A U.S. credit-card charge for a service you never received, or that fell short of a specific agreement, can be disputed as a billing error. Start with the statement: find the date the first statement showing the charge was sent, then send a written dispute to the issuer's billing-dispute address within 60 days. Attach the agreement, a short timeline, and records showing what you received and what was missing.

People often call this a chargeback, but it isn't an automatic refund. The card issuer investigates the claim, and the merchant can submit its own records.

Scope: This article covers U.S. consumer credit-card billing disputes. Debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, payment apps, and other payment methods can follow different rules. This is practical information, not legal advice.

Decide what you are actually disputing

The description you give the issuer should match the facts. A service problem might be:

• The seller never provided the service.
• The seller missed the agreed delivery date or supplied the service in a different form.
• A recurring charge appeared after you canceled.
• The amount was duplicated or did not match the agreement.
• A promised feature, appointment, deliverable, or access period was missing.

An unauthorized transaction is a different issue. If you made the purchase but the service failed, describe it as non-delivery, cancellation, or failure to perform the agreement. Don't label an authorized purchase as fraud just because you want the dispute handled faster.

Poor quality alone doesn't automatically make a charge a billing error. Pin down the gap between the promise and the result. "The consultant delivered no report required by the agreement" gives the issuer something to investigate. "The work was bad" does not.

The 60-day written-dispute deadline

For a covered credit-card billing error, send the dispute in writing within 60 days of the date the first statement showing the error was sent. The clock generally isn't measured from the purchase date.

The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on credit-card billing errors says the issuer must acknowledge a written dispute within 30 days, unless it resolves the problem sooner. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no more than 90 days after receiving the letter.

Send the letter to the billing-dispute or billing-inquiries address on your statement or in the issuer's instructions. A phone call or online message may be useful, but don't assume either one replaces the written notice. Keep the letter, every attachment, and proof that the issuer received it.

You may see general references to a merchant response period of 7 to 10 days or a 120-day chargeback window. Those numbers can belong to a card-network or payment-processor workflow. They don't replace the consumer's applicable written-dispute deadline.

Build evidence around the one charge

The issuer should be able to answer three basic questions from your file:

1. What did you buy?
2. What did the seller promise, and what happened instead?
3. How do the records connect that failure to this particular charge?

A small, labeled file is easier to review than a folder full of unexplained screenshots. Put documents in date order. On each relevant page, identify the merchant, account, order, or transaction when possible.

Screenshots are more useful when they include the page address, visible date, account or order reference, and surrounding email or account records. Don't send a password, full card number, or unnecessary identity documents.

How to dispute the charge

1. Save the records before the account changes

Download the receipt, agreement, checkout page, cancellation policy, appointment details, and relevant emails before contacting the seller. Online terms and account pages may not look the same once the dispute begins.

Write down:

• The purchase date and charge date.
• The service that was promised.
• The expected delivery or appointment date.
• What you received, if anything.
• Each attempt to contact the merchant.
• The response, or the absence of one.

The timeline doesn't need to be long. A few dated entries can make the sequence clear.

2. Give the merchant a chance to fix the problem

Contact the seller in writing when practical. Say what was missing, what you want done, and when you need a response. The merchant might provide the service or issue a refund, and the exchange creates a record of your attempt to resolve the matter.

Don't let this step run out the 60-day clock. Send the issuer's written dispute while you continue communicating with the merchant if the deadline is close.

3. Send a focused dispute to the issuer

Include the information the issuer needs to locate and assess the transaction:

• Your name and the account details the issuer requests. In a letter, use the last four card digits rather than copying the full card number unless the issuer's instructions require more.
• The merchant's name, transaction date, and exact amount.
• The statement date on which the charge first appeared.
• A factual explanation of why the charge is incorrect.
• Copies of the agreement, communications, cancellation proof, and delivery records.
• A clear request that the issuer investigate the charge as a billing error.

You can adapt this wording:

I dispute the $[amount] charge from [merchant] dated [date], which appears on my statement dated [statement date]. The service was [not provided/not delivered as agreed] because [specific facts]. I contacted the merchant on [dates] and requested [refund, delivery, cancellation, or correction]. I have enclosed the transaction record, agreement, communications, and other documents supporting my dispute. Please investigate this billing error and provide the result in writing.

Send copies, not originals. If the issuer supplies a form or online process, follow those instructions as well as any requirement for written notice.

4. Watch the account while the issuer investigates

The FTC says you don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges while the issuer investigates a covered billing error. Continue paying undisputed amounts and other charges that aren't part of the dispute.

Save the issuer's acknowledgment, case number, requests for more information, and final decision. When the issuer asks a question, answer by its stated deadline and address that question directly.

Evidence for particular service disputes

SaaS subscriptions and free trials

Keep the signup page, plan description, trial terms, renewal notice, cancellation confirmation, and support tickets. If you paid for access but never received an invitation or couldn't activate the account, save the error message and your requests for help.

For a post-cancellation renewal, match the cancellation record to the account, plan, and merchant descriptor on the statement. If you logged in briefly but couldn't use the paid features, say so. Claiming that you never accessed the account would create a conflict in the record.

Freelance and consulting work

Use the signed agreement, invoice, milestone schedule, emails, file-transfer records, and revision requests. Identify the missing deliverable or the specific part that differed from the agreed scope.

Partial work changes the explanation. Separate the completed portion from the missing portion and identify the affected amount where you can. A request for a full reversal may be harder to support when the records show that some of the agreed work was completed.

Coaching, appointments, and online courses

For coaching or appointments, collect booking confirmations, session links, attendance records, cancellation notices, and rescheduling messages. A dated record showing that sessions were canceled without replacement says more than a general complaint that the coach was unhelpful.

For a digital course, save the sales page, promised start or access date, enrollment confirmation, access attempts, and support messages. A presale or staged release may explain a delay if that schedule was disclosed at checkout, so include it rather than leaving the issuer to guess.

How the merchant may answer

The merchant may submit:

• The service agreement or proof that you accepted the terms.
• Login or account-access records.
• Delivery emails, download records, or completed files.
• Support messages showing attempts to solve the problem.
• Appointment attendance or session records.
• A cancellation policy or evidence that the cancellation occurred after renewal.

Look at what each record actually proves. A login can show access, but not necessarily that the promised feature worked or that the service was complete. A delivery email can show that a file was sent, but not that it matched the agreed scope.

A no-refund clause isn't, by itself, proof that the service was delivered as promised. It may matter to the agreement, but a non-delivery dispute still turns on what the parties agreed to and what occurred.

Arguments and records that are weak on their own

A Visa or Mastercard reason code

Consumers usually don't need to identify a Visa or Mastercard reason code. Those codes belong to the issuer, acquirer, and network process. Select the issuer's consumer dispute category and describe the events accurately.

A generic chargeback deadline

Don't assume that a commonly quoted 120-day period applies to your account. Begin with the first statement showing the error and the issuer's written instructions.

A refund refusal without the underlying facts

A refusal helps show that you asked the merchant to resolve the issue. It doesn't establish that the service was never delivered or that the seller's position is correct. Include the agreement and delivery records too.

A collection of unlabeled screenshots

Label each attachment and add a sentence explaining what it shows. Ten dated records tied to the transaction will usually be easier to follow than dozens of uncaptured images.

If the issuer denies the dispute

Read the denial rather than sending the same complaint again. The issuer may have concluded that:

• The service was provided.
• The evidence didn't connect the problem to the charge.
• The dispute was submitted after the applicable deadline.
• The issue was a contract or quality disagreement rather than a covered billing error.
• More information was needed.

Ask whether the issuer offers reconsideration or an appeal and what evidence it will accept. Answer the stated reason for the denial. For example, if the merchant submitted a login record, explain whether it belonged to the wrong account, occurred before cancellation, or showed access without the paid feature you were promised.

If the issuer didn't follow the written billing-error process, keep the original letter, proof of delivery, acknowledgment, and all responses. For a significant loss, a consumer-protection agency, legal aid office, or attorney can help you assess a separate contract or consumer-law remedy.

Common questions

Can I dispute a charge if I used part of the service?

Yes, you can explain what was delivered and what was not. Identify the affected portion and amount where possible. The agreement, delivery records, and communications will help the issuer assess a partial-performance claim.

Does a no-refund policy prevent a chargeback?

Not automatically. The policy may affect the contract dispute, but it doesn't remove the need to explain whether the service was delivered as agreed. The issuer reviews the transaction and the evidence under its process.

What if I paid with a debit card?

The 60-day credit-card billing-error rule described here isn't a blanket rule for debit or prepaid cards. Contact the bank promptly, describe the problem accurately, and ask which dispute procedure and deadline apply to that payment method.

If your credit-card deadline is close, send a concise written dispute today, use the issuer's billing-dispute address, and keep proof that it was received.