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How to dispute a credit card charge: the Fair Credit Billing Act step by step

Updated By The editorial teamNot reviewed by an attorney — based on the official sources below

In short

Federal law lets you dispute a billing error on your credit card — a charge you didn't make, the wrong amount, goods or services you didn't accept or that weren't delivered as agreed, a payment not credited, or a math error. Send a written notice to the address your card issuer lists for billing errors so it arrives within 60 days after the issuer sent the first statement with the error. The issuer must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days. While the dispute is open you don't have to pay the disputed amount or related charges, and the issuer can't report it as late. For problems with the quality of a purchase, separate rules may let you raise the dispute with the card issuer.

Read on for the details, the exceptions and the sources.

In plain words

Billing error
A specific kind of mistake on your statement that the law lets you dispute, such as a charge you didn't make or goods never delivered.
Card issuer
The bank or company that issued your credit card and sends your statements.
Billing cycle
The period, usually about a month, covered by one statement.
Claims and defenses
Your complaints against the seller, such as defective goods, which you may in some cases raise against the card issuer too.

Where to go

Your dispute goes to your card issuer, in writing, at the address it gives for billing-error notices — usually printed on your statement or in your account terms. A note on the payment stub may not count if the issuer has said so (15 U.S.C. § 1666(a); 12 C.F.R. § 1026.13(b)). You may also be able to dispute online or by phone, but the federal protections described here are tied to a written notice received in time.

If the issuer doesn't follow the rules, you can complain to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which forwards complaints about credit cards to the company for a response.

  • A charge you didn't make, or for the wrong amount (§ 1666(b)(1)).
  • Goods or services you didn't accept, or that weren't delivered as agreed (§ 1666(b)(3)).
  • A payment or credit that wasn't properly credited (§ 1666(b)(4)).
  • A computation or accounting error (§ 1666(b)(5)).
  • A charge you want clarified or documented (§ 1666(b)(2)).
  • A statement not sent to your current address, if you gave it at least 20 days before the end of the cycle (§ 1666(b)(6)).

What documents you need

  • The statement showing the charge.
  • Your letter: your name and account number, the amount you dispute, and why you believe it is an error (§ 1666(a)(1)–(3)).
  • Supporting documents: receipts, order confirmations, cancellation confirmations, proof of return, tracking records, messages with the merchant.
  • Proof of when your letter was sent and received, such as certified mail with return receipt.

Fees and costs

Federal law doesn't set any fee for disputing a billing error. Until the dispute is resolved, you don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance or other charges, and the issuer may not try to collect them; if you use autopay, the issuer must not deduct the disputed amount if your notice arrives at least 3 business days before the scheduled payment date (12 C.F.R. § 1026.13(d)(1)). An issuer that doesn't follow the rules forfeits the right to collect the disputed amount and related finance charges, up to $50 (15 U.S.C. § 1666(e)).

Deadlines

  • Your written notice must reach the issuer within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the error (§ 1666(a); § 1026.13(b)(1)).
  • The issuer must send a written acknowledgment within 30 days of receiving your notice, unless it resolves the dispute sooner (§ 1666(a)(A)).
  • It must resolve the dispute within two complete billing cycles, and in no event later than 90 days (§ 1666(a)(B); § 1026.13(c)(2)).
  • If it decides you owe the money, it must tell you in writing when payment is due, and allow the usual grace period or 10 days, whichever is longer, before reporting it as delinquent (§ 1026.13(g)).

Step by step

  1. Check the statement and contact the merchant

    Many problems are fixed by the merchant. For disputes about the quality of goods or services, a good-faith attempt to resolve it with the merchant is required before you can raise it with the issuer (15 U.S.C. § 1666i(a)).

  2. Write the billing-error notice

    Include your name, account number, the charge and amount, and the reason. Keep it short and factual.

  3. Send it to the billing-error address

    Use the address the issuer gives for billing errors, not the payment address, so it arrives within 60 days of the statement date. Keep proof.

  4. Pay the undisputed part

    Keep paying the rest of your bill on time. The issuer may still collect amounts you haven't disputed (§ 1026.13(d)(4)).

  5. Watch for the acknowledgment and the answer

    Expect a reply within 30 days and a decision within two billing cycles (90 days at most).

What happens next

If the issuer finds an error, it must correct your account, credit the disputed amount and related charges, and send you a correction notice (§ 1026.13(e)). If it finds no error after a reasonable investigation, it must explain why in writing and, if you ask, send copies of documents showing you owe the money (§ 1026.13(f)). When you said goods weren't delivered, it can't treat the charge as correct unless it determines they were actually delivered, mailed or otherwise sent to you, and tells you (15 U.S.C. § 1666(a)).

While the dispute is open, the issuer may not report the disputed amount as delinquent or close or restrict your account solely because you used these rights, though it may count the amount against your credit limit (§ 1026.13(d)(2)–(4)). If you still dispute the result in writing within the time allowed for payment, it can report the amount as delinquent only if it also reports that you dispute it and tells you who received the report (§ 1026.13(g)(4)).

Disputes about the quality of a purchase

If you received what you ordered but it was defective or not as promised, that may not be a billing error. A separate rule lets you assert against the card issuer the claims and defenses you have against the seller — other than injury claims — if you made a good-faith attempt to resolve it with the seller, the purchase was more than $50, and it took place in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address. The amount is limited to the credit still outstanding on that purchase when you first notify the issuer or seller. The $50 and distance limits don't apply when the seller is the card issuer itself or closely tied to it, or when the issuer took part in a mail solicitation for the purchase (15 U.S.C. § 1666i).

Lost or stolen card

Your liability for unauthorized use of a credit card is at most $50, and nothing for charges made after you notify the issuer. You can notify the issuer in person, by phone or in writing (15 U.S.C. § 1643; 12 C.F.R. § 1026.12(b)).

Figures that change

  • Deadline to send a billing-error notice: 60 days after the first statement showing the error (as of 2026-10-30; Fair Credit Billing Act — correction of billing errors, 15 U.S.C. § 1666)
  • Maximum liability for unauthorized credit card use: $50 (as of 2026-10-30; Truth in Lending Act — liability for unauthorized credit card use, 15 U.S.C. § 1643)

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to dispute a credit card charge?

Your written notice must reach the card issuer within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the error (15 U.S.C. § 1666(a)).

Do I have to pay the disputed charge while the issuer investigates?

No. You may withhold the disputed amount and related charges, and the issuer may not try to collect them or report them as delinquent while the dispute is open (12 C.F.R. § 1026.13(d)). Keep paying the rest of your bill.

Can I dispute a charge because the product was bad?

Possibly, under 15 U.S.C. § 1666i, if you first tried in good faith to resolve it with the seller, the purchase was over $50, and it was made in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address. Undelivered goods are a billing error with their own rules.

Is a phone call to the card company enough?

Calling can get things started, but the Fair Credit Billing Act's protections depend on a written notice received at the billing-error address within 60 days. Send one even if you also called.

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Official sources

This page was written from the sources below. “Checked” is the date the source was last opened and read.

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This page is general information based on the official sources listed, current as of the update date. It is not legal advice and does not replace a review of your own situation; if a case is already in court, a deadline is close, the amount is large, or there are criminal, immigration or family-law consequences, talk to a lawyer or legal aid.