Your card issuer must investigate your dispute within 30 days, and you are not responsible for the charge while they do

When you dispute a credit card charge, your issuer opens an investigation and temporarily removes the amount from your bill. You do not pay interest on the disputed amount during this time. The issuer contacts the merchant, asks them to prove the charge was legitimate, and decides whether to side with you or the merchant. Most disputes are resolved within 30 to 90 days, though some take longer if the merchant requests additional time or if the case is complex.

The process is governed by the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), a federal law that protects you if a charge is unauthorized, if you were charged twice for the same purchase, if the merchant charged you the wrong amount, or if you returned merchandise and were not refunded. You can also dispute a charge if the goods or services were not as described, though this type of dispute is harder to win because it involves a judgment call about quality.

You are not required to pay the disputed amount while the investigation is underway. If the issuer rules in your favor, the charge is removed permanently and you owe nothing. If the issuer rules against you, the charge goes back on your bill and you will owe it, plus any interest that accrued during the dispute period.

Key Takeaways

  • You must contact your card issuer within 60 days of the charge appearing on your statement to start a dispute.
  • Your issuer must investigate and respond within 30 days, though they can request up to 90 days if the merchant needs time to gather evidence.
  • You do not owe the disputed amount or interest on it while the investigation is open.
  • The issuer will ask the merchant to prove the charge was legitimate; if the merchant cannot or does not respond, you usually win.
  • If you lose the dispute, the charge returns to your bill with any interest that accumulated during the investigation period.

How to start a dispute with your card issuer

Contact your card issuer as soon as you notice the charge. Most issuers let you dispute online through your account portal, by phone, or by mail. Online is usually fastest. You will need the transaction date, the merchant name, the amount, and a brief description of why you are disputing it. Write clearly: say whether the charge was unauthorized, duplicate, incorrect, or for goods that did not arrive or were not as described.

Your issuer will ask you to confirm the dispute in writing within a set number of days—usually 10 to 30. This can be done by email, through your online account, or by mailing a signed letter. Keep copies of everything you send. Once your issuer receives your written dispute, the clock starts: they have 30 days to investigate and tell you the outcome.

If you are disputing a charge made by someone else (an unauthorized charge), tell your issuer when ready. They may ask you to confirm that you did not make the charge and did not allow anyone else to use your card. Unauthorized charges are the easiest disputes to win because the burden is on the merchant to prove you authorized the transaction.

What your issuer does during the investigation

Your issuer contacts the merchant and asks them to provide proof that the charge was legitimate. This usually means a signed receipt, a delivery confirmation, or evidence that you received the goods or services. The merchant has a set time to respond—often 7 to 10 days, though they can request an extension.

If the merchant does not respond or cannot provide proof, your issuer will rule in your favor and remove the charge permanently. If the merchant provides proof that you authorized the charge and received what you paid for, your issuer will likely rule against you and the charge will be reinstated.

For disputes about quality or description—you ordered a blue shirt and received a red one, or the item was damaged—the merchant's proof of delivery is usually enough to win their case. These disputes are harder to win because the issuer is not judging whether the merchant treated you fairly; they are only checking whether the transaction happened. If it did, the dispute becomes a customer service matter between you and the merchant, not a billing error.

Timeline and what happens to your account

Your issuer must tell you the outcome within 30 days of receiving your written dispute. If they need more time—usually because the merchant requested an extension—they can take up to 90 days total, but they must notify you in writing and explain why the investigation is taking longer.

During the investigation, the disputed amount does not appear on your bill. You do not have to pay it, and no interest accrues on it. Your available credit is restored as if the charge never happened. If you have other charges on the card, you still owe those.

Once the investigation closes, your issuer sends you a written explanation of their decision. If you won, the charge is gone. If you lost, the charge reappears on your next statement, and any interest that accumulated during the dispute period is added to your balance. You then owe the full amount.

When you lose a dispute and what to do next

If your issuer rules against you, the charge goes back on your bill. You can ask your issuer to review the decision if you have new evidence—for example, if the merchant promised a refund in writing and failed to deliver it, or if you have proof that the goods were never delivered despite what the merchant claimed.

You can also file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) if you believe your issuer did not investigate fairly or did not follow the rules. The CFPB does not overturn the issuer's decision, but they will investigate whether the issuer violated the FCBA. If they find a violation, the issuer may be required to correct it.

If the dispute is about quality or a merchant's refusal to honor a return, your next step is usually small claims court or a chargeback through a different payment method if one is available. Credit card disputes are not the right tool for these situations because the issuer is not a referee in a disagreement—they are checking whether a billing error occurred.

Disputes for unauthorized charges and fraud

If someone used your card without permission, you are protected by the FCBA. Your liability is capped at $50 per card, and many issuers waive this entirely. Report the unauthorized charge as soon as you notice it. Your issuer will likely ask you to confirm that you did not make the charge and did not allow anyone else to use your card number.

Unauthorized disputes are the fastest to resolve because the merchant must prove you authorized the transaction. If they cannot—and most cannot, because they have no record of your permission—you win. Your issuer may also cancel your card and issue a new one to prevent further fraud.

If you notice a pattern of small unauthorized charges, report them all at once. Some fraudsters test stolen card numbers with small amounts before making larger purchases. Reporting early stops them before they escalate.

Common reasons disputes are denied

Disputes are denied most often when the merchant provides proof that you authorized the charge and received the goods or services. This includes a signed receipt, a tracking number showing delivery, or a record of your account activity showing you accessed a service. If the merchant has this proof, the issuer will rule against you even if you are unhappy with the purchase.

Disputes are also denied when you wait too long to report them. You must contact your issuer within 60 days of the charge appearing on your statement. If you miss this important date, you lose the right to dispute under the FCBA, though you can still try to resolve it directly with the merchant.

Disputes about the quality of goods or services are denied more often than other types because the issuer is not judging whether you got a good deal or whether the merchant treated you fairly. They are only checking whether a billing error occurred. If the merchant can prove you received what you paid for, the dispute fails even if the item was defective or not as described.

How disputes affect your credit and your relationship with the merchant

Filing a dispute does not directly hurt your credit score. The disputed charge does not appear on your report while the investigation is open. However, if you lose the dispute and the charge is reinstated, it will show on your account as a regular charge. If you then fail to pay it, that missed payment will be reported and will damage your score.

Merchants can see that you filed a dispute, and some may refuse to do business with you in the future if you file multiple disputes. This is rare, but it can happen. If you are a frequent disputer, merchants may flag your account as high-risk.

If you win a dispute, the merchant is notified and the charge is reversed. The merchant loses the sale and may lose the merchandise if it was already shipped. Some merchants will ban you from their platform after a dispute, especially if they believe you are disputing in bad faith. This is their choice to make.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I dispute a charge if I changed my mind about the purchase?

No. Buyer's remorse is not a reason to dispute under the FCBA. You can only dispute if there was a billing error—the charge was unauthorized, you were charged twice, the amount was wrong, or the goods or services were not as described. If you straightforward changed your mind, contact the merchant directly and ask about their return policy.

What if the merchant goes out of business before the dispute is resolved?

Your issuer will still investigate, but they may not be able to reach the merchant for proof. If the merchant does not respond, your issuer will usually rule in your favor and remove the charge. A closed business is treated similarly to a merchant who does not respond to the investigation.

How many times can I dispute the same charge?

You can dispute once per charge. If your issuer rules against you and you have new evidence, you can ask them to reconsider, but this is a review, not a new dispute. If they still rule against you, your only other option is to file a complaint with the CFPB or pursue the matter in small claims court.

Do I need to dispute through my card issuer, or can I go straight to the merchant?

You should contact your issuer first. They have the legal authority to investigate and reverse charges. Contacting the merchant directly may help if the issue is a straightforward mistake or a refund they forgot to process, but if the merchant refuses to help, the dispute process through your issuer is your protection under federal law.

What happens if I dispute a charge and then the merchant refunds me?

Tell your issuer when ready that the dispute should be withdrawn. If the refund has already posted to your account, the dispute is moot and your issuer will close it. If the refund has not posted yet, withdrawing the dispute prevents confusion and speeds up the process. You will receive the refund from the merchant, not from the dispute.