How do I dispute a charge on my credit card bill?

Tip

Check your credit card agreement to review your rights regarding unauthorized charges. You can find or request your agreement by visiting your credit card company’s website or by visiting the CFPB’s Credit Card Agreement Database.

To protect your rights you must also send a written billing error notice to the card company within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on your statement. After receiving the notice, the company has 30 days to send you a letter confirming they received your billing dispute, unless they’ve completed required billing error resolution procedures within that time. Be sure to keep copies for your records. Write down the dates you make follow-up calls and keep this information together in a file.

If you already paid the charge that you’re disputing, you can still dispute it. But you probably won’t get the money back until the credit card company has decided that you were right.

If the card company finds you are correct, the charge must be removed from your bill. If the card company says that you are incorrect and the bill is correct, the card company must tell you why in writing. It must also tell you how much you owe and when your payment is due.

Note: You may have to go through a different dispute process if you use a credit card to pay for goods or services that turn out to be defective.

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