Who notifies the merchant when a dispute is opened in the inquiry lifecycle?

• A. The cardholder
• B. Stripe
• C. The issuing bank
• D. The merchant processor

Answer: (B)

When a dispute is opened, the merchant is alerted by Stripe as part of the dispute workflow. The cardholder’s issuing bank initiates the dispute and passes it through the card networks to Stripe, which then notifies the merchant via the Stripe Dashboard (and often by email). This setup means Stripe is the channel that informs you about the dispute so you can review details and submit evidence. The cardholder starts the dispute with their bank, and the issuing bank is involved in the process, but the notification to the merchant comes from Stripe.