For a U.S. consumer credit card account, the safest FCBA sequence is straightforward: find the first statement that showed the error, send the issuer a written billing-error notice within 60 days, keep your records, and pay the part of the bill you aren't disputing.
Call the issuer right away if the charge may be unauthorized. A phone call can secure the account and open a case, but it doesn't replace the written notice used for FCBA billing-error protections. A merchant refund request and a card-network chargeback are separate routes, with their own rules and deadlines. No checklist guarantees a reversal.
Start with these steps
- Save the statement. Note the date the first statement showing the charge was sent, the merchant descriptor, amount, and transaction date.
- Check the transaction. Review receipts, order confirmations, subscriptions, and purchases made by authorized users. An unfamiliar merchant descriptor isn't always fraud.
- Secure the account if necessary. Call the number on the back of the card, ask whether the card should be locked or replaced, and change relevant passwords.
- Contact the merchant for a merchant-related problem. Ask for a refund or correction in writing. For a delivery or acceptance problem, Regulation Z generally requires a good-faith attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant first, unless the merchant is unavailable or no longer in business. Don't let that conversation run past the issuer's 60-day deadline.
- Send written notice to the issuer. Use the billing-inquiries or billing-error address shown on the statement, not automatically the payment address.
- Pay the undisputed balance. Don't stop paying the entire account because one charge is under review.
- Keep a case file. Save your notice, delivery proof, attachments, confirmation numbers, call notes, and every response.
What the FCBA treats as a billing error
The billing-error rules in Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.13 generally cover:
- An extension of credit that you did not make and that was not made by someone with permission to use the account.
- A charge that is not identified on the statement as required.
- An incorrect amount, duplicate charge, or similar accounting error.
- A payment, refund, return, or other credit that the issuer failed to post correctly.
- Goods or services you did not accept, or that were not delivered as agreed.
- A written request for clarification about an item on the statement.
A bad purchase, buyer's remorse, or dissatisfaction with service quality doesn't automatically qualify as an FCBA billing error. The issuer may still offer a separate purchase-dispute or network process. Describe the facts accurately; don't report a legitimate merchant disagreement as fraud.
The deadlines that matter
The federal FCBA clock is usually tied to the statement, not the transaction date.
| Step | Timing | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Written billing-error notice | The issuer must receive it within 60 days after sending the first statement showing the error | Send it to the designated billing-error address. |
| Written acknowledgment | Within 30 days after receiving the notice, unless the issuer resolves the issue sooner | Keep the acknowledgment or other written confirmation. |
| Investigation and decision | Within two complete billing cycles, and no more than 90 days after receiving the notice | Answer requests for information promptly. |
| Reconsideration or appeal | Set by the issuer | Follow the deadline and instructions in the decision letter. |
| Network chargeback | Varies by network, reason, transaction, and issuer | Ask the issuer for the applicable deadline. Don't assume every case has 120 days. |
Send the notice early enough for the issuer to receive it by the 60-day deadline. The FTC's guidance on disputing charges recommends calling the card company and following up in writing.
Some issuers may extend the 60-day period when a shipment is delayed. Ask the issuer whether that option applies to your case. It isn't an automatic extension under the FCBA.
Send the notice to the right address
Check the back of the statement for wording such as "billing inquiries" or "billing-error notices." That address may be different from the address used for payments. Sending the letter only to the payment address can delay the dispute and create a question about whether the issuer received proper notice.
Include:
- Your name and mailing address.
- The account number, or the last four digits if that is what the issuer requests.
- The amount, date, and merchant name or descriptor.
- A short explanation of what is wrong.
- Copies of relevant records, including the statement page.
- A request for the investigation result in writing.
Keep the originals. Use a delivery method that gives you a record of when the issuer received the notice. For an online submission, save the confirmation page and screenshots showing the submission date.
Sample billing-error letter
The format below follows the basic information in the FTC's sample dispute letter:
[Your name]
[Your address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date][Issuer name]
[Billing inquiries or billing-error address]Re: Billing error on account ending in [last four digits]
I am writing to dispute a charge of [$ amount] from [merchant] dated [date]. The charge is incorrect because [brief explanation, such as "the merchandise was not delivered," "the amount is wrong," or "I did not authorize this transaction"].
Please investigate this billing error under the Fair Credit Billing Act and correct my account. Please send the result of your investigation in writing.
Enclosures: [List the documents included]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Use only the information needed to identify the account. Don't send a full account number or unrelated financial records unless the issuer's official instructions require them.
Build evidence around the reason for the dispute
A short timeline is usually more useful than a pile of unexplained attachments. Record the statement date, when you noticed the charge, any merchant contact, promised delivery or refund dates, and when you sent the notice.
| Dispute type | Useful records |
|---|---|
| Unauthorized charge | Statement, transaction alert, when you noticed the charge, and confirmation that you reported it |
| Wrong amount or duplicate | Receipt, invoice, order confirmation, and a comparison showing the error |
| Merchandise not delivered | Order confirmation, promised delivery date, tracking information, and messages with the seller |
| Cancelled subscription or service | Cancellation request, confirmation, applicable terms, and the later charge |
| Missing refund or credit | Refund confirmation, return receipt, credit slip, and the statement showing that the credit was missing |
| Goods or services not accepted as agreed | Contract, cancellation notice, relevant photos, and communications with the merchant |
A police or identity-theft report can help with a fraud claim, but it isn't automatically required for every credit card dispute. Provide one if the issuer requests it or if you filed one.
Paying while the issuer investigates
The FCBA generally allows you to withhold the disputed amount and related finance or other charges while the issuer investigates. You still have to pay amounts that aren't part of the dispute.
If you aren't sure how much of the minimum payment is undisputed, ask the issuer for written payment instructions. Skipping the entire minimum payment can create a separate delinquency problem.
While the billing-error process is pending, the issuer generally can't treat or report the disputed amount as delinquent solely because you withheld that amount and its related charges. That protection doesn't make the rest of the account optional.
Some issuers provide temporary or provisional credit. The FCBA doesn't guarantee a credit within 72 hours, and temporary credit isn't necessarily a final decision. Treat it as conditional and don't spend it until the issuer confirms the case is closed.
The issuer should end the investigation by doing one of two things:
- Correcting the error and adjusting the account, including related charges where required; or
- Sending a written explanation of why it believes there was no error or why the facts were different.
If the issuer rejects the dispute, ask promptly for the documents or other evidence supporting its conclusion. Regulation Z provides a way to request documentary evidence in appropriate billing-error cases.
FCBA notice, chargeback, fraud report, or merchant refund?
These labels describe different processes.
| Route | What controls it | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| FCBA billing-error notice | Federal law and Regulation Z | Written notice received within 60 days is central to the statutory process. |
| Card-network chargeback | Network rules and the issuer's procedures | The issuer decides whether and how to submit the case. Deadlines and evidence rules vary. |
| Unauthorized-use or fraud report | Federal rules, issuer terms, and sometimes network policies | Report immediately so the issuer can secure the account and assess the transaction. |
| Merchant refund request | The merchant's terms and applicable consumer law | A seller may correct the problem, but contacting the seller doesn't replace timely notice to the issuer. |
You normally can't file a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover chargeback directly with the network. Start with the card issuer. A network deadline may run from the transaction date, expected delivery date, cancellation date, or promised refund date. That window doesn't extend the FCBA 60-day deadline.
Situations that often cause confusion
Unauthorized charges
Call the issuer as soon as you notice the transaction. Ask whether the card should be locked or replaced and whether other unfamiliar transactions occurred. Check with authorized users and review the merchant descriptor, but don't delay reporting a charge that remains unauthorized.
The 60-day written-notice rule belongs to the FCBA billing-error process. Other unauthorized-use protections and issuer policies can involve different requirements, so prompt reporting is the safer approach.
Subscriptions and recurring charges
Cancel through the merchant's stated method and save the confirmation. A charge after a valid cancellation may support a dispute, but cancellation doesn't necessarily eliminate a final payment that the subscription terms already allow. Give the issuer the cancellation date, confirmation, and date of the later charge.
Merchandise that never arrived
Collect the order confirmation, promised delivery date, tracking information, and your messages with the seller. The FTC's guidance on goods or products you never received says credit card billing errors should be disputed in writing within the 60-day period.
Refunds that never appeared
Ask the merchant for written confirmation of the refund and keep the return or cancellation records. If the refund is still missing, tell the issuer what the merchant promised and when. This is different from claiming that the original purchase was unauthorized. If both the merchant and issuer provide money, notify them so you don't receive a duplicate recovery.
Digital wallets
For a card purchase made through Apple Pay, Google Pay, or another wallet, the underlying card issuer normally handles the card dispute. Include the wallet transaction details. The last four digits displayed in the wallet may differ from the number printed on the physical card.
Travel and digital services
Keep the booking terms, cancellation policy, provider notices, and communications with the seller. A cancelled trip or unavailable digital service may support a dispute, but a chargeback isn't automatic travel insurance or a general right to reverse a nonrefundable purchase. The contract, facts, issuer, and applicable network rules all matter.
These steps are for U.S. consumer credit card accounts. Debit cards, prepaid cards, ACH payments, wires, and peer-to-peer transfers follow different rules and shouldn't be handled as FCBA credit card disputes.
If the issuer denies the dispute
Work from the reason given in the decision rather than sending the same explanation again.
- Read the decision. Check whether the issuer says the charge was authorized, the goods were delivered, the notice was late, or the evidence was incomplete.
- Request supporting records. Ask for the documents or transaction information used to reach the decision. Make the request in writing and keep a copy.
- Ask for reconsideration if available. Follow the issuer's stated deadline and answer its specific reason for denial. There is no single federal 10-day appeal period for every issuer.
- Check for another issuer route. A fraud review, network chargeback, or purchase dispute may have different requirements.
- Complain about process problems. You can use the CFPB complaint portal for problems involving a credit card company. A complaint may prompt a company response, but it isn't an automatic reversal and doesn't replace the 60-day notice.
- Pursue the merchant separately when appropriate. For a substantial product or contract dispute, a state consumer-protection office, small-claims process, or qualified professional may be worth considering.
If you missed the 60-day deadline, send the dispute anyway and explain why. Ask whether the issuer will review it under an internal policy or network rule, especially if the issue involves delayed delivery or a recently discovered unauthorized charge. The statutory FCBA protection may be weaker or unavailable after the deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Can I dispute a credit card charge by phone?
Call immediately to report suspected fraud or open an issuer case. For FCBA billing-error protection, send written notice to the issuer's designated billing-error address within 60 days. A phone call alone isn't the safest way to preserve that protection.
Do I have to contact the merchant first?
Not for a charge that remains unauthorized. Contacting the merchant is useful for delivery, cancellation, refund, and incorrect-price problems. For goods or services not delivered or accepted as agreed, a good-faith attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant is generally part of the FCBA process.
Can I stop paying my credit card bill?
No. Pay the undisputed balance and follow the issuer's instructions about the minimum payment. The FCBA generally lets you withhold the disputed amount and related charges, not the entire bill.
Is temporary credit guaranteed?
No. An issuer may provide provisional credit under its own procedures, but the FCBA doesn't guarantee a credit within 72 hours or require one for every dispute.
What if the charge is on a debit card?
Use the debit card issuer's error-reporting process. Debit card and electronic-transfer protections are different from the FCBA rules for credit cards.
Official sources
- Regulation Z billing-error resolution rule
- FTC sample letter for disputing card charges
- FTC guidance on billing for goods never received
- CFPB complaint portal
If the 60-day date is close, send the written notice now to the billing-error address and keep proof of delivery.