How to Dispute an Unauthorized Credit Card Charge
If a charge on your card is not yours, speed matters. Card issuers have formal processes for unauthorized charges and billing errors, and acting quickly protects your rights. Here is the order to do it in.
Whether you're calling it a refund request, a chargeback, disputing the charge, or just contesting it, the steps below are the same.
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Confirm it is not something you forgot
Check the merchant name against your receipts and subscriptions. Some merchants bill under a name that is different from the brand, and family members may have used the card.
Contact your card issuer right away
Call the number on the back of your card or use the dispute option in your banking app. In the US, the Fair Credit Billing Act gives you the right to dispute billing errors, and written notice is generally expected within 60 days of the statement that first showed the charge.
Ask about locking or replacing the card
If the charge may be fraud, have the issuer cancel the card and send a new number so it cannot be used again.
Follow up in writing and keep records
Send or upload a clear written account: the charge, the date, the amount, why it is not yours, and any contact you had with the merchant. Keep the dispute reference number.
- •Report it as soon as you see it. The earlier you dispute, the stronger your protection is.
- •Contacting the merchant first is useful for billing mistakes, but for suspected fraud go to your issuer first.
- •Debit card disputes have their own timing rules, so tell your bank right away if it was a debit card.
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