How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge

A chargeback is your ability to ask your card issuer to reverse a charge. It's powerful leverage — and often works when a merchant won't cooperate. Here's how it works.

Valid reasons to dispute

• You were charged for something you never received
• The item arrived broken, wrong, or not as described
• You were billed the wrong amount or double-charged
• Unauthorized or fraudulent charges
• You were charged after canceling a subscription

Try the merchant first

In most cases you should attempt to resolve it directly first (and issuers may ask if you did). Keep records of that attempt — it strengthens your dispute. See filing a complaint.

File with your issuer

Contact your card company (app, website, or phone), state the reason, and provide your evidence: order confirmations, screenshots, emails, and dates. The issuer investigates and can issue a temporary credit while they do.

Mind the deadlines

Disputes have time limits (often measured from the statement or transaction date). File promptly — waiting can forfeit your right to dispute.

How to win

Documentation wins disputes. The more clearly you show what you paid for versus what you got — with a record of trying to resolve it — the stronger your case. Don't dispute charges you actually owe; that's abuse and can backfire.