How to dispute a credit card charge — and what to do when the bank says no

Step 1: Send a written billing-error notice

Calling the bank doesn't preserve your rights. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), you have to send a written notice to the address the issuer designates for billing inquiries (it's on the back of your statement, not the customer-service line). You have 60 days from the statement date to do this.

The notice should include: your name and account number, the dollar amount, the date of the charge, and a sentence explaining why you believe it's wrong.

Step 2: Stop paying that portion

While the dispute is pending, the issuer cannot try to collect the disputed amount, cannot report it as delinquent, and cannot threaten your credit score over it. You still have to pay the rest of your bill.

Step 3: Wait for the investigation

The bank has 30 days to acknowledge your letter and two billing cycles (and not more than 90 days) to resolve it. They have to actually investigate — not just re-confirm the charge with the merchant.

What if the bank denies it?

This is where most people give up. Don't. A wrongful denial isn't the end — it's often the beginning of a federal lawsuit.

• No real investigation. If the bank just asked the merchant "did this happen?" and took their word for it, that's an FCBA violation.
• Continued collection. If they kept billing you or reported the disputed amount to the credit bureaus, that's a separate violation — and an FCRA claim too.
• Damages. Actual damages (interest, fees, credit harm) plus statutory damages and attorney's fees.

Debit cards are different

If the disputed transaction was on a debit card, you're under a different law — the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E. The deadlines are tighter (report unauthorized transfers within 60 days of the statement) and the protections are different. The bank has to give you provisional credit within 10 business days while it investigates.

Bottom line

Document everything in writing. Keep deadlines. And if the bank denies a dispute that should obviously have been refunded, you may have a real claim — not just a complaint.