How long does it take for my credit or debit card dispute or fraud claim to be resolved? (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take for my credit or debit card dispute or fraud claim to be resolved? ›

The bank or credit union must then resolve the issue in 45 days, unless the disputed transactions were conducted in a foreign country, were conducted within 30 days of account opening, or were debit card point-of-sale purchases. In those cases, you may have to wait as long as 90 days for the issue to be fully resolved.

Once you've filed your dispute, the FCBA provides that the credit card issuer must acknowledge receipt of your dispute and launch an investigation within 30 days. From there, it has 90 days to either resolve the dispute with a credit to your account or provide a written explanation of why the charges stand.

EFTPOS and ATM: typically up to 30 days. Visa Debit: typically within 45 days, however timeframes may vary depending on the reason for the dispute and how the transaction was processed.

You might not always get a fair outcome when you dispute a chargeback, but you can increase your chances of winning by providing the right documents. Per our experience, if you do everything right, you can expect a 65% to 75% success rate.

Filing a false credit card dispute should never be done; it is credit card fraud and can have consequences like fines, court fees, jail time, blacklisting, and hurt your credit scores.

When the bank or card issuer receives all the required documentation, they will have between 30 and 90 days to evaluate the case, formulate a response and resolve the issue. Depending upon the nature and scope of the fraud, the bank may decide to notify law enforcement.

While many cases can be resolved quickly, some are more complex and can take up to 90 days.

If the bank sees a valid reason for the dispute, it can reverse the charge and refund the customer's money. The initial refund is usually temporary, while the bank reviews the dispute and contacts the merchant. The merchant will then have a chance to respond or provide evidence.

How Long Do Merchants Have to Respond to a Chargeback? The deadline for responding to a chargeback varies by card network, but the most common time limit is 30 days. Note that this is measured from the day the chargeback was filed, which may be several days prior to when the merchant is notified.

If the bank needs more time to investigate, they can take up to 45 days, but they must at least temporarily return the funds to the cardholder's account by the 10-day deadline. Many banks streamline this process by granting a provisional credit as soon as a dispute is filed.

Can I dispute a transaction if I got scammed? ›

Contact your bank and tell them it was an unauthorized debit or withdrawal. Ask them to reverse the transaction and give you your money back. Did you pay with a gift card? Contact the company that issued the gift card.

Disputing a credit card charge may take time. But winning a dispute is possible, especially if you're aware of the laws that protect you and you have plenty of documents that can help your case. Just remember that merchants have rights too.

If the credit card issuer determines your dispute is valid, they're required to remove the charge from the bill. But if the issuer determines the dispute is not justified, you'll have to pay the charge.

If you've transferred money to someone because of a scam

This type of scam is known as an 'authorised push payment'. Your bank or building society should reimburse you if it's registered with the Lending Standards Board under their Contingent Reimbursem*nt Model Code (CRM Code).

When a cardholder disputes a transaction, the bank initiates a chargeback and contacts the merchant providing a reason code for the dispute. The merchant then has the option to either accept the dispute and the associated losses or fight the chargeback by providing evidence that the transaction was valid.

The chargeback process lets you ask your bank to refund a payment on your debit card when a purchase has gone wrong. You should contact the seller first, as you cannot start a chargeback claim unless you have done this. Then, if you can't resolve the issue, get in touch with your bank.

Typically, bank investigators will examine transaction data for probable fraud indicators. The cardholder's involvement in a transaction can be established using time stamps, location information, IP addresses, and other elements.

When you initiate a dispute, banks review the transaction details, evaluate the evidence provided by both parties and decide whether to reverse the transaction or uphold it based on their findings. This process involves assessing the validity of the claim against the bank's policies and the rules of the card network.

If you file a dispute regarding information on your Equifax credit report, you can generally expect to receive the results of the investigation within 30 days. If the information on your credit report is found to be inaccurate or incomplete, your credit report will be updated, generally within about 30 days.