• Credit Card Dispute Time Limit
• Reasons To Dispute Credit Card Charge
• How To Dispute A Credit Card Transaction

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Credit card disputes can occur for a variety of reasons.

Whether you were charged for an item you didn’t purchase or billed the wrong amount for something you did buy, disputes occur when a cardholder questions the accuracy of one or more charges on their bill.

Fortunately, federal law gives consumers the ability to dispute charges under certain circumstances through the Fair Credit Billing Act. But that doesn’t mean you can challenge any charge that appears on your credit card statement.

Let’s explore what types of credit card charges are eligible for dispute, how to dispute a charge, your obligation while the charge is being disputed and what your responsibility is if it’s resolved.

When to dispute a charge

While there are protections in place to help consumers dispute inaccurate charges on their credit card bills, those protections have limits. For example, if you’re experiencing buyer’s remorse over an expensive purchase or you wish you’d chosen the bigger flat-screen TV, you’re probably out of luck.

On the other hand, if you bought a new TV but were charged more than once for it, then you might have a case to dispute those extra charges. Here’s a list of scenarios when you may be able to dispute a charge on your credit card.

• You were charged for purchases you didn’t make
• You were charged for items you bought but never received
• You didn’t receive a credit for an item you returned
• The amount you were charged for a purchase you made was incorrect

How to dispute a charge

The proper way to dispute a credit card charge varies based on why you’re disputing it. Here are two scenarios where the FCBA dispute process may apply.

One thing to note: Sometimes issuers will let you handle these problems over the phone or online, but that process may not be covered by the FCBA. If you want to be sure you get the full FCBA protections due, mail in your dispute.

Fraudulent charges

Your liability for fraudulent or unauthorized charges on your credit card is limited to $50 under the Fair Credit Billing Act. But many card issuers have $0 liability policies, so you may not have to pay anything if your issuer has this type of policy and you have eligible unauthorized charges on your bill.

If you get your credit card statement and notice charges you didn’t make, check first with any joint accountholders or authorized users to see if they made the purchase.

If you discover that a charge is fraudulent, contact your credit card issuer immediately to report it. The issuer should cancel your card so that it can’t be used anymore and send you a new one with a different card number.

Billing errors

Billing errors can occur under a number of different circumstances, including being charged for something you ordered but never received, being charged the wrong amount for a purchase you made, or being charged more than once for the same purchase.

If you want to dispute a billing error on your credit card statement under the FCBA, write your card issuer at the address listed under “billing inquiries” (it may be different from where you send your payments). Check out the Federal Trade Commission’s sample dispute letter to help you get started.

You must send your letter within 60 days of when the first bill with the error was mailed to you. Consider sending your letter by certified mail and requesting a return receipt so that you have proof of what you sent and when you sent it.

The creditor must acknowledge your complaint in writing within 30 days of receiving it (unless the problem has already been resolved within that time frame). The creditor has two billing cycles, but not more than 90 days, to investigate your claim and resolve the issue.

Quality of goods and services

While quality of goods or services doesn’t fall under the FCBA dispute process, the legislation still provides some protections for problems with the quality of the goods or services you’ve purchased with your credit card.

If there is a problem with a product or service you paid for with your card and you want to withhold or stop payment, you must make a good-faith effort to work it out with the merchant first. If you’re unable to resolve the situation with the seller, you may be able to withhold the charge while your credit card company investigates the claim, if it meets the following requirements (with some exceptions).

• The purchase must be more than $50
• The purchase must have occurred in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address

If your purchase meets these requirements, you can let your card issuer know that you want to stop or withhold payment on a product or service you received because you’re not satisfied with it while the card issuer investigates. Be sure to include any proof you have that you tried to work things out with the merchant before you disputed the charge with the credit card company.

Paying for disputed charges

For claims that fall under the FCBA dispute process, you may not have to pay the disputed charge while the credit card company investigates your claim, and the card issuer can’t try to collect payment from you for it. But you’re still responsible for paying other charges that are not disputed.

During the investigation, the card issuer can deduct the amount of the charge you’re disputing from your available credit limit. For example, if your credit limit is $10,000 and you’re disputing a $1,000 charge, you may only have access to $9,000 worth of credit while the company investigates the disputed charge.

When the investigation is complete, the credit card company must send the results to you in writing. If the company finds an error, the amount must be credited back to you, along with any related finance charges. But if the card issuer decides the charges were accurate, you’ll be responsible for paying the disputed amount, including any finance charges that accrued while the disputed charge was being investigated.

If you don’t agree with the creditor’s findings, you have 10 days from receiving the explanation to write to the creditor and let it know you’re not going to pay. If you choose not to pay, the creditor has the right to start collection proceedings.

If you don’t pay the disputed charge and the card issuer reports your account as delinquent to the credit bureaus, it must include a statement that explains that you don’t believe you’re responsible for paying the disputed amount.

Bottom line

Federal law provides protection to credit card consumers when disputing billing errors and charges for fraudulent purchases. Disputing a charge doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have to pay it though. Whether you’re responsible for paying the disputed amount depends on the results of the card issuer’s investigation.

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We’ve all been there — you open up your credit card app or check out your account online to pay a bill or look over recent purchases, and you notice a charge that doesn’t add up. Either it’s at a merchant you don’t recognize, or it’s for a purchase you’ve made, but in the wrong amount. Or maybe the charge doesn’t reflect a return you’ve made.

Many may wonder what options they have for getting those errors fixed if the merchant is unwilling or unable to make the necessary changes. However, there is an option in those cases with your credit card company: issuing a dispute.

In This Post

When can you dispute a credit card charge?

The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) of 1975 gives consumers protection against creditors in certain situations regarding unauthorized charges and certain billing errors. Under the FCBA, you are entitled to be able to take action against a card issuer in circumstances for these types of charges:

• Charges with an incorrect date or amount charged
• Charges for undelivered goods and services
• Math errors
• Failure to post payments or credits for returns
• Failure to send bills to your current address
• Charges for which you request clarification or written proof of purchase

Credit Card Dispute Time Limit

This means that you can’t dispute a charge just because you are dissatisfied with a product or service or didn’t agree with an authorized user making a certain purchase. Think of it this way: If you’re not willing to file a police report on the person who made the purchase without your permission, you shouldn’t try to dispute the purchase.

But let’s say that you order a product through an online seller, and that product arrives at your house shattered. If you are unable to resolve the matter with the merchant, you could then escalate to disputing the charge.

For TPG readers, this could also apply to certain extreme situations in trying to get refunds from airlines or other common carriers. If you are unable to get a refund from an airline when your flight is canceled or even trying to refund tickets from an airline that’s gone bankrupt, disputing the charge is likely the best option to resolve the issue.

Rule of thumb: Talk to the merchant first

Your first course of action should always be to reach out to the merchant in cases of billing error or order issues. Many times, this is the fastest way to get something resolved. And most companies will work with you to try and fix the problem without getting the credit card issuer or payment network involved.

But should you not be able to receive a warranted refund or other acceptable resolution from the merchant, a credit card dispute should be your next step.

How to dispute a purchase

If you notice a fraudulent purchase or another disputable charge (that you’ve already tried to resolve directly with the merchant), it’s time to reach out to your credit card issuer to dispute the charge through them.

If you suspect there’s been an unauthorized charge made to your account, you should call the customer service line on the back of your card to talk through next steps with the issuer, including replacing your cards and resetting your online account information.

Related reading: Credit card fraud vs. identity theft — how to know the difference

In this guide, I’ll focus on how to dispute a charge that deals with a merchant billing error or other associated issues.

Step one: Gather necessary evidence

Keep receipts, photos and any communication you’ve made with the merchant to try and resolve the issue. In many cases, your issuer will ask for evidence of the billing error and that you’ve made a good-faith effort to reach out to the merchant before they will step in.

Step two: Fill a charge dispute with your issuer

Most issuers offer an easy way to do this online, including Amex, Chase, Citi and Bank of America. Usually, there is a “Dispute This Charge” option when you expand a specific charge.

Remember that usually, you can only dispute charges that have already posted. Pending charges generally will not have a “Dispute” option available online or in the app.

If you can’t find where to submit a dispute online, you can also call customer service and dispute a charge that way.

Step three: Follow up in writing

Keep in mind that while the Fair Credit Billing Act does offer consumers protections, those protections are dependent upon you following its guidelines. This means you’ll need to send in a formal dispute letter by mail (yes, snail mail) within 60 days of the disputable charge.

The Federal Trade Commission lays out your specific rights and the guidelines you must abide by in order to be protected. They also provide a sample letter you can use.

Now, this step isn’t required to dispute a charge with your credit card company if the issuer has other avenues to request a dispute. And most of the top credit card companies will work with you to resolve the issue. But it is worth noting that the only way you’ll technically be covered in the eyes of the Fair Credit Billing Act is by sending in a written request.

Chargebacks: What happens when you dispute a purchase

So you’ve disputed a purchase. What happens next?

Many issuers will issue you what’s called a chargeback. Essentially, a chargeback is a reverse credit card purchase. A charge is sent back up the line from your account to your card issuer to the merchant bank and back to the merchant, all through the payment network used (such as Visa or Mastercard). This way, a charge is removed from the consumer’s account and the issuer is able to “charge back” the cost to the merchant when deemed appropriate.

Bottom line

Reasons To Dispute Credit Card Charge

The Fair Credit Billing Act does offer protection in cases where unauthorized or incorrect charges are made on your account, and most issuers are diligent about helping cardholders where possible.

You should only dispute charges in the appropriate circumstances outlined above. But the dispute and chargeback process can help cardholders receive refunds and correct billing errors in the cases where you are unable to make it work with a merchant.

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How To Dispute A Credit Card Transaction

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