If a credit card charge is wrong, don't wait for the merchant to get back to you. Check the transaction, save the relevant records, and contact the card issuer. For a covered billing error on a U.S. credit card, your written dispute generally must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent to you.

A phone call can get the process started, but don't assume that a call or an online message replaces the written notice required for the federal billing-error procedure.

This information is for U.S. credit cards. Debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, and payment apps can have different rules and deadlines.

A merchant refund isn't the same as a chargeback

A merchant refund is a credit the seller sends after agreeing to correct the transaction. A chargeback is a dispute handled by the card issuer through the card network. The issuer might provide a temporary credit or reverse the transaction while it investigates, but a chargeback isn't an automatic refund.

The seller's return policy may affect whether the merchant owes you money. It doesn't replace the issuer's dispute process or extend the 60-day deadline. A seller's refusal to help also doesn't decide whether your claim is valid; the issuer reviews the transaction and the evidence under the applicable rules.

Charges you may be able to dispute

Common billing problems include:

• A transaction you didn't make or authorize.
• The wrong amount or a duplicate charge.
• Goods that weren't delivered.
• A returned purchase for which the promised credit never appeared.
• A service that wasn't provided as agreed.
• A recurring charge that continued after you canceled, when your records support the cancellation.

The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on disputing credit card charges gives examples including overcharges, undelivered items, returned purchases, and transactions the cardholder didn't make.

An unfamiliar name on a statement isn't automatically fraud. Before reporting it as unauthorized, compare the transaction with your receipts, household purchases, recurring subscriptions, the transaction date, and the billing descriptor. If you still don't recognize it, report it promptly.

A change of mind usually has to be handled under the seller's return policy. Don't call a purchase unauthorized if you made or approved it. For damaged, defective, or materially different goods, describe what happened accurately and ask the issuer which dispute category and documents apply.

What rule applies?

For a covered billing error on a U.S. credit card, the Fair Credit Billing Act, or FCBA, provides a written-notice process. The important deadline runs from the statement date, not from the day you happened to notice the charge: the issuer generally must receive your written notice within 60 days after the first statement with the error was sent.

The issuer's instructions and the card network's procedures control the practical details, including where to upload documents and which reason to select. Use the billing-dispute address or process shown on your statement or provided by the issuer. Don't assume that sending a letter to the ordinary payment address will protect your rights.

The FCBA process described here is for credit card billing errors. It isn't a universal 60-day rule for debit cards or other payment methods. If the charge came from a debit card, contact the bank immediately and ask for its dispute procedure.

If a statement went to an old address, the FTC says you generally must have sent the issuer your change of address in writing early enough for the issuer to have it at least 20 days before the billing period ended to use this billing-error process.

How to dispute the charge

1. Check the statement and record the facts

Start with the transaction itself. Note:

• The merchant name shown on the statement.
• The transaction date and amount.
• The order, invoice, or confirmation number.
• Why you believe the charge is incorrect.
• The date the first statement containing the error was sent.
• The date you first noticed the problem.

Also check whether the charge is pending or posted. An issuer may require a transaction to post before accepting a formal billing dispute. If it's still pending, contact the issuer promptly and ask what it wants you to do; don't simply wait through another statement if the deadline could become an issue.

2. Contact the seller when that could solve the problem

For a delivery, billing, cancellation, or refund issue, contact the seller in writing. Keep the message factual:

• Identify the order and charge.
• Explain what happened.
• Say what correction you want.
• Give a reasonable date for the seller's response.

Save the email, chat transcript, return instructions, shipping records, and reply. A merchant may fix the problem faster than a formal dispute, and the correspondence gives the issuer a useful timeline.

That contact is optional for some situations and doesn't replace timely notice to the issuer. If the charge appears fraudulent, call the issuer first and ask about account-security steps.

3. Send the issuer a written dispute

Call the customer-service number on the back of the card to report the problem and ask where to send a written billing-error notice. Use the issuer's billing-inquiries address or secure dispute channel, not an address chosen by guesswork.

Include:

• Your name and billing address.
• The account number or last four digits, as the issuer instructs.
• The merchant name, transaction date, and amount.
• A short, clear explanation of the error.
• The correction or credit you want.
• Copies of documents that support the explanation.

The FTC's sample dispute letter shows the basic information to include. Keep a copy of the letter, attachments, and delivery confirmation. Send copies rather than originals.

4. Answer follow-up questions

The issuer may ask for a receipt, tracking record, cancellation confirmation, return documentation, or messages with the seller. Reply by the stated deadline and keep proof of what you sent.

Use the issuer's secure upload or mailing instructions. Avoid putting your full card number, security code, passwords, or unnecessary personal information in an ordinary email.

5. Keep watching the account

Later statements may show a temporary credit, a final decision, a merchant refund, or another charge from the same seller. Keep the dispute number, letters, emails, and delivery records together until the matter is closed.

If the merchant refunds you after you file, tell the issuer. A merchant refund and an issuer credit can appear separately, and the issuer needs to know when the account has already been corrected.

Deadlines to keep in view

For covered U.S. credit card billing errors, the FTC describes these general time frames:

The 60-day period is your filing deadline. The 30-day and 90-day periods are the issuer's response deadlines. Contacting the merchant doesn't pause or extend the 60-day period.

If you missed the deadline, notify the issuer anyway. Ask what options remain under its account or card-network procedures, explain why the notice was late, and send the available evidence. The federal billing-error process may be harder to use after the deadline, so don't wait for the seller before contacting the issuer.

Evidence should fit the dispute

A short chronological record is often more useful than a pile of unrelated attachments. Send documents that answer the specific reason for the dispute.

Unauthorized or fraudulent charge

Include the statement showing the transaction, the date you noticed it, and records of how you reported it. Provide any account-security information the issuer requests.

Before describing the charge as unauthorized, rule out a household purchase, subscription, or known merchant using a different billing name.

Wrong amount or duplicate charge

Send the receipt, order confirmation, invoice, or contract showing the expected price. Point out the difference between that amount and the amount billed.

For a duplicate, identify both entries. Explain whether one was only a temporary authorization or whether the same purchase was actually charged twice.

Goods not delivered

Keep the order confirmation, promised delivery date, tracking information, seller communications, and any notice that the order was canceled or returned. State whether the seller offered a replacement or refund and what happened next.

Returned purchase or missing refund

Gather the return authorization, shipping receipt, delivery confirmation, refund promise, credit voucher, and messages with the seller. Say when the seller received the return and how much remains unpaid.

Canceled or recurring transaction

Provide the cancellation date, confirmation number, subscription terms, and statements showing later charges. Identify each charge you dispute. The records are especially useful when they show that the seller received and accepted the cancellation before the disputed billing date.

A dispute-letter template

Adapt this wording to your facts and the issuer's instructions:

Date: [Date]
Re: Billing error dispute for [merchant], [transaction date], [$amount]

Dear [Card issuer or billing inquiries department],

I dispute the charge of [$amount] from [merchant] posted on [date] to my account ending in [last four digits]. The reason is [brief, factual explanation].

I am requesting correction of this billing error and credit for the disputed amount. I have enclosed [list of receipts, statements, delivery records, cancellation confirmation, or correspondence].

Please investigate and send written confirmation of the result.

Sincerely,
[Name and contact information]

Identify the transaction precisely and explain the problem without speculation or accusations you can't support.

After the dispute is filed

The issuer reviews your explanation and documents. The merchant may submit its own records, such as a receipt, delivery confirmation, or proof of service. That response is evidence for the issuer to consider; it isn't the final decision by itself.

Under the general FCBA process described by the FTC, the issuer should acknowledge a written complaint within 30 days unless it has already resolved the issue. It should then investigate and resolve the matter within two billing cycles and no more than 90 days.

Read the decision carefully if the issuer denies the dispute. Ask for:

1. The specific reason for the decision.
2. Copies or descriptions of the documents relied on.
3. The appeal or reconsideration procedure.
4. The deadline for sending more evidence.

Answer the stated reason rather than sending the same general complaint again. For example, if the issuer says delivery was confirmed, provide evidence that the tracking number belonged to another address or order, if that is what happened.

Continue paying any undisputed balance and follow the issuer's payment instructions while the matter is reviewed.

Mistakes that can weaken the record

• Waiting through several statements before acting.
• Calling the issuer but not sending the required written notice.
• Sending the notice to the wrong address.
• Describing a known purchase as fraud.
• Giving only an accusation without the transaction details.
• Failing to keep return, delivery, cancellation, or refund records.
• Sending original documents.
• Ignoring a request for more information.
• Missing an appeal or response deadline.
• Assuming the merchant's return policy guarantees an issuer credit.

Common questions

Can I dispute a charge without contacting the merchant?

Yes. You can contact the issuer directly, and you should do that promptly when you believe a charge is unauthorized. For delivery, cancellation, or refund problems, contacting the seller may resolve the matter and create helpful evidence, but it doesn't replace timely notice to the issuer.

Is a chargeback guaranteed to succeed?

No. The issuer evaluates the reason, the records, and the applicable rules. A merchant's refusal doesn't automatically defeat your claim, and submitting a dispute doesn't guarantee a credit.

Can I use the same 60-day process for a debit card?

Don't assume so. The FCBA procedure discussed here concerns credit card billing errors. Contact the bank that issued the debit card promptly and follow its instructions.

What if the merchant says the transaction was authorized?

Authorization alone may not resolve a dispute about non-delivery, the wrong amount, a cancellation, or a missing refund. Explain the actual problem and provide records that address it. If the transaction truly wasn't authorized, say so accurately and provide the information the issuer requests.

Where can I find a dispute-letter example?

The FTC sample letter for disputing credit and debit card charges includes the basic details for identifying the account, charge, error, and supporting documents. Use it as a starting point, then follow the issuer's submission instructions.

If the 60-day deadline is approaching, send the written notice through the issuer's billing-dispute process now and keep proof that it reached the issuer. You can continue working with the merchant at the same time.