How long do I have to claim a chargeback?

Short answer

Usually 120 days — running from the transaction date, or from the expected delivery date if that is later, or from when you learned a service would not be provided. Raise it as soon as you spot the problem, because claims outside the window are routinely rejected.

Chargeback is a card scheme rule rather than a statutory right: Visa, Mastercard and American Express require their member banks to follow it. Your bank asks the merchant's bank to reverse the payment, citing a reason code. It works for debit and credit cards alike, which is its main advantage over Section 75.

The time limits

The standard window is 120 days from whichever is latest of the transaction date, the expected delivery date, or the date you became aware a service would not be provided. So paying in January for goods due in March gives you 120 days from March, not January. American Express and some reason codes vary, and unauthorised transactions — where you dispute making the payment at all — run on different rules. Do not test the edges: raise it as soon as you know there is a problem.

Grounds and process

Goods or services not delivered.
Item significantly not as described.
Duplicate processing — charged twice for the same transaction.
Unauthorised transaction.
Subscription cancelled but still charged.
A refund the merchant agreed but never processed.

Contact your bank by phone, app or in writing, say you want to raise a chargeback, and explain which of those applies. Provide the order confirmation, correspondence, screenshots, delivery records or evidence the merchant has ceased trading, and show that you tried the merchant first. Note reference numbers and who you spoke to. The bank generally has up to 45 days to investigate and may credit your account provisionally in the meantime.

The merchant can contest a chargeback with evidence of delivery or performance, and a convincing rebuttal can sink it — though if they simply fail to respond in time it is usually accepted automatically. Contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay transactions carry the same rights as any card payment. What chargeback will not do is get you out of a subscription you genuinely signed up to and then regretted.

If your bank refuses, ask for reasons and to see the merchant's evidence, supply anything that contradicts it, and escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months of the final response. For credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000, consider a Section 75 claim instead — a statutory right is much harder for an issuer to refuse.

Read the full guide: Chargeback ClaimsCovers eligibility, the process, deadlines, and next steps in depth.

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