How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge (2026 Step-by-Step)
To dispute a credit card charge, contact the merchant first, then send your card issuer a written billing-error notice within 60 days of the date the charge appeared on your statement. The Fair Credit Billing Act gives you that 60-day window, requires the issuer to investigate, and lets you withhold payment on the disputed amount while the investigation runs.
Short answer: Email or call the merchant for a refund first. If they refuse or go silent, file a dispute with your card issuer (in the app or by phone) and back it up with a written notice within 60 days. Attach your receipt, order confirmation, and the messages where the merchant said no.
Deadline that matters: 60 calendar days. Your written billing-error notice must reach the card issuer within 60 days of the date the disputed charge first appeared on your statement. Miss it and you lose your federal Fair Credit Billing Act protections, though your card network's own chargeback rules may still help. Last updated: June 2026.
What is the fastest way to dispute a credit card charge?
The fastest path is your card issuer's app or website. Most issuers let you flag a transaction and start a dispute in a few taps. But the FCBA protection only locks in when you also send a written notice. Do both. Here is the order that works.
- Contact the merchant first. Call or email the seller and ask for a refund or correction. For a quality or "not as described" problem, the law expects you to try the seller in good faith before going to your bank. Keep every message.
- Gather your evidence. Pull the receipt, order confirmation, delivery tracking, screenshots of the listing, and the merchant's refusal or non-response. Note the exact charge amount and the statement date.
- Open a dispute with your card issuer. In your banking app, find the transaction, tap "Dispute charge" or "Report a problem," and pick the reason (unauthorized, not received, wrong amount, duplicate, or canceled subscription). Or call the customer service number on the back of your card.
- Send a written billing-error notice within 60 days. Mail or message the issuer at the address it lists for "billing inquiries" (not the payment address). State your name, account number, the charge amount and date, and why it is wrong. This written step is what triggers your FCBA rights.
- Withhold payment on the disputed amount. You can hold back payment on the disputed charge while the issuer investigates. Keep paying the rest of your balance so you avoid late fees on the undisputed portion.
- Wait for the investigation. The issuer must acknowledge your notice within 30 days and resolve the dispute within two billing cycles (no more than 90 days). You usually get a provisional credit while they look into it.
- Escalate if they get it wrong. If the issuer rules against you and you still disagree, you can respond in writing, and you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at (855) 411-2372 or on its website.
Which dispute method should I use?
| Method | Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| In person (bank branch) | Sometimes | A branch can help start it, but the written notice still has to reach the billing-inquiries address. |
| Mail (written notice) | Yes | The step that secures your FCBA rights. Send it to the billing-inquiries address within 60 days. |
| Phone | Yes | Fast to start. A call alone does not preserve your legal rights, so follow up in writing. |
| App / website | Yes | Quickest way to file. Most issuers let you attach evidence and track status. |
| Karen | Yes | Hand Karen the charge and your evidence. Karen drafts and sends the dispute and keeps escalating. |
What are my rights when I dispute a charge?
The Fair Credit Billing Act covers "billing errors": charges you did not authorize, charges for items you never received, the wrong amount, math mistakes, and duplicate charges. For these, you have 60 days from the statement date to send written notice, the issuer must investigate, and it cannot report the disputed amount as delinquent while the dispute is open.
Quality complaints (the item arrived broken or "not as described") are handled differently. The FCBA lets you raise these against the card issuer too, but only if you made a good-faith effort to resolve it with the seller first, the purchase was for more than $50, and it was made in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address. Those dollar and distance limits do not apply when the seller is also the card issuer.
Can I dispute a charge for a subscription I tried to cancel?
Yes. If you canceled and the company charged you anyway, that can be a billing error. Document the cancellation (confirmation email, screenshot, support ticket), then dispute the charge. Note that the FTC's 2024 "Click to Cancel" rule was vacated by a federal appeals court on July 8, 2025, and in early 2026 the FTC restarted the rulemaking. So the easy-cancel federal rule is not currently in force, but your right to dispute a charge for a service you properly canceled still stands.
How long does a credit card dispute take?
The issuer has 30 days to acknowledge your written notice and up to two billing cycles (a maximum of 90 days) to resolve it. Many disputes settle faster, especially clear unauthorized charges, which often get a provisional credit within a few days.
What if they keep charging me or refuse the refund?
If the merchant ignores you or the issuer sides with the merchant, you still have moves.
- Respond to the issuer in writing and add any evidence the first round missed, such as the cancellation timestamp or the original product listing.
- Ask the issuer to reopen the dispute or to escalate it to a supervisor or the chargeback team.
- Pull the recurring authorization. If a subscription keeps billing, tell your issuer to block future charges from that merchant and ask about a new card number if the charges keep coming.
- File a CFPB complaint at (855) 411-2372 if the issuer is not following the rules. Issuers tend to move faster once a regulator is on the file.
- Keep records. Dates, names, and screenshots win disputes. Save everything in one place.
An example of how this plays out: a reader is double-charged $79 for one order, the merchant stalls, and the issuer reverses one charge after a written notice and a copy of the single receipt. Illustrative example. Results vary and are not guaranteed.
What are the deadlines and gotchas?
- 60 days, counted from the statement date, not the day you noticed the charge. The clock starts when the issuer sends the statement showing the charge.
- A phone call alone does not protect you. You need the written notice at the billing-inquiries address to lock in FCBA rights.
- Quality disputes have conditions: over $50, in-state or within 100 miles, and a good-faith attempt with the seller first.
- Keep paying the undisputed balance so you do not rack up interest or late fees on charges you are not contesting.
- Network chargeback windows can be longer than the FCBA window (often up to 120 days for some claim types), so ask your issuer even if the 60 days has passed.
Verify current terms on your card issuer's site, since dispute addresses and timelines change. Karen is not affiliated with any card issuer, merchant, or government agency. Karen is a self-help tool, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice.
Common questions
How long do I have to dispute a credit card charge?
You have 60 calendar days from the date the charge appeared on your statement to send a written billing-error notice under the Fair Credit Billing Act. Some card-network chargeback rules allow longer, so ask your issuer even if 60 days has passed.
Do I have to contact the merchant before disputing with my bank?
For quality or "not as described" problems, yes. The law expects a good-faith attempt with the seller first. For clearly unauthorized or fraudulent charges, you can go straight to your card issuer.
Can I withhold payment while a charge is in dispute?
Yes. You can withhold payment on the disputed amount while the issuer investigates, and it cannot be reported as delinquent. Keep paying the rest of your balance to avoid late fees.
Does disputing a charge hurt my credit score?
No. Filing a legitimate dispute does not by itself hurt your credit. The issuer cannot report the disputed amount as past due while the investigation is open.
What if my subscription kept charging me after I canceled?
Document the cancellation, then dispute the charge as a billing error. The FTC's 2024 "Click to Cancel" rule was vacated in 2025, but your right to dispute a charge for a service you properly canceled still applies.
What counts as a billing error under the law?
Unauthorized charges, charges for items you never received, the wrong amount, duplicate charges, and math mistakes. Complaints about the quality of an item are handled under separate, more limited rules.
Stop chasing the merchant and arguing with the bank. Hand Karen the charge, the receipt, and the runaround, and Karen files the dispute and keeps pushing to get it resolved.
Put Karen on the dispute.