Fill in the company name and your name above to generate the chargeback letter.
When to use a chargeback
A chargeback is a last resort when a company won't refund you directly. Common valid reasons:
- Charged after you cancelled, the company kept billing after your cancellation date
- Free trial converted without clear notice
- Unexpected price increase without consent
- Service not delivered as described
- Duplicate charge for the same billing period
⚠️ Important
Always try to resolve directly with the merchant first. Send this letter to the company. If they don't respond within 7 to 14 days, escalate to your bank or card issuer.
What to put in a chargeback request letter
Card issuers assess a dispute against scheme reason codes, so the letter has to give them the fields those codes need. Include the transaction date, the exact amount, the merchant name as it appears on your statement (often different from the trading name), your card or account number, and a one-paragraph factual account of what went wrong. Then list what you already tried with the merchant and the dates. Attach the evidence: cancellation confirmation, order number, screenshots of the terms you were shown, or the email thread the company ignored.
Chargeback time limits
The usual outer limit is 120 days from the transaction date, or from the date you should have received the goods or service. For a billing error on a US credit card, the Fair Credit Billing Act gives you 60 days from the statement carrying the charge to send written notice. Those windows run whether or not the merchant is still stringing you along, so open the dispute early and carry on chasing the company in parallel.
Consumer chargeback, not a merchant rebuttal letter
Search results for chargeback letters mix two opposite documents. A rebuttal letter is written by a merchant defending a disputed sale. This generator produces the other one: a cardholder asking their bank to reverse a charge. If a chargeback has been raised against your business, this is not the template you need.
What happens after you send it
The issuer reviews the claim and, where it fits a valid reason code, reverses the payment and recovers it from the merchant's bank. You may see a temporary credit while that runs. The merchant can contest with evidence of their own, and if they win, the credit is reversed. Most cases close within 30 to 90 days. A chargeback is not reported to credit bureaus and does not affect your credit score.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a chargeback letter?
A chargeback request letter needs five things: the date of the transaction, the amount, the name of the merchant as it appears on your statement, the reason you are disputing it, and what you have already done to resolve it with the merchant. Add your account or card number in the header and attach any evidence, such as a cancellation confirmation or an order that never arrived. Close by asking for the transaction to be charged back and for written confirmation of the outcome. Keep it factual. Card issuers assess the claim against scheme rules, not against how strongly you argue it.
How do you politely dispute a charge?
Write to the merchant first, describing the charge and the outcome you want, and give them a deadline of 7 to 14 days. Polite and specific works better than angry and vague, because most billing errors are resolved at that stage without the bank being involved. If the deadline passes, escalate to your card issuer and include the record of your attempt. Note the timing rule: under the US Fair Credit Billing Act you should send written notice to your card company within 60 days of the statement carrying the disputed charge.
How do I make a chargeback request?
Contact your bank or card issuer and say you want to use the chargeback scheme, then follow their process, which is usually an online dispute form or a written notice. Have the transaction date, amount, merchant name, reason code and your evidence ready. Chargeback is a card scheme process run by Visa, Mastercard or Amex rather than a legal right, so the issuer applies scheme rules and time limits. Submitting a clear written request with the merchant correspondence attached makes the decision faster.
What happens when you request a chargeback?
The issuer reviews your claim and, if it fits a valid reason code, reverses the payment and takes the money back from the merchant's acquiring bank. You often get a temporary credit while it runs. The merchant can then contest it with evidence of their own, which is called representment. If they contest successfully the credit is reversed again. Most cases settle in 30 to 90 days depending on the scheme and whether the merchant responds.
How do I ask for a chargeback after a subscription keeps billing me?
Show that you cancelled and that they billed anyway. Attach the cancellation confirmation, or your original cancellation email with its timestamp, and list every charge taken after the effective date with dates and amounts. "Cancelled recurring transaction" is a recognised reason code, so a documented cancellation date usually makes this the most straightforward kind of claim to win.
What is the time limit for a chargeback?
It depends on the scheme and the reason, but 120 days from the transaction date, or from the date you expected to receive the goods or service, is the usual outer limit. For a US credit card billing error under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the written notice window is 60 days from the statement date. Do not wait for the merchant to stop replying. Open the dispute inside the window and keep chasing them separately.
Will a chargeback close my account or hurt my credit?
A chargeback is not reported to credit bureaus and does not affect your credit score. Raising occasional, well-evidenced disputes is a normal use of a card. Filing repeated claims for charges you did authorise is a different matter and issuers do act on it, which is another reason to try the merchant first and keep the paper trail.
