Before you start
For US consumer credit-card purchases. Debit cards, bank transfers, cash-advance purchases and some intermediary payments have different protections. Network or issuer dispute policies may provide additional options but do not guarantee a refund.
1. Name the problem before selecting a dispute reason
Compare the receipt, order terms, delivery record and posted charge. Write a factual sentence: “The order was never delivered,” “The amount is wrong,” or “The item arrived but failed after I accepted it.” A pending authorization and a posted purchase are not automatically a duplicate.
Under Regulation Z’s billing-error rules, goods not accepted or not delivered as agreed can qualify. A dispute solely about the quality of goods you accepted is treated differently. Acceptance depends on applicable law; do not choose “unauthorized” merely because a purchase disappointed you. If nobody authorized the transaction, alert the issuer immediately.
2. Protect the billing-error deadline while seeking a refund
For the federal billing-error process, the issuer must receive your written notice at its designated billing-inquiries address no later than 60 calendar days after it transmitted the first statement showing the alleged error. This is not necessarily the payment address or 60 days from the purchase. Send promptly and retain delivery evidence.
An electronic submission satisfies the written requirement when the billing-rights statement specifies that method. A phone call or ordinary chat may not. Include enough information to identify you and the account, the date and amount, and why you believe there is an error; provide identifying details only through the issuer’s verified process. Keep copies of supporting records.
You may contact the merchant at the same time. For a nondelivery billing error, trying the merchant first is not a prerequisite. A promised refund or “please wait” reply does not extend the issuer-notice deadline.
3. Check the separate rules for a quality complaint
For accepted goods of disputed quality, § 1026.12(c) can preserve claims or defenses you have against the merchant. Ordinarily you must first make a good-faith attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant; the credit used for the purchase must exceed $50; and the transaction must occur in your state or within 100 miles of your current designated address.
Certain issuer–merchant relationships or issuer-involved mail solicitations remove the amount and distance limits. Merely accepting the card does not create that exception. Where an online transaction occurs is determined by applicable law. The protected amount is limited to credit still outstanding for that purchase when you first give notice to the merchant or issuer, plus related charges.
These conditions do not create a universal chargeback right or prove the underlying quality claim. Ask the issuer which process and evidence apply; obtain legal help if the right to withhold payment is uncertain. A card-network policy may be broader, with its own deadlines.
4. Keep a short evidence file and address the rest of the bill
Arrange the order, promised performance, actual result, merchant contact and requested correction in date order. Send copies rather than your only originals. Explain whether you seek a replacement, a missing refund, a partial correction or the full purchase amount, and why. Save case references and every request for additional information.
During a qualifying, timely billing-error investigation, the disputed amount and related charges may be withheld; continue paying amounts that are not disputed. Ask the issuer to confirm the payment still required and how its automatic debit will be handled. Do not suspend the whole card payment simply because one transaction is disputed.
5. Track the written outcome, not just a temporary credit
The issuer generally must acknowledge a qualifying billing-error notice within 30 days unless it has already resolved it, then resolve it within two complete billing cycles, never more than 90 days after receipt. These are issuer deadlines, separate from your notice deadline. A temporary credit can change during the investigation.
Read the written decision, any remaining amount due and its due date. If the claim is denied, request the supporting documents and compare the stated reason with your evidence. Report a merchant refund that arrives too, so the same item is not credited twice. If the issuer’s handling remains unresolved, the CFPB complaint process is another channel; it does not replace timely notice.
Fictional example: an undelivered $240 order
On October 1, 2026, Sam orders a $240 appliance on a US consumer credit card, with delivery promised October 7. Nothing arrives. The issuer transmits the first statement showing the charge on October 10. Sam asks the merchant for a refund October 12, but the merchant only says to wait.
Sam contacts the issuer and sends a written billing-error notice to the designated address; tracking shows receipt October 20. That receipt is within 60 days of October 10. Sam retains the order and delivery promise, checks the undisputed payment, and records any temporary credit separately. The example ends with a documented pending dispute, not an assumed refund.
Before you finish
- Identify the actual problem and whether the charge has posted.
- Keep the first affected statement and its transmission date.
- Verify the notice address or specified electronic method.
- Retain merchant evidence and proof of issuer receipt.
- Confirm the undisputed payment and automatic-debit treatment.
- Read the written outcome and reconcile any merchant refund.
Prepare one purchase-dispute record
Use neutral notes, dates and USD amounts. Keep account numbers, addresses and receipts in your own secure files; this sheet does not submit a dispute.
Optional notes stay in this page's memory. This worksheet does not send or save your entries. Do not enter account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, or other private information. Downloading or printing creates a copy you control.
Use your verified issuer instructions to submit the notice promptly, then keep proof of receipt with this record.
Questions you may have
Can I dispute an item I already paid?
You can still raise a timely billing-error dispute after payment. The separate claims-and-defenses rule for a quality issue is limited by the unpaid amount when notice is first given. See CFPB dispute guidance.
Does the $50 and 100-mile test apply to every billing error?
No. Those are conditions of the separate § 1026.12(c) claims-and-defenses protection, with exceptions. They are not the eligibility test for § 1026.13 billing-error notices.