The protections you start with
Federal law limits a cardholder's liability for unauthorized credit card charges, and the major card networks advertise policies that go further. Separate billing-error rules let you dispute other problems, including charges for goods that were never delivered, by written notice to the issuer within a set period after the statement is sent. Debit cards fall under different rules, where how quickly you report can directly affect how much you can lose. The issuer must investigate, and while it does, you generally do not have to pay the disputed amount.
Making the dispute hold up
Call the issuer as soon as you spot the charges, but follow up in writing, because written notice is what triggers the strongest billing-error rights. Keep the dispute confirmation, any reference numbers, and copies of what you sent. Gather proof that supports your account of events: where you were when the charge was made, whether the card was in your possession, and anything pointing to a data breach or a lost card. If a family member or someone else with access to the card may be involved, tell the issuer accurately, since the answer affects whether the charge is treated as unauthorized.
When the issuer denies the claim
Issuers sometimes deny fraud claims by pointing to chip transactions, matching addresses, or earlier purchases from the same merchant. You can ask for the documents the issuer relied on, provide additional evidence, and escalate with a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or, for some institutions, New York's Department of Financial Services. If the amount is large or the denial is hurting your credit report, we can review whether the issuer followed the required process and what options remain. Merchants on the other side of a chargeback face a different process, with response deadlines set by card network rules, and a late response is often treated as conceding.
