makes the final decision. If the bank rules in favor of the subscriber, the chargeback stands and the revenue is permanently lost.
OnlyFans does track chargeback patterns. Subscribers who file multiple chargebacks across different creator pages are flagged and can have their accounts restricted or banned. However, this does not help you recover the specific revenue you lost. The platform's chargeback resolution process is functional but not perfect, which is why prevention is a more reliable strategy than dispute resolution.
Preventing Chargebacks Before They Happen
The most effective way to deal with chargebacks is to reduce their frequency through better subscriber screening and content delivery practices. Start by paying attention to subscriber behavior in the first 24 to 48 hours after they join your page. Subscribers who immediately purchase every PPV message you send without any conversation, engagement, or history on the platform are statistically more likely to file chargebacks later. They are consuming content rapidly because they plan to reverse the charges.
Build a warm-up process for new subscribers before pushing high-value PPV content. Send a welcome message, engage them in conversation, and let them experience your wall content for a few days before offering premium PPV bundles. Subscribers who have a relationship with your page, even a brief one, are significantly less likely to file chargebacks because the interaction creates a sense of social obligation. Our welcome messages guide covers how to structure that initial engagement period.
Price your PPV content at levels that reduce buyer's remorse. A subscriber who pays five dollars for a PPV message and regrets it will usually not bother filing a chargeback because the effort exceeds the refund amount. A subscriber who pays forty dollars on impulse and feels regret the next morning is much more likely to dispute the charge. This does not mean you should never sell high-ticket PPV, but it does mean high-value purchases should be reserved for subscribers who have demonstrated buying behavior and engagement over time rather than brand-new subscribers making their first purchase. Our PPV strategy and pricing guide covers how to structure your PPV pricing tiers.
Documenting Everything for Dispute Defense
When a chargeback is filed, the strength of your defense depends on the documentation you have. OnlyFans handles the formal dispute process, but you can support your case by maintaining records that demonstrate the subscriber received what they paid for and engaged with your content voluntarily.
Keep screenshots of DM conversations with subscribers who make significant purchases. If a subscriber requests specific custom content, pays for it, and then files a chargeback, the DM history showing their request is evidence that the transaction was voluntary and the content was delivered as described. OnlyFans retains transaction records, but DM context adds weight to the dispute response.
Track which subscribers tip, purchase PPV, and engage with your content over time. A subscriber who has been active on your page for three months, has made multiple purchases without dispute, and then files a chargeback on their most recent transaction has a weaker case than a subscriber who made a single purchase and immediately disputed it. Your purchase history records help establish patterns of legitimate engagement that undermine fraudulent claims.
Consider using OnlyFans management tools like OnlyMonster to track subscriber behavior including spending patterns, engagement frequency, and chargeback history. These tools provide a centralized view of each subscriber's activity that makes it easier to identify potential risks before they result in lost revenue.
Identifying High-Risk Subscribers
Certain subscriber behaviors are red flags for potential chargebacks. Learning to recognize them lets you adjust your approach before money is at risk. New accounts with no profile photo, no bio, and no history on the platform are higher risk than established accounts with visible engagement. Subscribers who make large purchases immediately after subscribing, without any conversation or engagement, are higher risk than those who gradually increase their spending over time.
Subscribers who pressure you for discounts, demand specific content before they have paid, or express dissatisfaction with pricing while continuing to purchase are also elevated risk. The pressure for discounts suggests they are already calculating whether the purchase is worth the money, and the dissatisfaction gives them a narrative for a future dispute claim. When you encounter these patterns, proceed carefully. Do not refuse to sell them content, but do not push high-value offerings either. Keep transactions small until the subscriber has demonstrated reliable payment behavior over multiple billing cycles.
Blocking a subscriber who files a chargeback is standard practice. If someone disputes a payment once, the probability that they will do it again is high. Remove them from your page immediately after a chargeback is processed. You cannot prevent the initial loss, but you can prevent repeat offenses from the same person.
The Revenue Impact of Chargebacks Over Time
A single chargeback might only cost you ten or twenty dollars, which feels manageable in the moment. But chargebacks compound in ways that are not immediately obvious. Every chargeback removes not just the disputed amount but also the time you spent creating the content, the effort you put into the subscriber interaction, and the opportunity cost of engaging with a fraudulent subscriber instead of a legitimate one.
If you experience even two or three chargebacks per month, the annual impact can reach several hundred to over a thousand dollars in lost revenue. For faceless creators who are building toward full-time income, that margin matters. It is the difference between covering your monthly expenses and falling short. More importantly, a pattern of chargebacks on your account can affect your standing with payment processors and potentially slow down your payout processing times.
Track your chargeback rate as a percentage of total transactions. A rate above 1% signals that your subscriber screening or pricing strategy needs adjustment. Industry-wide, the average chargeback rate on subscription platforms is between 0.5% and 1.5%. If your rate is consistently at the higher end of that range, revisit the prevention strategies in this guide and tighten your processes. For the broader financial picture of running a faceless page, our going full-time guide covers how to build sustainable income that accounts for losses like chargebacks.
Chargebacks and Custom Content
Custom content requests are the highest-risk transaction type for chargebacks. A subscriber requests a specific piece of custom content, pays a premium for it, receives the content, and then files a chargeback. The content has been delivered, it cannot be "returned," and the creator has already invested time and resources into producing it. This scenario is disproportionately common in the faceless creator space because custom content often commands the highest prices.
Protect yourself by requiring payment before production, never after. Do not produce custom content on the promise of future payment. Use OnlyFans' PPV messaging system for custom deliveries so that the transaction is recorded within the platform. Avoid taking payment through external methods like cash apps or cryptocurrency, because those transactions have no dispute protection and no paper trail within OnlyFans. Our custom content guide covers the full workflow for managing custom requests profitably and securely.