Free tool
Chargeback letter generator
Fill in the details and get a clear, formal dispute letter for your bank or card issuer. Banks act faster on written disputes that state the facts in their language.
[Your name] July 21, 2026 [Bank / card issuer name] Disputes team Re: Disputed transaction on card ending [0000] Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to dispute the following transaction on my account: Merchant / statement descriptor: [as it appears on your statement] Amount: [amount] Transaction date: [date] I did not make or authorise this transaction. I am not aware of any household member or additional cardholder having made it, and I have not shared my card details. Please treat this as an unauthorised transaction, block my card if appropriate, and credit my account while you investigate. Under the card scheme's dispute rules and applicable consumer protection law, I ask that you investigate this transaction, apply a temporary credit where your policy allows, and confirm the outcome to me in writing. I can provide supporting evidence on request. Please confirm receipt of this dispute. Yours faithfully, [Your name]
Before you send it
- Contact the merchant first. They can refund in days; a formal dispute takes weeks — and a chargeback on a legitimate charge costs the merchant fees and can get your account closed.
- Dispute only genuinely wrong charges. "I forgot I subscribed" is a cancellation, not fraud.
- Act quickly. Most schemes give you 60–120 days from the statement date.
- Attach evidence — receipts, cancellation confirmations, screenshots of the merchant conversation.
Before you dispute: the order that actually works
Banks and card networks expect you to try the merchant first, and disputes go smoother when you can show you did. The sequence that works: contact the merchant with your receipt and ask for a refund (keep the email); if they refuse or don't respond in a reasonable window, then dispute with your bank, attaching the merchant correspondence.
Know which situation you're in, because the rules differ. Fraud (you never authorised the charge): contact the bank immediately and replace the card — time limits are generous but the card number is compromised. Billing error or service dispute (charged twice, wrong amount, goods not received, subscription after cancellation): in the US, the Fair Credit Billing Act gives you 60 days from the statement date for credit cards; debit-card protections are weaker and faster-moving. Buyer's remorse is not disputable.
What makes a dispute letter effective
Card-dispute teams process volume; a letter that states the facts in their order gets handled faster. Lead with the account identification and the specific transaction (date, amount, descriptor exactly as printed). State the dispute category in their vocabulary — unauthorised, duplicate, not as described, credit not processed. List your evidence as an enumerated set of attachments. Ask for the specific remedy (provisional credit and investigation). Keep emotion out; the reader can only act on facts.
This generator builds that structure from your details, ready to print or paste into your bank's secure-message form. Send it through a channel that leaves a record — secure message or post, not a phone call alone.
Chargeback, refund or dispute — which one you actually want
The words get used interchangeably, but they're different routes with different speed and cost. A refund is the merchant voluntarily giving your money back — fastest, friendliest, and your first move. A dispute is you telling your bank something's wrong and asking them to look. A chargeback is the formal reversal your bank forces through the card network when the dispute holds up. You almost always want to try for a refund first and escalate to a chargeback only when the merchant won't fix it or can't be reached.
The reason order matters: a chargeback costs the merchant a fee on top of the refunded amount and counts against them with the network, so raising one on a charge you simply forgot can get your account closed or you banned from the service. Reserve it for charges that are genuinely wrong.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to dispute a charge?
For US credit cards, the Fair Credit Billing Act protects disputes raised within 60 days of the statement containing the error. Fraud on network rules often allows longer. Debit cards have shorter, tiered windows — act fast. Outside the US, check your local scheme rules; the letter works the same way.
Should I dispute a subscription I forgot to cancel?
Try the merchant first — many refund a just-renewed subscription on request. A chargeback on a legitimate subscription can get your account with that service terminated, and banks push back on disputes where the merchant has proof of an active agreement.
What evidence should I attach?
The statement line, any receipts or order confirmations, your correspondence with the merchant, cancellation confirmations if relevant, and for goods-not-received: tracking or delivery evidence. Enumerate each attachment in the letter.
Will a dispute hurt my credit?
Filing a dispute doesn't affect your credit score, and for credit cards you may withhold payment on the disputed amount while it's investigated. Keep paying the undisputed balance.
How long does a chargeback take?
Typically a few weeks to a couple of months. Banks often issue a provisional credit quickly while they investigate, but that credit can be reversed if the merchant successfully defends the charge — so keep your evidence until it's final.
Will disputing a charge hurt my credit score?
No. A card dispute or chargeback doesn't appear on your credit report or affect your score. It's between you, the merchant and the card network — separate from credit reporting entirely.
Whole statement, one pass
Stop looking charges up one by one
Upload the statement instead: every descriptor identified with confidence levels, plus subscriptions, duplicates and fees flagged automatically. Free account, no card required, deleted after 24 hours.
No bank logins · card numbers redacted before storage · everything deleted after 24 hours
Related tools