The first call should usually be to the card issuer. If a U.S. credit-card statement contains an unauthorized transaction, duplicate, wrong amount, missing credit, or a charge for goods or services that weren't delivered as agreed, report it promptly.
For the federal Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) billing-error process, the issuer generally must receive your written notice within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. A merchant call may help, but it doesn't extend that deadline.
Pay the part of the balance you don't dispute, keep records of each contact, and don't describe an authorized purchase as fraud. These steps are for U.S. credit cards. Debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, and payment apps can follow different rules.
Start with these steps
- Check the transaction. Compare the merchant name, date, amount, receipt, order history, and digital-wallet records. Ask authorized users or household members whether they made the purchase.
- Secure the account if fraud is possible. Call the issuer using the number on the card or in its official app. Ask whether the card, account number, or digital-wallet token should be blocked or replaced.
- Contact the merchant when a correction seems likely. A wrong amount, canceled order, or promised refund may be resolved faster this way. Don't wait for the merchant's reply if the FCBA deadline is approaching.
- Send a written dispute. Use the billing inquiries or billing disputes address shown on the statement, which may not be the payment address.
- Attach focused evidence. Include the statement page, transaction details, a short timeline, and documents that support what you say.
- Pay the undisputed balance on time. Save the letter, delivery receipt, confirmation number, and every message from the issuer.
People often use "chargeback" for this entire process. In practice, you ask the issuer to investigate. The issuer decides whether to submit a dispute through the card network and evaluates the merchant's response.
Which rule applies?
| Rule or process | Usually applies to | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| FCBA billing-error process | U.S. credit-card accounts | Written notice, investigation, acknowledgment, and resolution duties for eligible billing errors |
| Card-network dispute process | Transactions routed through Visa, Mastercard, and other networks | Dispute categories, evidence requirements, and issuer-to-merchant time windows |
| Merchant refund policy | Returns, cancellations, and voluntary refunds | Whether the merchant agrees to refund under its own terms |
| Regulation E | Many debit-card and electronic bank transfers | A separate error-reporting process for electronic fund transfers |
The FCBA is the main federal process for an error appearing on a regular credit-card statement. Regulation E generally applies to many debit and electronic-transfer errors; it doesn't replace the FCBA simply because a credit-card purchase was made electronically.
What counts as a credit-card billing error?
Common examples include:
- An unauthorized charge
- An incorrect amount
- A duplicate transaction
- A payment or credit that wasn't applied
- A mathematical or accounting error
- Goods or services that weren't delivered as agreed
- Goods or services you rejected under the agreement
The merchant's refusal to make a discretionary refund isn't automatically an FCBA billing error. For example, a buyer's-remorse claim may not qualify when the product was delivered and the merchant clearly disclosed a no-return policy. The transaction, agreement, and communications all matter.
An unfamiliar statement descriptor isn't conclusive proof of fraud, either. Check for a digital-wallet charge, an authorized user, a parent company, or a delayed hotel, restaurant, or transportation charge before reporting it as unauthorized.
The FCBA deadline and issuer timeline
The federal deadline is not a universal 120-day chargeback rule. For a qualifying billing error, your written notice must reach the issuer within 60 days after the statement containing the error was sent. The clock is tied to that statement, not necessarily to the purchase date or the day you first noticed the problem.
Address the notice to the issuer's billing inquiries or billing disputes department. Include:
- Your name and account identifier
- The transaction date and amount
- The merchant name as it appears on the statement
- A clear, factual explanation of the error
- Copies of relevant supporting documents
The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on disputing credit-card charges includes a sample letter. Keep a copy of your letter and use a delivery method that gives you evidence of when the issuer received it. Mailing it close to the deadline creates an avoidable problem.
After receiving a proper notice, the issuer generally must:
- Acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days, unless it has already resolved the issue
- Investigate and resolve it within two complete billing cycles, but no later than 90 days
- Explain its findings if it decides there was no billing error
During the investigation of a qualifying dispute, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges. You do need to pay the undisputed portion by its due date. Stopping all payments can create a separate delinquency problem.
If you moved, special conditions can apply when the statement went to your old address. The FTC says you should have sent the issuer your new address in writing early enough for it to have the change at least 20 days before the billing period ended.
How to prepare the dispute
Verify the transaction
Record the statement date, transaction date, amount, merchant descriptor, and the date you noticed the problem. Save receipts, order confirmations, emails, and digital-wallet records. This basic timeline often clarifies whether the issue is fraud, a duplicate, a missing credit, or a disagreement about delivery or cancellation.
Secure the account if fraud is possible
Call the issuer promptly and ask about:
- Freezing or replacing the card
- Removing a digital-wallet token
- Reviewing other recent transactions
- Changing account credentials
- Adding fraud monitoring
Federal law generally limits liability for unauthorized use of a lost or stolen physical credit card to $50. If only the card number was stolen and the physical card wasn't lost or stolen, federal protections generally provide no liability. An issuer or network may offer broader zero-liability protection, but report the transaction quickly rather than relying on that policy.
Contact the merchant when it makes sense
Ask the merchant to correct a wrong amount or issue a refund if that could solve the problem. Contacting the merchant first isn't a universal FCBA requirement, but a written support record can be useful.
Keep the support ticket or case number, the representative's name or identification, the promised refund amount and date, return instructions, and emails or chat messages. The conversation must not delay the issuer's 60-day written-notice deadline.
Send the issuer a written notice
A phone call or online report may open the issuer's internal case. To preserve the FCBA billing-error procedure, send written notice to the correct billing-inquiries address and follow any instructions on the statement.
A short letter is enough. State what happened, identify the transaction precisely, and say what correction you want. For unrelated charges, separate notices can make the facts easier to review. Don't send an unredacted full card number or unnecessary personal information.
Organize the evidence
Put the documents in the same order as your explanation. A one-page timeline should answer:
- What was purchased?
- What did the merchant promise?
- What went wrong?
- When did you contact the merchant?
- What response did you receive?
- What amount remains disputed?
Submit documents only through a secure issuer channel. Keep the originals and your upload, mailing, or delivery records.
Credit-card dispute letter template
Send the letter to the issuer's billing-inquiries address shown on your statement.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Card issuer]
[Billing inquiries address]
Re: Account ending in [last four digits]
Disputed transaction: [merchant], [date], [$amount]
I am writing to dispute this credit-card billing error under the Fair Credit Billing Act.
I dispute the charge because [brief, factual explanation, such as "the goods were not delivered as agreed" or "I did not authorize this transaction"].
Enclosed are copies of the following documents:
- [Statement page or transaction record]
- [Receipt or order confirmation]
- [Merchant correspondence]
- [Delivery, return, cancellation, or other evidence]
Please investigate the dispute and send me your written findings. If the charge is an error, please correct the account and remove related charges as required.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Phone or email, if useful]For suspected fraud, ask the issuer to secure the account and review other recent transactions. Don't use "unauthorized" when you made the purchase but later canceled a subscription, returned an item, or changed your mind.
Evidence for common dispute types
Unauthorized charge
Provide the transaction details, when you noticed the charge, and relevant facts about whether you had the card or device. Identify authorized users and complete the issuer's fraud questionnaire. Report other suspicious transactions as soon as you find them.
Goods or services not received
Save the order confirmation, promised delivery date, tracking record, delivery address, and messages with the merchant. If tracking says the item was delivered, explain any wrong-address, misdelivery, or return problem rather than leaving that apparent contradiction unanswered.
Wrong item, defective service, or canceled order
Include the original description, photographs if relevant, the cancellation or return request, the merchant's instructions, and proof that you followed those instructions. A quality complaint may be evaluated differently from a non-delivery claim, so describe the actual problem and the remedy you requested.
Subscription charged after cancellation
Cancel through the merchant's required method and save the confirmation. Keep the subscription terms, cancellation date, confirmation email, and later statements. A card dispute doesn't itself cancel a subscription; complete the cancellation with the merchant too.
Refund promised but not received
Save the merchant's written promise, refund amount, expected processing date, and statement showing that the credit hasn't appeared. If a partial refund later posts, tell the issuer and dispute only the remaining amount.
Visa and Mastercard time limits
The FCBA's 60-day written-notice deadline and the card networks' dispute deadlines are separate. Visa and Mastercard use category-specific procedures for issuers and merchants. The network clock may be tied to the transaction, expected delivery, cancellation, or promised refund rather than the date you first noticed the charge.
A commonly quoted network window is about 120 calendar days, but it applies only to some categories. Other categories can have shorter windows, and the issuer may need your information sooner to meet its own submission deadline.
Ask the issuer:
- Which dispute category applies?
- What event starts the network clock?
- What is the issuer's submission deadline?
- What evidence is required?
- How can you request reconsideration after a denial?
File as soon as you identify the problem. If the FCBA applies, meet its 60-day written-notice deadline separately instead of assuming the network deadline will protect you.
If the issuer denies the dispute
A denial can turn on the transaction category, the evidence, or the merchant's records. Common reasons include:
- The written notice arrived after the FCBA deadline
- The notice didn't identify the transaction clearly
- The facts didn't fit a recognized billing-error category
- The merchant supplied delivery, usage, or authorization records
- The issuer concluded that an authorized user made the purchase
- The merchant issued a full or partial refund
- The return or cancellation didn't follow the stated terms
- The charge came from a debit card or another payment method
- The evidence didn't establish the amount or date being challenged
Read the denial letter before responding. Then:
- Request the documents or explanation needed to understand the decision.
- Address each factual point instead of repeating the original complaint.
- Add new evidence, such as delivery records, cancellation confirmation, or proof of a promised refund.
- State the exact correction you want and the amount still in dispute.
- Follow the response deadline in the decision letter or online case record.
There isn't one universal federal 10-day appeal deadline for every credit-card dispute. Issuer and network procedures may set short response periods, so respond promptly.
If the issuer failed to acknowledge a timely written notice, investigated the wrong transaction, or treated the disputed amount as delinquent during the investigation, keep the paperwork. You can use the issuer's formal complaint channel or consider a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Neither route guarantees a refund, but both can create a record of a possible process problem.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating a chargeback as a guaranteed refund. The issuer reviews the evidence and can reverse a temporary credit.
- Assuming a dispute cancels a contract. Cancel subscriptions and follow return procedures with the merchant.
- Relying on the 120-day figure. Network deadlines vary by dispute category and starting event.
- Using the wrong payment rule. Regulation E generally concerns debit and electronic-transfer errors, not ordinary credit-card billing errors.
- Submitting duplicate disputes. Tell the issuer if the merchant later refunds you.
- Changing or exaggerating the facts. A knowingly false fraud or non-delivery claim can lead to account restrictions and other consequences.
- Stopping all payments. A dispute over one charge doesn't excuse unrelated missed payments.
Frequently asked questions
Can I dispute a charge after 60 days?
Contact the issuer anyway, especially for suspected fraud or a problem you discovered later. The federal FCBA billing-error process may not protect a notice that arrives after the 60-day period, though the issuer or network may have another procedure. Ask which process is available rather than assuming the claim is covered.
Do I have to contact the merchant first?
No single FCBA rule requires that step for every billing error. A merchant may provide a faster refund or useful documentation, but send the issuer's written notice on time even if the merchant hasn't responded.
Can I stop paying my credit-card bill during an investigation?
Don't stop paying the entire bill. Continue paying the undisputed balance and follow the issuer's written instructions about the amount due while the dispute remains open.
How long does a credit-card dispute take?
Under the FCBA process, the issuer generally has 30 days to acknowledge a written notice and up to 90 days to resolve it. Network processing and issuer procedures can change the practical timeline.
Can I use these steps for a debit-card charge?
Not automatically. Debit cards and bank-account transfers generally use electronic-transfer procedures rather than the FCBA credit-card process. Confirm which account was charged before filing.