Credit card chargeback: how to dispute a charge and get your money back (Fair Credit Billing Act)
Charged for something you didn't get, billed twice, or a merchant won't refund? Federal law lets you dispute credit card charges and the issuer must investigate within two billing cycles. What qualifies, the 60-day deadline, what to write, and how to win the dispute.
- The Fair Credit Billing Act lets you dispute credit card charges for billing errors: charges you didn't authorize, wrong amounts, goods or services not delivered or not as described, and charges for returns that were never credited.
- Notify the issuer in writing within 60 days of the statement date that shows the charge (many issuers accept disputes for 120 days or more under network rules, but 60 is the legal line).
- The issuer must acknowledge in 30 days and resolve within two billing cycles (max 90 days). During the investigation you don't have to pay the disputed amount and they can't report it as late.
- Success rate is high when you tried the merchant first and have proof: order confirmation, tracking, emails, photos.
- Debit cards have different rules (Regulation E): see unauthorized debit charges.
What you can dispute
Under the FCBA, "billing errors" include:
- Charges you didn't make or didn't authorize (fraud, stolen card).
- Wrong amount or wrong date.
- Goods or services you didn't receive, or that were not as described (wrong item, counterfeit, defective).
- Merchant didn't post a refund or credit you were promised (a return, a cancellation).
- Charges you asked the issuer to clarify and it didn't.
Card network rules (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover) go further and cover canceled recurring subscriptions still being billed, airline cancellations, and "quality" disputes where the service was a sham. Issuers handle both under the same dispute button.
Not a dispute: buyer's remorse, a legitimate purchase you now regret, or a disagreement over a return policy you agreed to.
Deadlines
- Legal: written notice within 60 days of the first statement showing the error.
- Network rules: up to 120 days from the transaction, or from when you expected to receive the goods (up to 540 days for some non-delivery cases). Issuers use these, which is why disputes often work later than 60 days. Don't count on it: file as soon as the merchant fails you.
How to win, step by step
- Try the merchant first and document it: one email or chat asking for the refund, with a deadline. Issuers ask "did you contact the merchant?" and the answer improves your odds dramatically.
- Open the dispute through the card's app or website (fastest), then send written notice to the billing-inquiries address on your statement if the amount is large. The written notice is what triggers the FCBA protections. Include: name, account number, the charge (date, merchant, amount), why it's wrong, what you want.
- Attach evidence: order confirmation, the merchant's cancellation or return policy, tracking showing non-delivery, photos of the wrong or damaged item, your emails to the merchant and their replies (or the lack of them).
- Don't pay the disputed amount while it's under investigation. Pay the rest of the bill.
- Provisional credit usually appears in days. The issuer then contacts the merchant, who has time to respond. If the merchant proves delivery, you get a chance to rebut. Answer any issuer request quickly.
- Resolution: the issuer either removes the charge or explains why not. If you lose and think it's wrong, you can request the documents they relied on, file again with new evidence, and complain to the CFPB (consumerfinance.gov/complaint), which issuers respond to within 15 days.
Sample dispute letter
I am writing to dispute a billing error on my account [number]. On [date] I was charged $[amount] by [merchant]. [I did not receive the item / the item was defective and the merchant refused a refund / I canceled on (date) and was billed anyway]. I contacted the merchant on [date] and [they did not respond / they refused]. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act I request that this charge be removed and that finance charges related to it be credited. Enclosed: [list].
FAQ
The merchant says "no refunds" in its policy
Non-delivery, wrong item, defective goods, and services not provided are chargeback grounds regardless of the store's refund policy.
Can I dispute a subscription that keeps charging after I canceled?
Yes. Attach the cancellation confirmation. Then ask the issuer to block the merchant. See cancel a subscription and get a refund.
I paid with debit, PayPal, or a buy-now-pay-later plan
Debit: Regulation E (different deadlines). PayPal: its own dispute center (180 days) plus your card if the PayPal payment came from a card. BNPL: the provider's dispute process; the CFPB has said BNPL lenders must handle disputes like credit cards.
Will a chargeback hurt my credit or my account?
No. Disputing is a legal right. Issuers only push back on serial abuse.