How the gate works
This tool grades the evidence you have against the reason code the bank actually filed - a missing decisive item that code turns on can force the case to DON'T FIGHT even when everything else scores well. It scores 5 weighted controls into a 0–100 number — then a gate that can only make the verdict worse.
The 5 weighted controls
Each reason code has a dispositive evidence item, and card-absent fraud has two (the CE3.0 prior transactions and the matching data elements). If any is absent - or the response window has already closed - the verdict is forced to DON'T FIGHT no matter how the other items score.
Why: Completeness scores 62/100 for a Merchandise/Services Not Received dispute - the AVS match, order receipt, carrier record, and customer comms are all present, which alone would read STRENGTHEN. But proof of delivery - the one decisive item this reason code turns on - is absent, so the gate overrides the score and forces DON'T FIGHT: a high score on everything else still loses without it.
The score alone reads STRENGTHEN; the gate made it worse. The score is context; the gate is the answer — and where something is short, the fix first row names it. Grades the evidence and reason code you enter - a planning aid, not legal advice; confirm reason-code requirements with your own processor.