Short answer

You can dispute an Affirm-related charge, but the right route depends on what happened.

• If the loan, account activity, or payment was unauthorized, report it to Affirm and to the bank or card issuer that processed the payment.
• If the merchant did not deliver, canceled, misdescribed, or failed to provide the purchase, contact the merchant first when practical. If that does not resolve the issue, submit the purchase problem to Affirm.
• If an Affirm installment was paid from your credit card or bank account, a dispute with that payment provider concerns that particular payment. It does not automatically cancel the Affirm loan.

Use the Affirm Help Center or the Affirm app, not a phone number or email address pulled from an ad or search result. Keep the case number, copies of your messages, and any instructions about upcoming installments. Don't assume that opening a dispute pauses payments unless Affirm confirms that in writing.

This information is for U.S. consumers. Your loan agreement, payment method, and the merchant's own return terms may affect what happens next.

First, identify the transaction you are disputing

"An Affirm charge" can describe several different things. Before reporting it, check whether the problem is with the purchase, the Affirm loan, or the card or bank account used to pay an installment.

A merchant return request is not necessarily a dispute. A return or cancellation normally depends on the seller's policy. A dispute asks Affirm to review a problem with the purchase or loan record. Either process may lead to a correction or refund, but neither guarantees one.

What to do for an unauthorized Affirm loan or payment

Treat unfamiliar activity as a security issue, not a merchant-service complaint.

1. Sign in through the official Affirm app or Help Center and report the activity as unauthorized.
2. Check the card or bank account used for payments. If an unfamiliar debit or card transaction appears there, contact that provider through its official fraud channel.
3. Change your Affirm password and review recent account activity.
4. Save confirmation numbers, dates, and the name or ID of any support case.
5. Ask Affirm what identity-verification or account-security steps it needs if someone may have opened a loan in your name.

Be specific about what you did not authorize. For example, distinguish between an unknown loan and a purchase you made but never received. Calling a delivery problem "fraud" can send the matter down the wrong review path.

For a merchant problem, contact the seller first

If you placed the order yourself, try to resolve the issue with the merchant before opening a purchase dispute with Affirm, unless there is a reason you cannot safely do so. Affirm's merchant-facing dispute-resolution guidance says customers may submit a dispute when they have been unable to resolve a purchase issue directly with the merchant.

Make a written request that identifies the order and the outcome you want. Keep it factual:

I am requesting [a refund, cancellation, replacement, or delivery confirmation] for order [number]. The issue is [brief description]. Please confirm your decision and any refund reference number in writing.

Save the message even if the merchant does not answer. Note the date, contact method, and result of each attempt.

A statement that a refund will be issued is useful evidence, but it is not proof that the refund has posted. Keep the merchant's confirmation and monitor both the Affirm loan and the original payment method for the adjustment.

Open the issue with Affirm

Sign in to the app or official website, open the relevant loan or purchase, and look for an option to report an issue, get support, or dispute the purchase. Labels and available menus can vary by account.

If you do not see a dispute option, contact Affirm support and provide:

• The loan or purchase identifier
• The amount and relevant dates
• The reason for the dispute
• Your effort to resolve the matter with the merchant, if applicable
• A list of the documents you are submitting
• A request for written payment instructions while the case is reviewed

Ask for a case or reference number. If Affirm says it has contacted the merchant, ask whether the next scheduled installment remains due and how any refund would be applied to the loan.

Write the dispute so the records are easy to check

A short timeline is usually more useful than a long narrative. State what happened, when it happened, what the merchant said, and what you want Affirm to review.

I used Affirm for order [number] from [merchant] on [date]. The issue is [non-delivery, incorrect amount, returned item not credited, unauthorized activity, or another specific problem]. I contacted the merchant on [dates] and received [response or no response]. I am requesting [specific outcome]. Attached are [documents].

Do not send passwords, full card numbers, or unrelated identity documents. If Affirm asks for sensitive material, confirm that you are using an official Affirm channel and provide only what is needed.

Documents that can support the claim

Use documents that match the issue. A large upload with no explanation can be harder to review than a small, organized record.

For a merchant dispute, relevant material may include:

• The Affirm loan details and payment history
• Merchant receipt and order confirmation
• Product listing, service description, or contract terms
• Delivery estimate, tracking record, or proof of non-delivery
• Emails, chats, cancellation requests, and merchant replies
• Return authorization and carrier acceptance receipt
• Refund confirmation or refund reference number
• Photos or other evidence showing a product was not as described

For an unauthorized transaction, add:

• Card or bank statements showing the entry
• Account-security alerts, unfamiliar login notices, or identity-theft records
• A dated list of when you noticed the activity and whom you notified

For a payment error, include the due date, payment confirmation, posting date, and the statement entry. The point is to connect each file to one fact that Affirm can verify.

When to involve your card issuer or bank

A dispute with your bank or card issuer may be appropriate if that company processed the payment you are questioning. It is not a substitute for reporting a problem with the Affirm loan itself.

Tell both companies if you have opened cases with each of them. Ask the card issuer or bank what deadline applies to its process. Those deadlines may be separate from Affirm's procedure and from the merchant's return window.

Timing and upcoming installments

Do not rely on a single deadline for every part of the problem. Different time limits can apply to:

• The merchant's cancellation or return policy
• Affirm's support and dispute process
• A credit-card billing dispute
• An unauthorized bank-account or debit-card transaction
• Any separate contractual or legal claim

Affirm's merchant documentation states that customers are not limited to a post-purchase deadline under the dispute process it describes. It also says the adjudication outcome is communicated to the customer and merchant within 15 calendar days of evidence collection. That is a description of the merchant dispute process, not a promise that every fraud report, account correction, or support request will be completed within 15 days.

Report the issue promptly anyway. A merchant's return deadline, a card issuer's billing-dispute deadline, or a bank's fraud-reporting timeline can still matter.

Until Affirm tells you a payment has been paused, changed, or removed, do not simply skip an installment. Ask for payment instructions in writing and save the response.

If Affirm rejects the dispute

Read the denial closely before responding. An appeal is stronger when it addresses the stated reason rather than repeating the original complaint.

Take these steps:

1. Request the decision reason in writing.
2. Ask what evidence Affirm considered and whether reconsideration is available.
3. Identify any factual error, such as a delivery record for the wrong address or a refund that was not applied.
4. Send new or clearer evidence, such as a carrier receipt, merchant admission, payment confirmation, or cancellation record.
5. Ask when you should expect a response.
6. If a card or bank transaction is also involved, contact that provider before its separate deadline expires.

If you cannot get a clear explanation, preserve the denial and your dated contact log. You may consider filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or your state consumer-protection office. A complaint can create a formal record, but it does not automatically reverse a loan or extend a bank or card issuer's deadline.

BNPL protections and credit-card rules are not identical

Buy now, pay later protections have changed recently and should not be assumed to match ordinary credit-card protections in every situation.

Consumer Reports discussed the CFPB's 2024 interpretation that treated BNPL providers as subject to certain credit-card-like dispute and refund obligations. The National Consumer Law Center later reported that the CFPB withdrew that interpretation, leaving the scope of some BNPL protections uncertain.

For a practical dispute, keep these questions separate:

• What does your Affirm agreement and current account process say?
• What does the merchant's return, cancellation, or service policy say?
• What rights and deadlines apply to the card, debit card, or bank account used for the payment?

The Consumer Reports discussion of BNPL loans and the National Consumer Law Center's analysis of BNPL purchaser rights provide background. They do not replace the terms of a particular Affirm loan or the procedures of your payment provider.

Start with the loan number, order number, payment date, and the evidence that shows what went wrong. Then report the issue to the company responsible for that part of the transaction and get its next-payment instructions in writing.