How to Request a Chargeback: What Your Card Issuer Needs

A chargeback is a request to your card issuer to reverse a charge, and it exists for situations like a product that never arrived, a charge you did not authorize or a refund the merchant promised and never paid. It is a useful tool, but it works best when you treat it as a process with steps and evidence rather than a button you press in anger.

Try the merchant first, and write it down

Most issuers expect you to have tried to resolve the problem with the seller. That also tends to be the quickest route when the seller is cooperative. Contact the merchant in writing, state the problem, say what you want, and give a reasonable deadline for a reply.

Keep a copy of the message, the date you sent it and any response. If the seller ignores you or refuses, that record becomes part of your case.

Gather the evidence before you call

The issuer will ask for the details of the transaction and the reason you are disputing it. Having your materials ready makes the process faster and more credible. Useful items include the order confirmation, receipt or invoice, tracking information, screenshots of the listing and of the seller's promises, your messages with the seller, and photographs if the item was damaged or different from the description.

A short timeline helps. Write down what you ordered, when you paid, when delivery was promised, when you contacted the seller and what happened.

Contact the issuer promptly

Time limits apply to card disputes, and they differ between card types and issuers. Some are measured from the date of the transaction or the statement, and some from the date you expected delivery. The safest approach is to act as soon as you see that a problem will not be resolved, rather than waiting to find out how much time you have.

For credit cards in the United States, federal law on billing errors sets a written-notice window counted from the statement date on which the error first appeared. Debit cards and prepaid cards follow different rules. Check your issuer's dispute page or the back of your card for how to submit a dispute.

What happens during a dispute

The issuer reviews your claim, may ask for more information, and may place a temporary credit on your account while it investigates. The merchant gets a chance to respond with its own evidence, and the issuer then decides. The result is not predictable in advance, so treat a temporary credit as just that, temporary, until you receive the final decision.

If you win, the charge is reversed. If you lose, you can often provide additional evidence or ask what options remain, and you can still pursue the merchant directly or other routes such as small claims court.

Common mistakes

• Waiting so long that a time limit passes.
• Disputing a charge without trying the seller or keeping any record of doing so.
• Describing the issue vaguely instead of stating exactly what went wrong.
• Using a dispute because you changed your mind, when the real issue is a return policy.
• Ignoring a request from the issuer for more documents, which can end the dispute.

Try this today

1. Write a short timeline of the purchase, the problem and every attempt to resolve it with the seller.
2. Collect the best three pieces of evidence, such as the receipt, the tracking page and your messages.
3. Find your issuer's dispute process, note any stated deadline, and submit the dispute while the evidence is fresh.

Key takeaways

• A chargeback is a process with evidence and time limits.
• Contact the merchant first and keep the record.
• Act promptly, because deadlines vary and are easy to miss.
• A temporary credit is not the final result.
• Be specific and complete when you describe the problem.

This article is general information for consumers in the United States, not legal advice. Laws and deadlines vary by state and by situation, and rules change over time. If a large amount of money or a legal deadline is involved, check the current rules with the relevant agency or speak to a licensed attorney or a free consumer legal aid service.