If a charge on a U.S. consumer credit card is wrong, act on two tracks:
- Report the problem through the card issuer's fraud or dispute system.
- Send a written billing-error notice to the address listed for billing inquiries.
The second step matters. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), the issuer generally must receive your written notice within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the error. An online dispute or phone call may start the issuer's process, but it doesn't necessarily satisfy the FCBA's written-notice requirements.
While the claim is being investigated, pay the undisputed portion of the bill. You generally may withhold the disputed amount and related charges, but don't stop paying the entire account.
What to do first
Check whether the charge is final
Compare the transaction with receipts, order histories, subscriptions, travel records, and purchases made by authorized users. Merchants sometimes bill under unfamiliar names. A pending authorization also may change or disappear before it becomes a posted charge.
Record the following:
- Merchant name as it appears on the statement
- Transaction date and amount
- Date the statement was sent
- Whether the charge is pending or posted
- Specific reason you believe it is wrong
You don't need to wait for another statement. If the transaction may be fraudulent, call the issuer immediately.
Secure the card if you didn't authorize the purchase
Use the phone number on the back of the card or the issuer's official app or website. Ask whether the card needs to be locked or replaced and whether other suspicious transactions are pending.
Describe what you know without filling gaps with guesses. An unfamiliar merchant name isn't proof of fraud, but the issuer can investigate it. Save the date of the call, the representative's name or identification number, and any confirmation or case number.
Calling can prevent further use of the card. Follow up in writing to preserve any applicable FCBA billing-error protections.
Give the merchant a chance to fix ordinary billing problems
A merchant may resolve a duplicate charge, missing refund, incorrect amount, subscription problem, or delivery issue faster than the issuer. Contact the business by email or another method that leaves a record.
Don't let that conversation consume the 60-day FCBA period. You can contact the merchant and notify the issuer at the same time. Go directly to the issuer if the transaction appears fraudulent or the seller can't be reached.
If the merchant promises a refund, ask for written confirmation. Notify the issuer if the refund posts while the dispute remains open.
Open the dispute with the card issuer
Start the issuer's normal dispute process through its app, website, or customer-service line. Choose the description that fits the facts, such as:
- You didn't make or authorize the transaction
- The amount is wrong
- The same purchase was billed twice
- A payment, refund, or other credit wasn't applied
- Goods or services weren't delivered as agreed
- Returned or rejected goods were still billed
Don't call a transaction unauthorized merely because you're dissatisfied with the purchase. Use the category that accurately describes what happened.
The issuer might request a fraud affidavit, return receipt, tracking history, cancellation confirmation, or copies of your exchanges with the merchant. Respond by the stated deadline and retain everything you submit.
Send the written billing-error notice
Address the notice to the card issuer's billing-inquiries or billing-error department. The correct address is usually shown on the statement and may not be the same place where payments are sent.
Your notice should identify:
- Your name and account identifier
- The disputed transaction, merchant, date, and amount
- Why you believe the statement contains an error
- The correction you are requesting
The notice generally must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. Mailing it close to day 60 creates avoidable risk, so send it as soon as you've identified the problem.
Certified mail or another trackable delivery method can establish when the issuer received the notice. Keep the signed letter, all enclosures, delivery record, and disputed statement. Send copies rather than irreplaceable originals.
The FTC's sample dispute letter provides a useful starting format. If the issuer accepts electronic documents, upload them through its secure system rather than putting a full card number in ordinary email.
A billing-dispute letter you can adapt
[Your name]
[Your mailing address]
[City, State, ZIP code]
[Date][Card issuer name]
Billing Inquiries
[Billing-error address shown on the statement]Re: Billing error on account [account identifier]
I dispute the $[amount] charge from [merchant] posted on [date]. The charge is incorrect because [state the facts, such as "I did not authorize this transaction," "I was charged twice," or "the goods were not delivered as agreed"].
Please investigate and correct the error, including any related finance or other charges. Please send me written confirmation of the result.
Enclosures: [list the copies you are providing]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Phone number or email]
Keep the explanation short and factual. Identify the exact transaction rather than making a general complaint about the merchant. Don't accuse someone of fraud unless you have a basis for that allegation.
Evidence that helps
The most useful file is usually a dated sequence of events, supported by a few directly relevant documents. A disorganized folder of screenshots can make a simple claim harder to follow.
Depending on the problem, include:
- The statement page with the transaction marked
- Order confirmations, receipts, and invoices
- The product or service description in effect when you bought it
- Merchant emails, chats, and dated call notes
- Promised delivery dates and tracking records
- Return receipts or cancellation confirmations
- Written promises of a refund or account credit
- Payment confirmation if the issuer failed to credit a payment
- Documents specifically requested by the issuer
Arrange the records by date and label each attachment. Redact unrelated personal information, but leave enough account and transaction detail for the issuer to connect the evidence to your dispute.
Here is what commonly matters for different claims:
| Problem | Immediate action | Useful records |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction you didn't authorize | Call the issuer and secure the card | Statement, date discovered, fraud report, and facts showing you didn't authorize it |
| Duplicate or incorrect amount | Ask the merchant to correct it and notify the issuer | Receipt, order confirmation, and copies of the incorrect charges |
| Goods never arrived | Document the promised delivery date | Order confirmation, tracking history, and merchant correspondence |
| Returned goods but no refund | Obtain written refund confirmation | Return tracking, receipt, refund promise, and later statements |
| Unexpected subscription renewal | Cancel in writing and review the agreed terms | Subscription terms, renewal notice, cancellation request, and confirmation |
| Payment not credited | Ask the issuer to trace it | Bank or payment confirmation showing the date and amount |
An unwanted subscription renewal isn't automatically an unauthorized transaction. The dispute is stronger when the evidence shows that you canceled on time, the merchant departed from its stated terms, or the amount differed from the agreement.
What the FCBA covers
The FCBA billing-error process applies to consumer open-end credit accounts, including most personal credit cards. Examples of billing errors under Regulation Z include:
- Credit extended for a transaction you didn't make or authorize
- A transaction that isn't properly identified on the statement
- Goods or services you didn't accept or didn't receive as agreed
- A computational or accounting mistake
- A payment, refund, or other credit that wasn't properly applied
The controlling federal provision is 12 CFR section 1026.13.
The law doesn't turn every disagreement with a seller into a billing error. Changing your mind, disliking a product, or objecting to a policy that was disclosed before purchase may require a merchant remedy or a different legal claim. State exactly what was unauthorized, miscalculated, undelivered, uncredited, or inconsistent with the transaction agreement.
This process is also payment-specific. Debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, peer-to-peer payments, and business-purpose cards may be governed by different rules. Don't rely on the credit-card FCBA deadline for those transactions.
The deadlines that matter
| Event | General U.S. timing |
|---|---|
| Report suspected card fraud | Immediately |
| Deliver a written FCBA billing-error notice | Within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent |
| Issuer acknowledgment | Within 30 days after receiving the notice, unless the matter is resolved sooner |
| Investigation and decision | Within two complete billing cycles, but no later than 90 days |
| Contact the merchant | No universal FCBA deadline; don't delay the issuer notice |
| Use a card-network dispute process | Timing depends on the network, issuer, transaction, and dispute reason |
The 60-day period is the central consumer deadline under the FCBA. An issuer may consider a later claim under its own policy, particularly where delivery or a promised refund was delayed, but that possibility isn't a safe reason to wait.
You may also encounter references to 120-day chargeback windows. Card-network periods can begin from different events, including a transaction, expected delivery, cancellation, or promised refund date. Those network operating rules aren't a universal consumer deadline, and they don't replace a timely written FCBA notice.
What you must pay during the investigation
Continue paying all charges that aren't disputed. If the minimum-payment calculation is unclear, ask the issuer to state in writing what remains due.
Under the FCBA process, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges while the issuer investigates. That protection doesn't permit you to ignore unrelated purchases, fees, or balances.
Temporary credit can appear during the review. Treat it as provisional until the issuer confirms the final result.
What the issuer must do
After receiving a proper written billing-error notice, the issuer generally must acknowledge it within 30 days unless the issue has already been resolved. The investigation must ordinarily be completed within two complete billing cycles and no later than 90 days.
If the issuer finds an error, it must correct the account and remove finance or other charges caused by that error. If it concludes that the bill was correct, it should send a written explanation and identify any amount still due.
A denial can have several causes. The issuer may believe the purchase was authorized, find that the merchant performed as agreed, decide that the records don't support the claim, or conclude that the notice didn't satisfy the applicable process. Read the decision against the exact transaction, amount, and reason you submitted.
Chargeback and FCBA dispute aren't the same thing
People often use these terms interchangeably, but they refer to different parts of the process.
A chargeback is a reversal request handled through the card-payment system. Network rules affect the available categories, evidence, and exchanges among the issuer, network, merchant, and merchant's bank.
An FCBA billing dispute is the consumer's written notice of a qualifying billing error under federal law. A timely, proper notice triggers specific duties for the card issuer.
You don't need to identify a card-network reason code. Give the issuer the facts and ask which procedure applies. Its online labels may not match the legal terms used in Regulation Z.
If the dispute is denied
Begin with the written decision, not a new general complaint.
- Confirm that the issuer reviewed the correct merchant, transaction date, and amount.
- Identify any factual mistake in its explanation.
- Ask what evidence is available under the issuer's process.
- Submit a concise response with relevant new records.
- Ask whether reconsideration or an internal appeal is available.
- Continue paying amounts outside the dispute.
If the issuer failed to acknowledge a timely notice, went beyond the required investigation period, or otherwise mishandled the process, you can use the CFPB complaint portal. Attach the statement, dispute letter, proof of delivery, issuer correspondence, and a short timeline. A CFPB complaint can be forwarded to the company for a response, but it doesn't guarantee a refund or replace a court or private appeal process.
Consider consulting a qualified consumer-law professional when the loss is substantial or the underlying contract is complicated. The information here is general U.S. consumer guidance, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Must I contact the merchant before filing a dispute?
No. A merchant can often correct an ordinary mistake quickly, but contacting it isn't a reason to delay written notice to the issuer. Report suspected fraud to the issuer first.
Can I dispute the charge after 60 days?
You can ask. The issuer or card network may accept a later claim under its own rules, and some delivery-related disputes involve later events. However, a late written notice may not receive the FCBA's full billing-error protections. Provide the complete timeline and act as soon as the problem becomes apparent.
Should I stop paying the card bill?
No. Pay the undisputed portion by its due date. You generally may withhold the disputed amount and related charges during a qualifying FCBA investigation, but stopping all payments can create a separate delinquency.
Can I dispute a recurring subscription charge?
Possibly. Relevant grounds include a charge you didn't authorize, billing that departed from the agreed terms, or a renewal processed after an effective cancellation. Cancel in writing and retain the confirmation. Cancellation normally doesn't erase charges that were valid before it took effect.
Does this process cover debit-card purchases?
Not generally. Debit cards and electronic bank transfers use different error-resolution rules. Tell the bank which payment method was involved and ask for the deadline and procedure that apply to that rail.
What should I send if the deadline is close?
Send the written notice before the 60-day period expires, even if you're still collecting supporting material. Identify the account, transaction, amount, and reason for the dispute, use the issuer's billing-inquiries address, and keep proof that the notice was delivered.