# Transaction lifecycle (https://docs.chargeflow.io/docs/reference/start-here/transaction-lifecycle)



You want to know where in a transaction's life Chargeflow can act for you. Every transaction that ends in a dispute passes through the same five stages, and each Chargeflow product owns exactly one window on that timeline.

## The five stages [#the-five-stages]

| # | Stage                     | What happens                                                                                                   | Who acts       |
| - | ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |
| 1 | **Checkout & auth**       | The cardholder pays; the issuer authorizes the charge.                                                         | Your PSP       |
| 2 | **Pre-fulfillment**       | The order is placed but not yet shipped or delivered - the last moment a risky order can be stopped for free.  | **Prevent**    |
| 3 | **Pre-chargeback window** | The cardholder complains to their issuer; there is a short window to resolve before a formal chargeback posts. | **Alerts**     |
| 4 | **Chargeback filed**      | The issuer posts the chargeback; funds are provisionally reversed and the response clock starts.               | **Automation** |
| 5 | **Dispute outcome**       | The issuer rules for the merchant or the cardholder; Chargeflow reports the result.                            | **Automation** |

[Connect](https://docs.chargeflow.io/docs/platforms/overview) is horizontal: it embeds stages 4-5 into your own platform for your merchants.

## Reading the timeline [#reading-the-timeline]

* **Earlier is cheaper.** A risky order caught at stage 2 costs nothing; an alert resolved at stage 3 costs a refund; a chargeback fought at stage 4 costs a fee and weeks of waiting, win or lose.
* **The windows are short and network-defined.** The pre-chargeback alert window is short - act on alerts as they arrive (see [Alerts model](https://docs.chargeflow.io/docs/reference/concepts/alerts-model)); the representment window varies by network and reason code. The canonical figures live in [Network timelines](https://docs.chargeflow.io/docs/reference/concepts/network-timelines).
* **Every transition emits an event.** Chargeflow surfaces stage transitions as webhooks (`dispute.created`, `alerts.created`, and so on) so your systems can react in real time. See [Webhooks](https://docs.chargeflow.io/docs/reference/concepts/webhooks).

## Going deeper [#going-deeper]

The mechanics of stages 4-5 - the parties, the provisional reversal, representment, arbitration - are covered once, canonically, in the concepts section:

<Cards>
  <Card title="Chargeback lifecycle" href="/docs/reference/concepts/chargeback-lifecycle">
    The full stage-by-stage flow through issuer, network, and acquirer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dispute state machine" href="/docs/reference/concepts/dispute-state-machine">
    Every dispute status and the transitions between them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Alerts model" href="/docs/reference/concepts/alerts-model">
    How the pre-chargeback window works and the two integration models.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Product model" href="/docs/reference/start-here/product-model">
    The 3+1 products that act on this timeline.
  </Card>
</Cards>