How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge: Deadlines, Letter and Your Rights

By CreditMeadow Editorial Team · Updated October 16, 2026

To dispute a credit card charge and keep your federal protections, call your card issuer right away, then send a written notice that reaches the issuer's billing-error address within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the problem. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act and Regulation Z, the issuer must then acknowledge and resolve the dispute by set deadlines, and it can't make you pay the disputed amount while it investigates.

Below: how to spot a charge that doesn't belong, which rules fit your problem, what the letter needs, a dated timeline and when to go to the merchant.

Spot charges that don't fit your pattern

The FTC suggests reviewing each statement as soon as you get it and keeping your receipts to match against it. The CFPB adds two checks: compare your starting balance with last month's bill, and look for anything unfamiliar, including optional "add-on" products that carry a fee.

Charges that break your usual pattern are the ones to question:

• A merchant you don't recognize, or a purchase somewhere you haven't been.
• The same purchase billed twice, or an amount that doesn't match your receipt.
• A charge for something you returned or never received.
• A fee you didn't expect. Our guide to the credit card annual fee shows where card fees are disclosed.

Your pattern matters to the issuer too. When it investigates a claim of unauthorized use, Regulation Z lists reviewing the types or amounts of purchases against your previous purchasing pattern among the steps it may take.

Three kinds of problems, three sets of rules

A charge made by someone without authority also counts as a billing error, so the billing-error process works for it too. Regulation Z keeps these rights independent of each other. The billing-error rule doesn't cover the quality of goods or services you accepted; that falls under § 1026.12(c).

How to dispute a credit card charge in writing

The CFPB says to call the card company right away and also send a written notice to protect your rights. Under Regulation Z, a billing error notice must:

1. Be received at the address the issuer discloses for billing errors no later than 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the error.
2. Let the issuer identify your name and account number.
3. As far as possible, explain why you believe there's an error and give its type, date and amount.

The billing-dispute address is usually different from the payment address (FTC). The deadline is about when your notice arrives, not when you mail it; certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of what the issuer got. If you already paid the charge, you can still dispute it, though the CFPB says you probably won't get the money back until the card company decides you were right.

What to include in the letter

The FTC's sample letter covers:

• your name and account number;
• the amount and date of the disputed charge;
• why it's wrong, such as items not delivered, an overcharge or a purchase you didn't make;
• a request to correct the error and credit related finance or other charges;
• copies, not originals, of receipts or other supporting records.

Keep a copy of the letter and note the dates of follow-up calls.

What the issuer must do, and when

Once your notice arrives, Regulation Z sets two deadlines:

• Acknowledgment: in writing within 30 days, unless the issuer resolves the dispute within that time.
• Resolution: within 2 complete billing cycles, and in no event later than 90 days.

"Two complete billing cycles" means two actual cycles after the notice arrives: if it arrives mid-cycle, the issuer has the rest of that cycle plus the next two full ones.

If the issuer finds the error, it must correct it and credit the disputed amount and related charges. If it finds no error, it must explain why in writing, send copies of documents showing what you owe if you ask, and tell you how much you owe and when. The FTC notes that this can include finance charges that built up during the dispute, and that you get the same grace period to pay if you had one before.

What the issuer can't do while it investigates

Until the dispute is resolved, the issuer:

• can't try to collect the disputed amount or related charges;
• can't report that amount as delinquent, or threaten to, though it may report that it's in dispute;
• can't close or restrict your account solely because you used your dispute rights in good faith;
• can't deduct the disputed amount through its own autopay plan if your notice arrives at least 3 business days before the scheduled payment date.

It may still count the disputed amount against your credit limit and collect the rest of the bill, so pay the undisputed part on time. If you pay everything except the disputed amount, you keep your grace period on new purchases, according to the CFPB. Our guide to credit card APR explains the grace period.

Worked example: a dispute timeline with dates

Suppose your billing cycle closes on the 5th of each month, and the statement sent on September 8 shows a $240 charge from a merchant you've never used. Your statement balance is $860, due October 2.

The 90-day limit would fall on December 14, but two complete billing cycles end first: the cycle in progress when your letter arrived ends October 5, and the next two end November 5 and December 5. So the issuer has 81 days.

Unauthorized charges: your liability limit

Regulation Z caps your liability for unauthorized use at the lesser of $50 or the amount charged before you notified the issuer, and a lower limit in state law or your agreement governs. If you report a lost or stolen card before it's used, you can't be held responsible for any unauthorized charges (CFPB). If you still have the card but someone uses the stolen account number, you generally have no liability. You can notify the issuer in person, by phone or in writing.

One exception catches people out. If you gave someone your card, you authorized its use; even if they use it for a different purpose, that may still count as authorized, and you remain responsible until you tell the issuer they may no longer use it (CFPB). See how an authorized user on a credit card is treated. Charges from a subscription you canceled are covered in how to stop recurring charges on a credit card.

Should you contact the merchant first?

• Billing errors and items not delivered. Regulation Z says you aren't required to try the merchant before sending a billing-error notice about goods not delivered as agreed. The FTC's advice is to contact the card issuer first for most problems so the timing rules don't cost you your right to dispute; you can contact the seller at the same time.
• Quality problems with something you accepted. Here the seller comes first. To withhold payment under § 1026.12(c), you must have made a good-faith attempt to resolve it with the seller, and the purchase must generally be over $50 and made in your state or within 100 miles of your address. Those limits don't apply in some cases, such as when the seller is also the card issuer.

For refunds, the CFPB suggests asking the seller first to refund the money or undo the charge, then contacting your card company to see whether you can dispute it. If the seller fixes it, check later statements for the credit.

Key takeaways

• Review each statement for charges that don't match your receipts or your usual spending.
• Call the issuer, then send a written notice that arrives within 60 days after the statement showing the error was sent.
• The issuer must acknowledge within 30 days and resolve the dispute within 2 complete billing cycles, no later than 90 days.
• Pay the undisputed part on time; the issuer can't collect the disputed amount or report it as delinquent during the investigation.
• Liability for unauthorized use is capped at $50, and misuse of your account number alone generally costs you nothing.