How to Get a Chargeback: Disputing Card Payments in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa

Short answer: a chargeback is when your bank or card issuer reverses a card payment and takes the money back from the merchant. Contact your bank as soon as possible (many disputes must be raised within about 120 days of the payment, and some rights are shorter), explain what went wrong, and send evidence. If the bank refuses, you can usually complain to an independent ombudsman.

When you can ask for one

• A payment you did not authorise.
• Repeat or subscription charges you did not agree to, or that continued after you cancelled.
• Goods or services that never arrived or were not as described, when the seller will not fix it.
• Being charged the wrong amount, or twice.

What to say to your bank

1. Give the date, amount and merchant name of each charge.
2. Say clearly what happened, for example: "I agreed to one payment of $1 and was then charged $19.99 a month without my agreement. I could not cancel on their website."
3. Attach evidence: screenshots, emails, cancellation attempts and your statement.
4. Ask them to block future payments to that merchant.

United States

For credit cards, the Fair Credit Billing Act lets you dispute billing errors, including unauthorised charges, by writing to your card issuer within 60 days of the statement that first showed the charge. For debit cards, report unauthorised transactions to your bank as quickly as possible: your protection under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act depends on how fast you report. You can also report fraud to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

United Kingdom

Ask your card provider for a chargeback (a card scheme rule, usually within 120 days). For purchases between £100 and £30,000 made on a credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can make the card provider jointly responsible with the seller. You can also ask your card provider to cancel a recurring card payment (a "continuous payment authority") directly. If your bank says no, complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Report fraud to Action Fraud.

Australia

Ask your bank to dispute the transaction and request a chargeback; report it promptly. If you are not satisfied with the bank's answer, you can complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). Report scams to Scamwatch and cybercrime to ReportCyber.

Canada and South Africa

In Canada, dispute the charge with your card issuer and report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. In South Africa, dispute it with your bank promptly; if the bank does not resolve it, you can escalate to the financial services ombud.

Ghana

For a card or bank transfer, contact your bank first. For mobile money, call your network immediately and ask them to block the transaction. You can also report to the Cyber Security Authority (call or text 292). See how to check a number before you pay.

Beware of "chargeback recovery" companies

You do not need to pay anyone to file a dispute: your bank does it for free. Firms that cold-call promising to recover your money for an upfront fee are often scams themselves.