If a credit card charge is unauthorized or contains a genuine billing error, contact the issuer promptly and send written notice to its billing inquiries address. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), the issuer generally must receive that notice within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent to you.
Pay the part of your bill that isn't disputed. Keep records of every conversation. Don't assume an app notification or a phone call alone preserves all of your federal rights. The Federal Trade Commission's credit card guidance includes a sample dispute letter and the investigation deadlines that apply.
What counts as a credit card dispute?
The reason for the dispute decides which rules and which evidence matter.
| Problem | Examples | Best first action |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorized use | A purchase you didn't make or approve | Call the issuer immediately, lock or replace the card, and report the charge in writing |
| Statement error | Wrong amount, duplicate charge, or a charge posted to the wrong account | Compare the statement with your receipt and send a billing-error notice |
| Goods or services not received as agreed | An order never arrived, a canceled service was still billed, or a promised credit was not issued | Contact the merchant and save delivery, cancellation, and refund records |
| Quality or description dispute | A product or service materially differs from what was promised | Gather the listing, contract, photos, and merchant communications |
| Valid purchase or buyer's remorse | You changed your mind or found a lower price elsewhere | Check the merchant's return terms; this isn't automatically a billing error |
The FCBA generally covers U.S. open-end credit accounts, including credit cards. It doesn't automatically govern debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, payment-app balances, or cards issued outside the United States. Those payment methods can carry different protections and shorter or longer clocks.
Merchant refund rules, issuer procedures, and card-network policies can still affect what happens next. They may add tools such as in-app filing or zero-liability protection. They don't convert every unhappy purchase into a billing error the issuer must reverse. Capital One's FCBA overview describes that bank's own process and unauthorized-charge protection; other issuers set their own extra policies on top of federal law.
The deadline that actually matters
For the federal billing-error process:
- The issuer must receive your written dispute within 60 days after the first statement with the error was sent to you.
- That window usually starts with the statement date or mailing date, not the transaction date and not the day you finally spotted the charge.
- The letter belongs at the billing inquiries address, which is often different from the payment address.
- The issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days, unless it has already fixed the problem.
- It generally must finish the investigation within two complete billing cycles, and no later than 90 days after getting your notice.
Moved recently? Read the statement instructions. The FTC says that, in some cases, you needed to have given the issuer your new address in writing at least 20 days before the billing period ended, or the statement may not count as correctly provided.
An issuer may offer a longer internal filing period, and the FTC notes that some issuers extend the 60-day window when a shipment is delayed. Treat those extras as a bonus, not a substitute. If the federal deadline might apply, report the problem in writing on time. Report fraud as soon as you see it.
How to dispute a credit card charge
Write down the merchant name, transaction date, posting date, amount, and the statement that shows the charge. Check whether someone else on the account made the purchase, and whether the merchant bills under a name you wouldn't recognize.
Pending charges are awkward. Call the issuer immediately if you suspect fraud or need to know whether a dispute can start before the item posts. Waiting for a pending charge to settle can be required for a formal claim, but waiting to report unauthorized use is a different risk.
If the charge looks like fraud
Use the number on the back of the card or in the issuer's official app. Ask them to block or replace the card and scan recent activity for other strangers. Change the password on any merchant account that may have been compromised.
Federal law can limit your liability for unauthorized credit-card use to $50 in qualifying situations. Plenty of issuers go further with zero-liability policies, but those policies have conditions. Calling early still helps.
If the problem is the merchant, not a stolen card
For a missing order, canceled reservation, recurring charge, damaged item, or bad service, ask the seller for a correction or refund. Email, chat, or a letter beats a forgotten phone call. Give the order or reservation number, the remedy you were promised, and a reasonable date for a reply. Keep cancellation confirmations, return-shipping records, tracking, and the merchant's response.
A good-faith try with the merchant can help the issuer's review. It does not pause the 60-day clock. If that deadline is close, notify the issuer first and say you're still working on a merchant fix.
File with the issuer, then put it in writing
An app or website form is usually the fastest way to open a claim. A phone call is useful for suspected fraud. For FCBA protection, follow up with written notice to the billing inquiries address and keep proof it arrived.
Include:
- Your name and account number, or the last four digits
- The amount, merchant, and transaction date
- The date of the statement that shows the charge
- The specific reason the charge is wrong
- The result you want, such as removal of the charge
- Copies of supporting records
Don't email your full card number, password, or extra ID documents.
Evidence that actually helps
Tie the disputed line to one clear fact. Depending on the problem, that may be a receipt, invoice, order confirmation, or contract; merchant emails, chat logs, and call notes; cancellation or return confirmation; tracking or proof of non-delivery; photos of damage or a mismatch with the listing; a refund promise and the date it was due; a police or identity-theft report for unauthorized use; or a statement showing a duplicate or incorrect amount.
Sort the papers by date and mark the relevant lines. A short timeline is more useful than a stack of unrelated screenshots.
What to pay while they investigate
Under the FCBA process, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges during the investigation. You still pay the rest of the balance and follow the issuer's instructions on the minimum payment. Freezing the whole account can create late fees on charges that were never in dispute.
Some issuers post a temporary credit. Treat it as provisional until they confirm the outcome. If the merchant later refunds you, tell the issuer so you aren't credited twice.
Credit card dispute letter template
Send copies, not originals you can't replace. Use the billing-error address printed on your statement.
[Your name]
[Your mailing address]
[Date]
[Card issuer]
Billing inquiries
[Address shown on your statement]
Re: Disputed charge on account ending in [XXXX]
I am writing to dispute a charge of [$ amount] from [merchant], posted on [date] and shown on the statement sent on [date].
The charge is incorrect because [briefly explain: I did not authorize it; the amount is wrong; the merchandise was not delivered; the service was canceled; or another specific reason].
The relevant facts are: [give a short timeline with dates]. I contacted the merchant on [date] by [method], and the response was [summarize the response or state that there was no response].
Please investigate this billing error and correct my account by removing or crediting the disputed amount and any related charges. Please send me the investigation result in writing.
Enclosed are copies of [list receipts, emails, delivery records, photos, or other evidence].
Sincerely,
[Your name and signature]
Mail it early enough to arrive inside the 60-day period. Certified mail or another trackable method can prove the delivery date. Keep the letter, the attachments, the tracking, and every reply from the issuer.
Refund request or chargeback?
A refund is the merchant's process. For a normal return, a canceled service, or a pricing mistake, it can be faster than fighting through the card.
A chargeback is the issuer and card-network investigation that can reverse a transaction. It fits unauthorized charges, wrong amounts, goods or services that weren't provided as agreed, or a documented problem the merchant won't fix.
Don't use a dispute to skip a return policy or to stop paying for a purchase you made. Merchants can submit a receipt, delivery confirmation, contract, cancellation terms, or proof of service. Tell the issuer if you already got a refund, replacement, or settlement.
After you file
The issuer reviews your explanation, then may ask the merchant for records. The merchant can send documents that support the charge. The decision is made under the FCBA, your account agreement, and any network procedures that apply.
That review is not the same as the merchant's customer-service ticket. A temporary credit isn't a final win. A merchant's refusal to refund doesn't automatically prove the card charge is valid.
If the issuer finds an error, check that the permanent credit also removes related finance charges or fees that should come off. If it finds no error, read the written explanation and note any deadline to respond.
If the issuer denies the dispute
Ask for the written basis of the decision and, where they will share them, the documents they relied on. Compare that file with yours. Look for a wrong date, a cancellation they ignored, a merchant refund that never posted, or a mix-up between an unauthorized charge and an order you did place.
Then follow the issuer's own appeal or review instructions and meet that deadline. There is no single federal 10-day appeal period that applies to every card.
Keep paying undisputed amounts. A second look does not freeze the rest of the account.
If the issuer appears to have skipped the billing-error process, you can complain to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or your state consumer-protection office. A complaint can force a response. It does not guarantee a refund.
For a large loss, other routes may still exist: a complaint against the merchant, small-claims court, or advice from a qualified consumer-law professional, depending on the facts and your state's law.
Special cases
Digital wallets. If Apple Pay, Google Pay, or another wallet charged a credit card, start with the card issuer and identify both the wallet transaction and the card charge underneath it. The wallet may run its own support process. The credit card's billing rules still matter when that card funded the purchase. Money pulled from a wallet balance, debit account, or bank transfer is a different payment rail and may not get FCBA protections.
Subscriptions. Save the cancellation confirmation, the date you canceled, the terms, and later bills. A recurring charge after a valid cancellation can support a dispute. The issuer may still ask whether you followed the merchant's stated cancellation steps.
Hotels, airlines, and travel. Collect the reservation, cancellation terms, proof you canceled, and messages about refunds. A fee for a booking that was canceled or never provided is a different claim from dislike of a stay or flight that actually happened.
Cryptocurrency. You can still report a credit card charge that was unauthorized, duplicated, or tied to a seller who never delivered what you paid for. A drop in the asset's value, an investment loss, or second thoughts is not automatically a billing error. Crypto bought with a bank account, debit card, or peer-to-peer app follows different rules.
This is written for U.S. credit-card accounts. If the card was issued elsewhere, check that country's consumer rules and the issuer's agreement before relying on the 60-day FCBA deadline.
If the charge is already on a statement, check that statement date today, copy the billing-inquiries address from it, and mail written notice while you still have time.