If a U.S. credit card charge is unauthorized, duplicated, for goods you never received, or otherwise incorrect, contact the card issuer promptly. You generally do not file a network chargeback directly with Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. The issuer opens the dispute, reviews the evidence, and decides whether to reverse the transaction and pursue the merchant's bank.
A merchant refund is a separate route and may be faster. It also doesn't replace an issuer dispute deadline. If you want to use the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) billing-error process, the issuer must receive your written notice within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent.
What controls the outcome
Three overlapping systems may affect a dispute:
- Federal billing-error rules: The FCBA covers certain credit card errors, including some unauthorized charges, duplicate charges, incorrect amounts, charges for goods or services not delivered as agreed, and credits that a merchant promised but did not post.
- Card-network rules: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and other networks use their own dispute categories, evidence requirements, and time limits.
- Issuer procedures: Your card company determines how you submit documents, whether you receive temporary credit, and whether it offers reconsideration or an appeal.
These routes are not interchangeable. A network dispute may be available when the facts do not fit the FCBA's billing-error procedure. On the other hand, calling a claim a "chargeback" does not automatically give you the FCBA's legal protections.
The issuer is your starting point. A refund comes from the merchant; a chargeback begins with the issuer and may reverse the payment through the network.
Charges that may be disputed
The route depends on what actually happened, not on the label you choose.
| Problem | Possible route | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorized transaction | Fraud or unauthorized-use process, and possibly an FCBA billing-error claim | Statement, fraud report, account alerts, and details showing you did not authorize the charge |
| Wrong amount or duplicate charge | FCBA billing-error process | Receipt, invoice, statement, and a calculation showing the difference |
| Goods never delivered | FCBA or network dispute, depending on the facts | Order confirmation, promised delivery date, tracking, and messages to the seller |
| Service not provided | FCBA or network dispute | Contract, appointment or cancellation records, and correspondence with the provider |
| Product materially different, defective, or counterfeit | Issuer or network dispute may be available | Listing, description, photographs, inspection or return records, and the merchant's response |
| Subscription charged after cancellation | Recurring-payment dispute | Cancellation request, confirmation, terms, and statements showing later charges |
| Merchant promised a refund but did not post it | Dispute for an unprocessed credit may be available | Refund promise, return tracking, credit memo, and the statement showing no credit |
A product that does not fit, a change of mind, or general dissatisfaction with an authorized purchase is usually a weaker claim. Describe the concrete failure instead. For example: "The listing said the item was 100% wool, but the sewn-in label says 40% polyester." The issuer decides whether the difference fits its applicable rules.
The payment method matters, too. A debit card, prepaid card, bank transfer, wire, or peer-to-peer payment does not use the same credit card billing-error process. Use the fraud or error procedure for the provider that handled that payment.
What to do before filing
Check the transaction
Look at the posting date, amount, and merchant descriptor on the statement. A business may bill under a parent company or payment processor's name. Check recent orders, receipts, digital-wallet activity, and purchases by authorized users before reporting a charge as fraud.
If the charge is still unexplained, call the issuer using the number on the back of the card or another official account channel. Do not wait for the merchant if you believe the card or account has been compromised.
Stop recurring charges
For a subscription or recurring service, cancel it using the merchant's stated process and save the confirmation. If the account may have been compromised, change relevant passwords, enable multifactor authentication, and follow the issuer's instructions about locking or replacing the card.
Replacing the card may not cancel a contract or subscription. Keep the cancellation and billing records even after the card number changes.
Contact the merchant when the problem is not fraud
For non-delivery, defective goods, subscription, or refund problems, send the merchant a brief written request. Include:
- Order or account number
- Charge amount and date
- What went wrong
- Remedy requested
- Reasonable response date
Save the message and any reply. The merchant may issue a faster refund, and the record shows the issuer that you tried to resolve the problem. It is not a reason to delay reporting suspected fraud or sending a timely FCBA notice.
Organize the evidence
A short timeline often helps more than a long narrative. Record the purchase date, promised delivery or service date, merchant contacts, cancellation date, refund promise, and charge or posting date.
Put readable copies in roughly this order:
- Relevant statement page
- Receipt, invoice, or order confirmation
- Product listing, contract, or subscription terms
- Shipping and tracking records
- Emails, chat transcripts, and cancellation confirmations
- Photos or videos of damage, defects, or misleading labeling
- Return tracking and proof of delivery
- Refund promise or credit memo
Send copies rather than irreplaceable originals.
How to open the dispute
Use the issuer's app, website, or telephone number to start the case. Select the most accurate reason and describe the facts plainly. Do not call an authorized purchase "unauthorized" merely because the merchant acted deceptively, supplied a defective product, or failed to deliver.
For the FCBA billing-error process, send a written notice to the issuer's billing-dispute or billing-inquiries address. That address can differ from the payment address printed on the statement. The notice should arrive within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent.
Include:
- Your name and account information, usually the last four digits
- Exact charge amount, date, and merchant
- A clear statement that you dispute the charge
- Why you believe it is an error
- Steps you took with the merchant, when relevant
- The correction or credit you are requesting
- Copies of supporting documents
A short letter is enough:
I dispute the $ charge from posted on . The charge is a billing error because . I contacted the merchant on and requested . Enclosed are copies of the statement, receipt, correspondence, and supporting evidence. Please investigate and correct the account.
Use a trackable mailing method if you send the notice by post. Keep the letter, attachments, delivery record, and dispute case number.
Deadlines to watch
The legal FCBA deadline and a card-network deadline may be different.
| Situation | Timing |
|---|---|
| FCBA billing error | The issuer should receive written notice within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent |
| Written-dispute acknowledgment | Within 30 days after the issuer receives the complaint, unless the issue has already been resolved |
| Billing-error resolution | Within two billing cycles, but no more than 90 days after receiving the written dispute |
| Fraud or unauthorized use | Report it immediately and ask the issuer which fraud deadlines and documents apply |
| Card-network dispute | Varies by network, dispute category, issuer, and the transaction or expected-delivery date |
The 60-day FCBA period generally runs from the first statement containing the error, not from the date you noticed the charge. There is no universal 120-day rule for every chargeback. Some network procedures use different windows, and some issuers may extend a deadline when delivery is delayed. Ask about the specific transaction, but send notice as soon as possible.
If you recently changed addresses, the FTC says the written-notice protection can depend on whether you gave the issuer your new address in writing at least 20 days before the billing period ended. See the FTC's guidance on using credit cards and disputing charges.
For a qualifying FCBA billing error, the FTC says you do not have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges while the issuer investigates. Pay the undisputed part of the bill and any undisputed minimum amount on time. If the issuer says the claim is outside the FCBA process, ask how payment and interest will be handled under the card agreement before withholding anything.
What happens during the investigation
The issuer reviews your explanation and documents. It may send the dispute through the card network to the merchant's acquiring bank, which gives the merchant an opportunity to respond.
The merchant may provide delivery confirmation, a signed receipt, cancellation terms, usage logs, or evidence that a refund was already issued. That response does not automatically decide the case. The issuer evaluates the competing information and may ask you to answer the merchant's evidence.
Evidence is strongest when it connects directly to the disputed fact:
- Non-delivery: promised date, tracking history, and messages showing that delivery did not occur or was not resolved.
- Cancellation: when and how you canceled, plus the later charge.
- Product problem: the specific defect or material difference, supported by the listing, photographs, labels, or return records.
- Fraud: the transaction details and a truthful explanation of why you did not authorize it.
The issuer may provide temporary credit while it investigates. That credit is not necessarily final and can be removed if the dispute is rejected. Check statements and the online account, answer requests by their deadlines, and tell the issuer if the merchant later refunds you. A refund and a chargeback credit for the same amount can create a duplicate credit that must be corrected.
No official consumer "win rate" predicts an individual case. Treat services promising a guaranteed recovery or guaranteed percentage of successful disputes with caution.
Visa, Mastercard, and American Express
Visa, Mastercard, and American Express do not use one identical consumer process. Even two cards on the same network may have different instructions and internal deadlines. American Express generally provides its own account and dispute instructions.
The issuer's dispute portal or customer-service representative should identify the available category and deadline for your transaction. Network reason codes can help the issuer classify the case, but consumers should not choose a code from an online list. Describe what happened accurately and let the issuer assign the category.
American Express guidance recommends contacting the merchant first for many product or service problems and keeping cancellation records for subscription disputes. Its instructions are account-specific and do not create a universal deadline for every cardholder or transaction. Read the directions for your particular account.
Common situations
Unauthorized charge
Call the issuer through an official number and report every transaction you do not recognize. Ask whether the card or account should be locked or replaced, then review recent statements for related charges.
An unfamiliar merchant name is not conclusive proof of fraud. Check authorized-user activity, digital-wallet purchases, and the merchant's billing descriptor. If you authorized the purchase but the merchant failed to deliver, describe the non-delivery or other actual problem instead of reporting it as unauthorized.
Goods or services never arrived
Keep the order confirmation and promised delivery date. Save tracking information if it shows a delay or failed delivery. Ask the merchant in writing for delivery, a replacement, or a refund.
Once the promised date has passed and the merchant will not resolve the issue, contact the issuer promptly and ask how its deadline applies to delayed delivery. The FTC's guidance on goods you never received covers the billing-error process and its 60-day written-notice period.
Defective or misrepresented product
Compare the item with the listing, invoice, photographs, or written promise. Take clear photos of the defect, model number, labels, and packaging. Follow the return instructions when practical and keep proof of shipment.
A dispute is not a substitute for a warranty claim, but these records can help show that the product was materially different or that the merchant failed to provide the agreed remedy. General disappointment or a change of mind is less persuasive.
Subscription or promised refund
Cancel through the method required by the subscription terms and save the confirmation. If the merchant promises a refund, record the amount and expected posting date. If the credit does not appear, give the issuer the promise and the statement showing that it is missing.
Disputing one recurring charge does not necessarily cancel the underlying subscription. Cancel the service separately and continue checking future statements.
A purchase linked to a scam
Tell the issuer exactly how the payment was made. A transaction you approved after being misled may be treated differently from one made by someone who stole your card details. Preserve advertisements, messages, websites, invoices, and promises from the seller.
If the payment used a wire, cryptocurrency, debit card, or peer-to-peer app instead of a credit card, contact that payment provider's recovery or fraud department as well.
If the issuer denies the dispute
Read the denial carefully. It may cite a missed deadline, insufficient evidence, proof of delivery, a refund that already posted, or a dispute category that does not match the facts.
You can then:
- Ask for the written reason and the documents the issuer relied on.
- Compare those documents with your timeline and identify any factual mistake.
- Send focused new evidence, such as delivery records, cancellation confirmation, photographs, or proof that a promised credit is missing.
- Ask whether the issuer offers reconsideration, an appeal, or a second review, and note the submission deadline.
- Keep paying undisputed charges while the review continues.
If you believe the issuer failed to follow the written billing-error process, use its formal complaint channel and consider contacting the appropriate federal or state consumer-protection regulator. The FTC's guidance can help you compare the issuer's actions with the 30-day acknowledgment and 90-day resolution periods, but the FTC does not decide the merits of an individual charge.
Avoid chargeback scams and duplicate claims
No legitimate service can guarantee that a dispute will succeed. Do not pay a stranger who promises a guaranteed chargeback, give away your card login, share a one-time security code, or allow remote access to your device.
Submit one accurate claim for each transaction. False unauthorized-use reports, claims for merchandise you received, and attempts to keep both a merchant refund and a chargeback credit can lead to denial and further account problems. Keep the statements and messages until the case is closed.
Frequently asked questions
Is the deadline 60 or 120 days?
For a written dispute covered by the FCBA, the key deadline is that the issuer receives the notice within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. Network deadlines vary, so 120 days is not a universal rule.
Do I have to contact the merchant first?
Contacting the merchant makes sense for delivery, product, subscription, and refund problems, and some issuer procedures recommend it. It should not delay a fraud report or a timely written FCBA notice.
Can I dispute a poor-quality product?
Possibly, if the product was materially different from its description, defective, counterfeit, or the merchant failed to provide the agreed remedy. Explain the specific mismatch and attach supporting documents. A simple change of mind is usually weaker.
What if the merchant challenges the chargeback?
Answer the issuer's request with a concise response to the merchant's evidence. Point out errors using dates and documents rather than repeating general dissatisfaction. The issuer makes the decision under the applicable legal, network, and account rules.
Should I stop paying the credit card bill?
Do not stop paying the entire bill automatically. For a qualifying FCBA billing error, the FTC says the disputed amount and related finance or other charges do not have to be paid during the investigation. Pay undisputed amounts and follow the issuer's written instructions.
Where can I verify the federal process?
Start with the FTC's credit card dispute guidance and its guidance on goods not received or unordered products. For account-specific procedures, use the issuer's instructions. The American Express dispute explanation is an example of issuer guidance, not a rule for every card.
If the 60-day window may be close, send the written notice now to the issuer's billing-dispute address and keep proof that it was delivered.