For a U.S. consumer using a credit card, the usual federal deadline is 60 days after the issuer sent the first periodic statement showing the billing error. Your written notice must reach the issuer within that period. The purchase date, payment due date, or date you first noticed the problem usually isn't the date to count.

A 120-day reference belongs to a different process. Card-network rules vary by dispute type and may use a transaction date, expected delivery date, cancellation date, or promised-refund date. Don't wait for a generic network deadline if the 60-day FCBA deadline could apply.

These rules are for U.S. consumer credit cards and qualifying billing errors. Debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, peer-to-peer payments, and many business accounts follow different procedures.

Three deadlines that are easy to mix up

A chargeback is usually an issuer and card-network process for reversing a transaction. A merchant refund is a credit the seller sends voluntarily or under its own policy. The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) creates a legal billing-error procedure for certain U.S. credit-card disputes. These routes can overlap, but one doesn't automatically satisfy the requirements of the others.

The FCBA 60-day rule

The FCBA covers qualifying billing errors on covered consumer credit accounts. Examples include:

• A charge you or an authorized user didn't make
• The wrong amount or a duplicate charge
• A payment or refund credit that wasn't posted correctly
• Goods or services you didn't accept or that weren't delivered as agreed
• Certain statement-identification, accounting, or calculation errors

The clock starts with the first periodic statement that shows the error. It doesn't generally start with the purchase, the due date, or the day you discovered the charge.

Your notice must be in writing and must identify:

• Your name and account number
• The transaction date and amount
• Why you believe the charge is wrong
• The correction you want

Send it to the issuer's billing-inquiries address on the statement. That address may be different from the payment address. The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on disputing credit-card billing errors recommends keeping a copy of the letter and using a delivery method that shows when the issuer received it.

There is a special address issue to watch for. If the issuer sent the statement to an old address, the FTC says you must have notified the issuer in writing of your new address at least 20 days before the billing period ended to use these protections.

Why 120 days isn't a universal chargeback deadline

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover have network rules that differ by dispute category. A time limit may be measured from:

• The date the transaction posted
• The promised delivery date
• The date you cancelled or returned an item
• The date a merchant promised a refund
• The date you learned about an unauthorized transaction

The issuer normally submits a network chargeback; a consumer generally doesn't file one directly with the card network. The issuer also decides how to classify the claim and which network rule applies.

A 120-day limit may matter for some network disputes, but it doesn't replace the federal 60-day notice deadline for a covered billing error. It also doesn't guarantee that an issuer will accept a claim filed on day 119. An issuer may sometimes review a late request under a network rule, fraud procedure, or internal policy, but you shouldn't rely on that.

When you contact the issuer, ask:

1. Is the claim being handled as an FCBA billing error, a network chargeback, or a fraud claim?
2. What event starts the deadline for this type of claim?
3. What is the last date the issuer will accept it?
4. Does the issuer need proof that you contacted the merchant?

A merchant's response period and a network representment period are usually deadlines between the issuer, acquirer, merchant, and network. They aren't a substitute for your own filing deadline.

What may not qualify

A credit-card dispute isn't an automatic refund for every bad shopping experience. An issuer may deny a claim when:

• You received the product or service as described but changed your mind
• The evidence doesn't support the amount or the alleged error
• You authorized a recurring payment but can't show that you cancelled it
• The notice was late under the applicable federal or network procedure
• The transaction used a debit card or another payment method with different rules

A merchant's return policy can affect whether it gives you a direct refund, but it doesn't change the FCBA deadline. For non-delivery, materially different goods or services, or charges after cancellation, contact the merchant promptly and keep a record. The issuer may ask what you did to seek a resolution from the seller. That contact should not delay written notice when the 60-day deadline is close.

How to meet the deadline

1. Find the first statement showing the charge

Save the statement page or PDF that identifies the transaction. Record when the statement was sent, along with the transaction date, amount, and merchant name. Do not substitute the payment due date for the statement date.

If you aren't sure whether 60 days have passed, send the notice immediately. Waiting for the merchant to answer can leave you outside the federal deadline.

2. Secure the account if fraud is possible

Call the number on the back of the card, report the charge, and ask whether the card should be blocked or replaced. Review recent transactions for other unauthorized activity.

Use an accurate description. An authorized purchase that hasn't been refunded shouldn't be reported as fraud merely because the merchant is slow to respond. Explain instead that the problem is non-delivery, duplicate billing, a missing credit, or another billing error.

3. Contact the merchant when it makes sense

Ask for the appropriate correction: a refund, cancellation, replacement, or corrected charge. Email or another channel that creates a record is useful. Keep copies of:

• Order confirmations and receipts
• Delivery or tracking information
• Return-shipping records
• Cancellation confirmations
• A merchant's promise to issue a refund
• Relevant terms and conditions
• Photos or messages showing the problem

State the transaction date and amount, and keep the request factual.

4. Send written notice to the issuer

A short letter is enough if it identifies the account and transaction and explains the error. For example:

I am disputing the $ charge from dated . The first statement showing this charge was sent on . The billing error is ___. Please investigate and correct my account. Copies of my supporting documents are enclosed.

Send copies, not irreplaceable originals. Keep the letter, supporting evidence, delivery confirmation, and the issuer's responses together.

An issuer's app or telephone process may open an internal dispute, but don't assume that a phone call alone preserves the FCBA procedure. If the 60-day deadline matters, use the billing-inquiries address or ask the issuer to confirm that its electronic submission is treated as a written billing-error notice.

Ask for a confirmation or claim number and the expected response date. If the issuer says the claim is outside the FCBA process, ask for the applicable network or internal-policy deadline.

5. Pay the undisputed part of the account

Under the FTC's guidance, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges while the issuer investigates a qualifying billing error. Continue paying undisputed charges and follow the issuer's instructions for making those payments.

Don't stop paying the entire account because one transaction is under review. Keep records of each payment.

What happens after the issuer receives your notice

For a written FCBA billing-error notice:

• The issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint in writing within 30 days, unless it resolves the issue sooner.
• It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, but no later than 90 days after receiving the notice.
• It must either correct the account or send a written explanation of why it believes the charge is accurate.

These timing requirements appear in Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.13.

A temporary credit may appear during the investigation. Check later statements to see whether the credit became permanent or was reversed. If the issuer requests more information, respond promptly and keep a copy of your response. You can ask for the records supporting a denial.

In a network chargeback, the merchant may respond with delivery records, proof of authorization, or other transaction information. That part of the process doesn't extend your consumer notice deadline.

If you missed the deadline or the issuer denied the claim

Send the dispute anyway if the charge is recent or the facts are strong. The issuer may still consider it under a network rule, fraud policy, or voluntary account procedure. There is no guaranteed extension after the FCBA deadline.

If the issuer says the claim was late, ask for:

• The exact deadline it applied
• The event that started the clock
• Whether it treated the request as an FCBA billing error or a network chargeback
• The written reason for the denial
• The documents supporting the decision

If you first called or used an app and the 60-day period hasn't expired, send written notice immediately. For a delayed shipment, promised refund, or other unusual situation, ask whether the issuer has an exception or extension policy. Some issuers may extend their own dispute period in limited situations, but don't rely on an extension unless the issuer confirms it.

When a timely written notice wasn't acknowledged or resolved within the required period, preserve your delivery proof and correspondence. You can consider a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or seek state-specific legal help. Court deadlines are separate from card-network deadlines and vary by state.

U.S. cards and overseas merchants

This guidance focuses on cards issued in the United States. A U.K. rule such as Section 75 or an EU payment-services rule doesn't automatically apply to a U.S.-issued credit card just because the merchant is located overseas.

If the card was issued outside the United States, ask the issuer which country's law and network rules govern the transaction. Don't assume that the U.S. 60-day rule or a generic 120-day rule applies.

Common questions

Is the deadline 60 days from the purchase date?

Not for a covered FCBA billing error. The federal deadline generally runs for 60 days after the issuer sent the first statement showing the error. A network rule may use a different starting date.

Is 120 days a guaranteed chargeback deadline?

No. It may apply to some network dispute categories, but the claim type, event date, issuer process, and evidence all matter. Contact the issuer as soon as possible and request the exact deadline.

Does a phone call count as written notice?

Don't rely on a call alone when you need FCBA protection. Send written notice to the billing-inquiries address, unless the issuer clearly confirms that its electronic process qualifies as the required notice.

Can I dispute a charge after 60 days?

You can still ask the issuer to review the charge under another network, fraud, or internal procedure. A late notice may, however, lose the federal billing-error protections, and the issuer doesn't have to grant a general extension.

What if a merchant promised a refund but never posted it?

Keep the promise, identify the first statement that still showed the charge, and tell the issuer that the promised credit wasn't posted. Contact the merchant too, but don't mislabel an authorized purchase as fraud simply because the refund is late.

What if the issuer rejects my dispute?

Request the written reason and the supporting records. Check whether the issue was the deadline, the evidence, the account type, or the difference between a merchant-policy complaint and a qualifying billing error. Keep your notice and delivery proof before deciding whether to escalate.