How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge (2026)

Disputing a credit card charge is your legal right — and credit card issuers are required by the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) to investigate and respond. This guide covers exactly when you can dispute, how to do it correctly, and what happens if your bank denies the claim.

Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Billing Act

The FCBA (15 U.S.C. §§ 1666–1666j) gives you the right to dispute:

Dispute Category Examples

Unauthorized charges Fraud, identity theft, account compromise

Goods/services not received Item never arrived; subscription cancelled but still charged

Goods/services not as described Counterfeit product; significantly different from listing

Billing errors Wrong amount charged; duplicate charge; math error

Credit not received Returned item; refund promised but not issued

Merchant fraud Company took your money and disappeared

What FCBA does NOT cover :

Disputes about the quality of goods/services (unless materially different from…