How to dispute a charge on a credit card, debit card or bank account

To dispute a charge, call your card issuer or bank, then send a written dispute to its billing-error address so it arrives within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge was sent. A credit card issuer must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, at most 90 days. A bank generally has 10 business days to investigate a debit charge, or 45 to 90 days if it provisionally credits your account.

Last reviewed October 26, 202610 official sources

What you can dispute (and when to call the company first)

A dispute, also called a chargeback, asks your card issuer or bank to reverse a charge. The FTC says that if you are charged without your consent and the company will not refund you, dispute the charge with your card company right away.

Recurring charges are a common reason, such as a membership at Planet Fitness that kept billing. See our guides for gym memberships, streaming services and all companies.

On a credit card, the rule treats these as billing errors:

A charge you did not make or authorize.
A charge for goods or services you did not accept, or that were not delivered as agreed.
A payment or credit that was not posted to your account.
A math error by the issuer.

On a debit card or bank account, an error includes an unauthorized transfer and an incorrect transfer to or from your account.

For a billing error you usually do not have to contact the seller first, according to the official interpretation of Regulation Z. For goods not delivered as agreed, the consumer is "not required to first notify the merchant" before sending the notice. The FTC advises that for most problems you contact the card issuer first so you do not lose your right to dispute because of timing requirements.

If the charge came after you cancelled, read what to do if a company keeps charging you after you cancel.

How to dispute a charge, step by step

Find the statement date and start the clock
Your notice must reach the issuer or bank no later than 60 days after it sent the statement that first shows the charge.
Call or use the online dispute form
The FTC says to start by calling the customer service number on your statement or the back of your card.
Send a letter, even if you disputed online
The FTC says: "Even if you submit the dispute online, still follow up with a letter to fully protect yourself." Send it to the billing-dispute address, usually not the payment address. Use certified mail with a return receipt if you can, and enclose copies of receipts or other proof, never the originals.
Confirm a phone dispute in writing if the bank asks
A bank may require written confirmation within 10 business days of a phone notice. If you miss it, the bank need not provisionally credit you.
Stop the next charge at its source
A dispute reverses one charge, not the plan. Cancel with the company too, for example Netflix, or send a cancellation letter.

Credit card vs debit card: deadlines side by side

Deadline to notify
Credit card
60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent
Debit card or bank account
60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent
Form of notice
Credit card
Written, to the billing-error address
Debit card or bank account
Phone or writing; written confirmation within 10 business days if the bank asks
First response
Credit card
Written acknowledgment within 30 days
Debit card or bank account
Decision within 10 business days (20 for a new account)
Final deadline
Credit card
Two complete billing cycles, at most 90 days
Debit card or bank account
45 days with provisional credit; 90 days for point-of-sale debit card transactions, transfers initiated outside the US, and transfers within 30 days of the first deposit to a new account
During the dispute
Credit card
You need not pay the disputed amount; no collection
Debit card or bank account
Provisional credit if the bank needs longer than 10 business days, with full use of the funds
Liability for unauthorized use
Credit card
$50
Debit card or bank account
$50 if reported within 2 business days of learning of a lost or stolen card, up to $500 after that; if not reported within 60 days of the statement, no cap on later transfers a timely report would have stopped
Quality problems
Credit card
Claims and defenses: purchase above $50, in your state or within 100 miles
Debit card or bank account
No such right

	Credit card	Debit card or bank account
Deadline to notify	60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent	60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent
Form of notice	Written, to the billing-error address	Phone or writing; written confirmation within 10 business days if the bank asks
First response	Written acknowledgment within 30 days	Decision within 10 business days (20 for a new account)
Final deadline	Two complete billing cycles, at most 90 days	45 days with provisional credit; 90 days for point-of-sale debit card transactions, transfers initiated outside the US, and transfers within 30 days of the first deposit to a new account
During the dispute	You need not pay the disputed amount; no collection	Provisional credit if the bank needs longer than 10 business days, with full use of the funds
Liability for unauthorized use	$50	$50 if reported within 2 business days of learning of a lost or stolen card, up to $500 after that; if not reported within 60 days of the statement, no cap on later transfers a timely report would have stopped
Quality problems	Claims and defenses: purchase above $50, in your state or within 100 miles	No such right

The FTC says legal protections for credit cards are stronger than for debit cards, though some debit card companies voluntarily offer more.

The rules behind the deadlines: credit and debit

Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.13, billing error resolution

Source: CFPB: Regulation Z, 12 CFR § 1026.13, billing error resolution

The notice must be received at the address the issuer discloses for billing errors "no later than 60 days after the creditor transmitted the first periodic statement that reflects the alleged billing error."
The issuer must send a written acknowledgment within 30 days and resolve the dispute "within 2 complete billing cycles (but in no event later than 90 days)."
You need not pay, and the issuer may not try to collect, any portion of a required payment related to the disputed amount, including related finance or other charges.
If you pay the card through the issuer's automatic payment plan from your bank account, it may not deduct the disputed amount if your notice arrives up to 3 business days before the payment date.

The statute behind these rules is the Fair Credit Billing Act, 15 U.S.C. 1666. The CFPB adds that if you win, the charge must be removed from your bill.

Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.11, debit card and bank account errors

Source: CFPB: Regulation E, 12 CFR § 1005.11, procedures for resolving errors

The bank must act on an oral or written notice it receives no later than 60 days after it sent the statement on which the error first appears.
It must determine whether an error occurred within 10 business days and correct an error within one business day after determining it.
To take up to 45 days, it must provisionally credit your account within 10 business days and give you full use of the funds (90 days for point-of-sale debit card transactions).

Liability limits for unauthorized debit transfers are in 12 CFR 1005.6.

When the problem is quality, not billing

The billing-error rule does not cover the quality of goods or services you accepted.

Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.12(c), claims and defenses

Source: CFPB: Regulation Z, 12 CFR § 1026.12, special credit card provisions

If a seller fails to resolve a dispute about something bought with the card, "the cardholder may assert against the card issuer all claims (other than tort claims) and defenses arising out of the transaction and relating to the failure to resolve the dispute."
You may withhold payment up to the amount outstanding for that purchase and its finance charges.
You must have made a good faith attempt to resolve the dispute with the seller first.
The purchase must be above a minimum amount (see the table) and made in your state or within 100 miles of your current designated address. These two limits do not apply when the seller is the card issuer, is controlled by or controls it, shares a common owner with it, is its franchised dealer, or got the order through a mail solicitation the issuer made or took part in.
The issuer may not report the withheld amount as delinquent until the dispute is settled or a court rules.

Sample dispute letter

The FTC sample letter is the model for this one.

[Date]

[Your name]

[Your address]

[Name of credit or debit card company]

Attn: Billing Inquiries

[Billing dispute address]

Re: Notice of disputed charge to Account No. [Your account number]

Dear Billing Inquiries:

I am writing to dispute a charge of [amount] to my [credit or debit card] account on [date of the charge].

The charge is in error because [why, for example that you did not authorize it or cancelled on a stated date].

I am requesting that the error be corrected, that any finance or other charges related to the disputed amount be credited to my account, and that I get an accurate statement.

Enclosed are copies of [receipts or your cancellation confirmation] supporting my position.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Enclosures: [documents; copies, not originals]

If the issuer or bank says the charge stands

If a bank finds no error, its report must explain its findings in writing and note your right to request the documents it relied on.

The FTC says that if a credit card issuer decides you owe some of the amount, it must tell you promptly and in writing how much and why, and you may ask for copies of the documents it says prove you owe the money. You can appeal the decision within the time the issuer gives you for payment or 10 days of getting the explanation, whichever is later.

You can also submit a complaint to the CFPB, which covers credit cards and checking and savings accounts. Most companies respond within 15 days.

Send your cancellation by certified mail

Tell us the company you want to leave. We write a formal cancellation letter, mail it by certified mail the next business day and send you the delivery proof.

Start your cancellation

Sources

Official pages we read on the review date.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What to do if a company keeps charging you after you cancel
Your proof, a letter to the company, a billing dispute with your card issuer within 60 days, and where to complain.
Certified mail return receipt: what it proves and how to get it
What a Return Receipt shows, how the mailed card and the emailed receipt differ and what to do if the card never arrives.
How to stop an automatic renewal
The practical sequence for stopping a plan that renews on its own, and what to do if it charges you anyway.
How to find hidden subscriptions
Check statements, app-store lists, email receipts and the phone bill, then decide what to do with each plan you find.