On a U.S. credit card, the deadline that matters most is the FCBA written-dispute deadline: your dispute must reach the issuer's billing-inquiries address within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent to you. Call immediately if you suspect fraud, but don't rely on the call alone if you want to use the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) billing-error process.
"Chargeback" usually means that the issuer reverses a card transaction through the card network. That network process is separate from the FCBA. The issuer may use its own procedures or a network process while reviewing your claim, but those procedures don't replace the 60-day written-notice rule. Your issuer, not Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover, is normally the place to file the dispute.
Quick checklist
- [ ] Confirm that the charge has posted and note the merchant, date, and amount.
- [ ] Check authorized-user purchases, subscriptions, digital wallets, and unfamiliar merchant descriptors.
- [ ] Report suspected fraud to the issuer immediately.
- [ ] Contact the merchant about delivery, return, duplicate-charge, or refund problems when appropriate.
- [ ] Save statements, receipts, order records, tracking information, and messages.
- [ ] Send a written dispute to the issuer's billing-inquiries address early enough for it to arrive within 60 days.
- [ ] Keep a copy of the letter, enclosures, delivery proof, and case number.
- [ ] Pay all amounts that aren't part of the dispute by the due date.
- [ ] Calendar the issuer's acknowledgment and investigation deadlines.
- [ ] Check the written decision and respond if the explanation or correction is incomplete.
What the FCBA can cover
The FCBA applies to billing errors on U.S. credit card accounts. These are common examples:
| Problem | Example | Useful first move |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorized use | You and no authorized user made or approved the purchase | Call the issuer immediately and follow its instructions for securing the account |
| Wrong amount | The statement amount differs from the receipt or agreed price | Ask the merchant to correct the charge and save the response |
| Duplicate charge | One purchase appears twice | Compare the entries and request removal of the duplicate |
| Missing credit | A payment, return, or promised refund doesn't appear on the account | Send proof of the payment, return, or refund promise |
| Goods or services not delivered as agreed | An order never arrived or a service wasn't provided as promised | Contact the merchant, keep delivery records, and dispute the charge if it isn't corrected |
| Goods or services not accepted | The merchant charged you despite a documented rejection or cancellation | Keep the cancellation, return, or refusal records |
This isn't a general right to undo a purchase because you changed your mind. A product-quality complaint, cancellation disagreement, or contract dispute may require more evidence and may turn on the merchant's terms and the facts. An item that arrived but disappointed you isn't automatically an unauthorized charge.
This checklist is for credit cards. Debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, payment apps, and other electronic fund transfers generally follow different rules and deadlines.
Identify the transaction before disputing it
Statement descriptors don't always match the name of the shop or website. Compare the charge with:
- Receipts and order confirmations
- Subscription or membership records
- Email receipts
- Digital-wallet history
- Purchases made by authorized users
- The transaction date and amount
Write down the details while they are easy to find:
- Merchant name exactly as shown on the statement
- Transaction date and amount
- Date the statement was sent
- Last four digits of the account
- Why you believe the charge is wrong
- Any merchant, delivery, return, or refund reference number
If the charge still appears unauthorized, notify the issuer without waiting to identify the merchant. The issuer may need to replace the card or account number and give you separate fraud-reporting instructions. If you also want to rely on the FCBA billing-error procedure, send the written dispute before the 60-day deadline.
Contact the merchant when it can help
For a missing delivery, return, duplicate charge, or promised refund, contact the merchant in writing. Say what happened and what you want: delivery, cancellation, a refund, or a correction to the amount.
Keep the email, chat transcript, return authorization, shipping receipt, and the merchant's reply. A promise to issue a refund isn't the same as a credit that has posted, so check a later statement.
The merchant's investigation doesn't pause the FCBA clock. If the seller says it is still looking into the matter, send the issuer's written dispute anyway.
Prepare the evidence
Organize the records around the transaction and its timeline. Send copies, not originals, of documents such as:
- The statement page with the charge marked
- The receipt, invoice, order confirmation, or contract
- A description of what was promised and what happened
- Merchant emails, messages, and call notes
- Cancellation or return requests
- Return tracking, delivery records, or proof that the order wasn't received
- Photos showing damage or a materially different item, when relevant
- Proof of a payment or refund that wasn't credited
- Fraud-related information the issuer requested
A short chronology can make the issue clear. For example: "I placed the order on June 2. Delivery was promised for June 9. I contacted the merchant on June 15. The order still hasn't arrived, and no refund has posted."
Don't include unrelated personal information. Redact the full card number, passwords, and Social Security number unless the issuer specifically requests information through a secure channel.
Send the written dispute to the right address
The letter must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first billing statement with the error was sent to you. That date isn't necessarily the purchase date, the due date, or the day you noticed the charge.
Use the billing-inquiries or billing-dispute address shown on the statement or card agreement. It may be different from the address used for payments. Follow the issuer's current instructions, mail the dispute early, and consider tracked or certified delivery. Keep the delivery record and a complete copy of what you sent.
The FTC's guidance on disputing credit card charges recommends keeping a copy of the letter. This template covers the key details:
[Your name]
[Your address]
[City, state, ZIP code]
[Date]
[Issuer name]
[Billing inquiries address]
Re: Dispute of charge on account ending in [last four digits]
Dear Billing Inquiries Department:
I am writing to dispute a charge of [$amount] from [merchant name] posted on [date]. The charge appears on the statement sent on [statement date]. It is incorrect because [briefly explain: I did not authorize it; the amount is wrong; the item was not delivered as agreed; I returned the item; or another specific reason].
[Add the relevant facts and dates. Explain the correction you are requesting.]
Enclosed are copies of [list the documents]. Please investigate this billing error and correct my account. Please send written confirmation of the result.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Phone number or email]The FTC sample dispute letter contains similar wording and examples. A phone call can alert the issuer, but it may not provide the written notice needed for the FCBA procedure.
If you moved or didn't receive the statement
There is a special address-related condition when a statement went to an old address. The FCBA treatment may depend on whether you gave the issuer your new address in writing at least 20 days before the relevant billing period ended.
Contact the issuer promptly, explain when and how you provided the address, and send the dispute anyway. Don't assume that an address problem means the deadline no longer matters.
Pay the part that isn't disputed
If the issuer receives a timely FCBA dispute, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges while it investigates. You do have to pay amounts outside the dispute by their due dates.
Don't stop paying the entire bill. If the minimum payment includes the disputed amount, ask the issuer in writing how it wants you to handle the payment and save the answer. A temporary credit during the investigation may be provisional; check the issuer's final written decision and later statements.
Mark the issuer's response deadlines
The main FCBA time limits are:
| Event | General timing |
|---|---|
| Written dispute reaches the issuer | Within 60 days after the first statement with the error was sent |
| Issuer acknowledges the dispute | Within 30 days of receiving it, unless the issue has already been resolved |
| Issuer resolves the dispute | Within two complete billing cycles, and no more than 90 days after receiving it |
Record the date the issuer received the letter, not just the date you mailed it. Keep the acknowledgment, case number, temporary-credit notice, portal messages, and requests for more information.
Card-network deadlines can vary by transaction type and issuer workflow. There isn't one universal network deadline that replaces the FCBA's 60-day written-notice requirement. If you discover the problem later, contact the issuer right away and ask what other review or remedy may be available, but don't assume the same statutory protections still apply.
Check the decision carefully
If the issuer corrects the account, review a later statement. Confirm that the charge, related finance charges, and any fees were handled correctly. If a merchant refund also posts, tell the issuer so the account isn't credited twice.
If the issuer says the charge was valid:
- Read the written explanation and note any response deadline.
- Ask for the documents or information supporting the decision.
- Compare that explanation with your timeline and evidence.
- Send a concise follow-up with anything the issuer overlooked.
- Keep paying amounts that aren't in dispute.
- If you still dispute the amount, notify the issuer in writing within the period stated in its notice. FCBA dispute materials describe a 10-day period for this response after an adverse decision.
Keep the category accurate. A purchase made by an authorized user is different from a stolen card number. A delivered item that doesn't meet expectations is different from a transaction you never approved. Clear facts help the issuer route the claim correctly.
If the issuer misses a deadline or mishandles the claim
Start with the issuer's billing-dispute or escalation channel. Provide:
- The date it received your written dispute
- Your case number
- The deadline that was missed
- A copy of the original letter and delivery proof
- The correction or explanation you want
If the issuer doesn't follow the billing-error process or gives no meaningful response, you can submit a complaint through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Include a factual timeline and copies of your records. Don't send originals or expose your full card number in an unsecured complaint.
A CFPB complaint is an escalation option, not a reason to wait past the FCBA deadline. For a large or legally complicated loss, consider advice from a qualified consumer-law professional in your state.
Common questions
Can I dispute a credit card charge by phone?
Call promptly, especially for suspected fraud. A phone report may not be enough to invoke the FCBA billing-error procedure, though, so send written notice to the issuer's billing-inquiries address and keep proof that it arrived on time.
When does the 60-day period start?
For an FCBA billing error, count from the date the first statement containing the error was sent to you. It doesn't automatically start on the purchase date or the day you discovered the problem.
Do I have to contact the merchant first?
No. Don't delay notifying the issuer about suspected fraud. For delivery, return, refund, and duplicate-charge problems, contacting the merchant may resolve the issue and create useful records, but it doesn't extend the 60-day deadline.
What if I paid with a debit card?
This process addresses credit cards. Debit cards and other payment methods generally use different federal rules, procedures, and deadlines. Tell the financial institution which payment method was used and follow its error-reporting instructions.
Are card-network rules the same as FCBA rights?
No. Network chargeback rules govern how participating issuers and merchants process transactions. The FCBA is a federal consumer-protection process. Follow the issuer's instructions, but don't substitute a general network timeframe for timely written notice.
What evidence should I send?
Send records that show the charge, why you object, and what happened afterward: the statement, receipt, order or cancellation records, delivery or return information, refund promises, and relevant messages. A dated timeline ties those records together.
This information is for U.S. consumers and isn't legal advice. If you're disputing a charge now, find the first statement that showed it, locate the billing-inquiries address, and send a dated letter before the 60-day deadline.