A credit card charge dispute asks the card issuer to investigate a posted transaction and correct it if it was unauthorized or billed incorrectly. For a qualifying U.S. credit card billing error, the issuer generally must receive written notice within 60 days after sending the statement that first showed the error.

The issuer generally has 30 days to acknowledge the notice and up to two complete billing cycles, but no more than 90 days, to resolve a qualifying billing error. Those deadlines govern the investigation; they don't guarantee that the issuer will approve the dispute.

This process is for U.S. credit cards. Debit cards, bank transfers, prepaid cards, and payment apps use different rules.

Quick answer

1. Check whether the transaction is pending or posted, and compare the merchant, date, and amount with your records.
2. Call the number on the back of the card immediately if you suspect fraud.
3. Contact the merchant for a delivery problem, cancellation, duplicate charge, or promised refund when doing so is safe and practical.
4. Submit the dispute to the issuer. For FCBA protections, send written notice to the billing-inquiries address on the statement. A phone call alone may not be enough.
5. Attach a short timeline and focused evidence, such as the receipt, cancellation email, tracking record, or fraud details.
6. Keep paying the undisputed part of the bill. Save the case number, confirmation, letters, and any temporary credit notice.

Refund, billing dispute, or chargeback?

These terms overlap in everyday conversation, but they refer to different actions:

• A refund comes from the merchant. It is usually the quickest and simplest outcome.
• A billing dispute is your request that the card issuer investigate a charge and correct the account if appropriate.
• A chargeback is a reversal or recovery process handled by the issuer and card network. The issuer may seek the money from the merchant, which can then respond with its own records.

You normally don't file a chargeback directly with Visa or Mastercard. Start with the issuer shown on your statement. It decides whether to use the FCBA billing-error process, a fraud process, a network procedure, or another review under the card agreement.

A merchant's promise to refund you doesn't by itself put money back on the account. If the refund never appeared, or only part of it arrived, give the issuer the original transaction, the promised refund amount, and the date of the promise. Keep emails confirming a subscription cancellation or refund request. American Express gives similar guidance for disputes involving a promised refund or canceled subscription.

Charges that may be disputable

The facts matter more than the label. An issuer may review issues such as these:

An authorized purchase that you regret isn't automatically a billing error. A dispute about quality, fit, a return policy, or whether a service met your expectations may be considered under the issuer's or card network's procedures, but approval isn't assured.

Be accurate about fraud. If you made the purchase but the merchant refused a return, describe it as a return, delivery, or service dispute rather than an unauthorized transaction.

How to file the dispute

1. Check the statement and transaction status

Before you submit anything, record:

• The merchant name as it appears on the statement
• The transaction date and amount
• The date of the statement that first showed the charge
• The order, confirmation, or authorization number
• Whether the charge is pending, posted, or partly refunded

A pending authorization may disappear or change before it posts. You can still call the issuer about a suspicious pending charge, but ask whether it wants you to wait until the transaction posts before filing a standard dispute.

For an FCBA claim, the key deadline generally runs from the statement that first showed the error, not from the date you placed the order. Don't wait until the last few days while trying to calculate the deadline.

2. Contact the merchant when that makes sense

A merchant can sometimes issue a refund faster than an issuer can finish its review. Email, a support ticket, or another method that creates a record is preferable to an unrecorded conversation. Include:

• What you purchased
• What went wrong
• The correction or refund you want
• The date by which you want a response

For suspected fraud, contact the issuer first. You don't need to negotiate with someone who may have used your card without permission. With a delivery, cancellation, or refund problem, the merchant's response can resolve the issue or give you useful evidence.

Don't wait for the merchant if the 60-day FCBA deadline is getting close.

3. Notify the issuer in the right place

Call the number on the card to report suspected fraud or find out how the issuer wants to receive a dispute. Many issuers also offer a dispute tool through their website or mobile app.

A formal FCBA billing-error notice should go to the address marked billing inquiries, billing error disputes, or similar on your statement. That address may not be the same as the payment address. If you mail the notice, use a delivery method that provides proof of receipt and keep a copy.

Ask the issuer:

• Whether it is treating the matter as an FCBA billing error, fraud claim, or network dispute
• What documents it wants
• Whether an online submission satisfies its written-notice procedure
• When it will acknowledge the dispute
• Whether it will issue a temporary credit
• How and when you can appeal a denial

4. Explain one transaction clearly

Keep the written notice factual and chronological. Identify the charge, state the specific problem, and connect each attachment to the problem. Long complaints about unrelated dealings can make the central issue harder to see.

For example:

I ordered two items on March 4 for $148. The merchant promised delivery by March 12. Tracking shows that the package was returned to the merchant on March 15. The merchant has not issued a refund after my requests on March 18 and March 25.

That gives the issuer dates, an amount, and a reason to investigate. "I never received my order" by itself leaves important questions unanswered.

5. Keep paying the rest of the bill

Don't stop paying the entire balance because one transaction is under review. Continue paying undisputed purchases and any amount that remains due under the issuer's instructions.

When the FCBA requirements are met, the issuer generally cannot treat the disputed amount as delinquent or pursue collection of that amount while it investigates. That protection doesn't cover unrelated charges, and it doesn't excuse a missed payment on the rest of the account.

6. Keep a case file

Save the statement page, your submission, delivery confirmation, case number, merchant response, issuer letters, and notices about credits or reversals. Record when each item was sent or received. If the claim is denied, this file will make an appeal much easier to prepare.

Evidence that helps

A simple timeline is often more useful than a large collection of screenshots. List the date, what happened, and the document that supports it. Then send only the records relevant to the charge.

Depending on the issue, useful evidence includes:

• The statement page showing the transaction
• A receipt, invoice, order confirmation, or contract
• The merchant's return, cancellation, or refund policy
• Emails, chats, and support ticket numbers
• The promised delivery date and tracking history
• Photos showing damage or a material difference from the listing
• Written proof that a refund or credit was promised
• Fraud alerts, account records, and details about how you protected the card
• A police or identity-theft report when one is available and relevant

A police report doesn't replace notice to the issuer. Don't delay a fraud report while waiting to obtain one. Redact unrelated account numbers, and never send your password or full card number through ordinary email.

Credit card dispute deadlines

The 60-day FCBA period is separate from an issuer's internal deadline for a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express network dispute. The network process may have its own cutoff, sometimes sooner. Report the problem as soon as you notice it.

What is provisional credit?

Provisional credit is a temporary credit placed on the account while the issuer reviews a disputed transaction. It isn't a final refund. If the issuer decides the charge was valid, or the evidence doesn't support the claim, it may remove the credit.

Treat the credit as temporary rather than as money you can safely spend. Keep enough available to cover a possible reversal, and contact the issuer before the due date if a reversal could affect your payment. Chase explains that provisional credit can be reversed after an investigation, while Citi describes it as a temporary credit pending review.

What the FCBA covers - and what it doesn't

The Fair Credit Billing Act is a U.S. federal law covering billing errors on qualifying open-end credit accounts, including most credit cards. It is not the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which addresses errors in credit reports.

When the statutory requirements are met, the FCBA process generally allows you to:

• Send written notice within the applicable period
• Receive an acknowledgment of the notice
• Receive a written explanation of the decision
• Withhold the disputed amount while the issuer investigates, while continuing to pay undisputed amounts
• Avoid having the disputed amount treated as delinquent during the investigation

The FCBA isn't a general guarantee that a merchant must meet your expectations. It doesn't automatically resolve a disagreement about product quality, a return policy, cancellation terms, or service performance.

You may also see references to a $50 and 100-mile requirement. Those conditions belong to a separate FCBA claims-and-defenses remedy for certain merchant disputes. They are not universal requirements for reporting fraud, a duplicate charge, a wrong amount, or another ordinary billing error. Online purchases and transactions connected to issuer advertising can receive different treatment. Ask the issuer which rule it is applying rather than assuming those limits decide your dispute.

Federal law generally limits liability for unauthorized credit card use to $50. Many issuers provide broader zero-liability protection under their card terms, but you should report unauthorized use promptly even if you still have the physical card and believe someone obtained only the card number.

Debit card and bank-account transactions don't use the FCBA credit card process. Contact the bank that holds the account and ask about the applicable electronic-transfer error procedure.

Visa, Mastercard, and American Express

The logo on the card doesn't tell you where to file. The issuer listed on your statement is the starting point.

Visa and Mastercard don't have one consumer timeline that applies to every dispute. Merchant response windows vary as well. Follow the deadline in the issuer's acknowledgment, decision, or appeal letter.

Credit card dispute letter template

Send the letter to the billing-inquiries address on your statement. Use the last four digits of the card instead of the full account number.

[Your name]
[Your address]
[City, State, ZIP code]
[Last four digits of account]
[Date]

Billing Inquiries
[Issuer name]
[Address shown for billing-error notices]
[City, State, ZIP code]

Re: Dispute of [amount] charge dated [date] from [merchant]

I am writing to dispute the charge listed above on my credit card account. I believe it is a billing error because [explain clearly: the charge was unauthorized, the amount was incorrect, the goods were not delivered as agreed, a duplicate charge was posted, or another specific reason].

The relevant timeline is:
- [Date]: [What happened]
- [Date]: [What the merchant or issuer said]
- [Date]: [Refund, cancellation, delivery, or other event]

I contacted the merchant on [date] by [method]. The response was [briefly describe the response, or state that no response was received].

I have enclosed copies of [list receipts, statements, emails, tracking records, photographs, or other evidence]. Please investigate this billing error, correct the account if the charge is found to be erroneous, and send me the written result of your investigation.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Phone number or email]

If the issuer denies the dispute

Read the explanation before filing an appeal or sending more material. A denial may reflect missing evidence, a mismatch between your explanation and the selected dispute reason, or a decision that the charge was authorized.

1. Ask for the basis of the decision. Request the merchant's response, delivery information, authorization records, and any available reason code or decision explanation.
2. Check the details against your timeline. Look for a wrong delivery address, a delivery date that doesn't match the order, a cancellation made before renewal, or a refund that was promised but never posted.
3. Send a focused rebuttal. Label each attachment and say what it proves. Don't resend a large file without pointing to the relevant page or date.
4. Meet the appeal deadline. The issuer or network may give you less time than the original 60-day FCBA period.
5. Continue paying undisputed amounts. An appeal doesn't pause every payment obligation.
6. Escalate a process problem. If the issuer ignored a timely written notice, failed to provide a required explanation, or mishandled the account, you can submit a complaint through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau complaint portal. Include the statement, your notice, proof of delivery, the issuer's response, and a short chronology. The CFPB can send the complaint to the company for a response, but it doesn't guarantee a reversal.

If the issuer says the FCBA doesn't apply, ask whether it will still review the transaction under the cardmember agreement or the applicable network rules. Those procedures are separate from federal billing-error rights.

Credit card dispute FAQ

Can I dispute a charge after 60 days?

Contact the issuer anyway, particularly if you suspect fraud. The 60-day period generally protects the FCBA billing-error process, while the issuer's agreement and card-network procedures may use different deadlines. A late report can be harder to resolve, so don't wait.

Do I have to contact the merchant first?

It is often useful for a refund, delivery problem, or cancellation, and it may matter for some claims-and-defenses rights. It isn't a reason to delay reporting fraud or to miss the issuer's deadline.

What if the merchant promised a refund?

You can dispute the amount that was promised but never credited, or the remaining amount if only part of the refund arrived. Include the written promise, expected amount, and date.

Can I stop paying the card while the issuer investigates?

Don't stop paying the whole bill. Pay undisputed purchases and follow the issuer's instructions for the amount under review.

Will provisional credit become permanent?

Not necessarily. The issuer can reverse temporary credit if it concludes that the charge was valid. Keep the money available for that possibility.

Is a debit card dispute the same?

No. Debit cards and bank-account transactions use different consumer-protection rules. Contact the bank that holds the account and ask for its electronic-transfer dispute procedure.

Can the merchant win a chargeback?

Yes. The merchant may submit delivery confirmation, authorization data, refund records, or other evidence. The issuer reviews the competing information and may reverse a temporary credit.

Save the statement page and write down the key dates before contacting anyone. Then report the issue promptly to the issuer and send the written notice to the billing-inquiries address it specifies.