Chargeback and card dispute evidence checklist
To dispute a card payment, act quickly, contact your card provider in writing and send a dated timeline backed by the order, proof of payment, delivery proof and your attempts to resolve it with the merchant. Rights differ by country and card type: in the US credit card billing errors have a 60-day written-notice window, and in the UK Section 75 covers credit card purchases from £100 to £30,000.
Three different things
| US billing-error dispute | UK Section 75 | Chargeback | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | Fair Credit Billing Act (federal law) | Section 75, Consumer Credit Act 1974 (UK law) | Card network rules (Visa, Mastercard and others) applied by your bank |
| Cards | Credit cards | Credit cards, for items with a cash price from £100 to £30,000 | Credit, debit and some prepaid cards |
| Deadline | Written notice within 60 days of the statement showing the error | Generally the six-year contract time limit, but act early | Set by the network and your bank; often counted in months, so ask your bank |
| Is it a legal right? | Yes | Yes | No, it is a scheme, and your bank decides how to apply it |
United States: billing errors
Under the Fair Credit Billing Act you can dispute certain billing errors on a credit card, such as unauthorised charges, wrong amounts or dates, and goods or services not accepted or not delivered as agreed. According to the CFPB, you should call the card company and also send a written billing error notice within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on your statement. Include your name, address, account number and a clear explanation. Send it to the address for billing inquiries, not the payment address, and keep a copy.
The company must acknowledge your notice in writing within 30 days, unless it has already resolved the issue, and must then investigate. The FTC says it must resolve the dispute within 90 days. While it investigates you do not have to pay the disputed amount or related charges, but you still pay the undisputed part of the bill. If you disagree with the outcome you can complain to the CFPB.
Debit cards and other payment types are covered by different rules, so check with your bank and the CFPB.
United Kingdom: Section 75 versus chargeback
Section 75 makes a credit card provider jointly liable with the retailer if the retailer breaches the contract or misrepresents something, for purchases on a credit card where the cash price of a single item is more than £100 and not more than £30,000. You can claim from the card provider even where you paid only part of the price on the card. Chargeback is different: it is a network process that your bank may raise for card payments (including debit) where goods or services were not provided or were not as described. Because chargeback is not a statutory right, ask your bank what time limit and evidence it requires, and ask in writing.
If your card provider rejects a claim you think is valid, you can complain to it and then, if unresolved, to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Other countries
Rules differ elsewhere. This guide does not cover them; check your own regulator or bank for the process in your country.
Evidence checklist
- The order: confirmation email, listing or advert, price, date, terms, what was promised.
- Proof of payment: receipt and the card statement line showing the merchant name and date.
- Delivery proof (or lack of it): tracking pages, courier messages, photos of what arrived, a note of when it was due.
- The problem: dated photos or video, a repair or inspection report, a description of how it differs from what was promised.
- Communications: every email, message, chat and call note with the merchant, with dates.
- Your attempts to resolve it: when you complained, what you asked for, and what they said, including refusals, silence and any promised refund that did not arrive.
- Cancellation or return: proof you cancelled or returned the item, with tracking and dates.
How to present a timeline
- One line per event: date, what happened, which document shows it.
- Start from the order and end at your dispute request.
- Stick to facts you can show; put what you want (refund of a stated amount) in a separate sentence at the end.
- Keep it to about one page, with numbered documents attached behind it.
- Send it through your bank's official dispute channel and keep proof of what you sent and when.