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Understanding the Credit Card Dispute Time Limit

Reviewed by
Feb 19, 2025
 • 
10
 Min Read
Protect Your Payments

As credit card usage in the U.S. keeps increasing, so does the number of credit card disputes. In fact, Americans disputed more than $65 billion in credit card transactions in 2023 alone[1].

When you encounter a transaction you didn’t authorize, find an incorrect amount on your card statement, or receive a defective product, you have the right to dispute the charge with your credit card issuer or financial institution. However, there’s a credit card dispute time limit that you should be aware of to dispute a charge successfully.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the credit card dispute timeframe for different transactions and the steps to dispute a charge. To help you avoid the stress of filing disputes altogether, we’ll also show you how virtual cards can help you minimize the need to dispute a transaction in the first place.

Disclaimer: The information in this guide is accurate as of February 2025. For up-to-date information, please visit the official website of each listed provider or contact customer support directly.

What Is the Credit Card Dispute Time Limit?

A cropped photo of a person swiping a payment credit card through a handheld grey card reader
Source: AhmadArdity

The credit card dispute time limit is the amount of time you have to dispute a credit card charge with your issuer or financial institution. The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA)[2] sets this timeframe to protect consumers from unauthorized charges and billing errors.

Under the FCBA, you can submit a dispute in writing within 60 days from the date of the statement with the disputed charge. After receiving your dispute, the credit card issuer has 30 days to confirm they received it and investigate the charge. From there, the issuer has two billing cycles (up to 90 days) to resolve the dispute[3].

If the issuer determines the charge was wrongful, incorrect, or fraudulent, it will issue a chargeback. In the meantime, you might receive a provisional credit covering the disputed amount while the investigation is still ongoing.

If your dispute is denied, the issuer must provide a written explanation of its findings. In this case, the charge will remain on your statement, and any provisional credit you’ve received will be reversed.

Transaction Issues That Affect the Credit Card Dispute Timeframe

While the FCBA sets the 60-day timeframe as a minimum requirement for credit card issuers, some providers may offer longer timeframes for disputing credit card charges.

Among different card providers, the credit card dispute time limit may also vary depending on whether you're disputing unauthorized charges, billing errors, or product or service issues. Check out the specific issues you can base your dispute on that may determine your dispute deadline:

Type of Issue Example
Fraudulent transactions
Product or service quality issues 
  • Defective or damaged products

  • Canceled or returned items

  • Undelivered goods or services

  • Items not as described

Billing errors
  • Duplicate charges

  • Hidden fees

  • Incorrect amounts


To be able to dispute a credit card payment on the grounds of product quality issues, the charge in question must fulfill the following three conditions[4]:

  1. The transaction must be over $5.
  2. You made the purchase in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address.
  3. You’ve tried resolving the issue with the merchant first.

Credit Card Dispute Timeframe by Issuer

A cropped image of three credit cards displaying logos of major credit card issuers
Source: Republica

Because the time limit varies by provider, it's always best to check with your specific issuer for their dispute policies and procedures.

Still, to help you get an idea of the time limit range providers usually offer, we'll cover the credit card dispute timeframes for some of the major issuers below:

  1. Visa
  2. Mastercard
  3. American Express

Visa Credit Card Chargeback Time Limit

Visa credit card holders generally have up to 120 days from the transaction date to file a dispute, although there are a few instances when the Visa chargeback timeframe may be limited to 75 days. The table below outlines transactions that fall under the 120- or 75-day time limit[5]:

Time Limit Type of Issue
75 days
  • Declined authorization

  • No authorization

  • Invalid data

  • Card recovery bulletin for counterfeit, lost, or stolen credit cards

120 days
  • Fraudulent transaction

  • Wrong amount charged

  • Merchandise not received

  • Defective or damaged goods

  • Late presentment

  • Inaccurate transaction code

  • Incorrect account number

  • Billed for a recurring transaction that was already canceled

  • Wrong currency

Mastercard Chargeback Time Limit

Mastercard offers its cardholders a 120-day timeframe to dispute a charge in most cases. However, if the charge you’re disputing relates to an incorrect transaction amount, an account number not on file, or a warning bulletin file, the chargeback time limit drops to 90 days[6].

Below are the different payment disputes that have a 120-day limit:

  • Product or service not as described
  • Credit not processed
  • Billed for a canceled recurring transaction, like a subscription
  • Credit posted as purchase
  • Questionable merchant activity
  • ATM disputes
  • Liability shift for PIN or chip transaction
  • No cardholder authorization

American Express Chargeback Time Limit

American Express cardholders have 120 days from the transaction date to dispute a charge, though this period can be extended in the following cases[7]:

  1. Goods or services not received
  2. Goods or services canceled or returned
  3. Redisputes

No matter the nature of your dispute, the company limits members to only two disputes per charge in most cases[7].

What Is the 540-Day Rule for Chargebacks?

The 540-day chargeback rule refers to the maximum time limit for initiating a dispute with your credit card issuer for undelivered goods. Under this rule, a payment dispute time limit shouldn't exceed 540 days from the transaction date.

Remember that this rule doesn’t always apply—it’s valid only in situations that meet the criteria. For example, if you paid for a couch to be delivered in six months but the merchant never shipped it on the expected delivery date, you may have up to 540 days from the date of purchase to dispute the charge, depending on your card issuer’s or card network’s policies.

How Do Credit Card Disputes Work?

A close-up photo of a person holding a black smartphone and an orange payment card in their hands
Source: Anete Lusina

When you spot a valid reason to dispute a charge, the first step in the dispute process is to contact the merchant. It's the quickest and easiest way to resolve the issue—the merchant may issue a refund, exchange the item, or correct the billing error without involving your credit card company.

If you're unable to resolve the issue with the merchant, you can reach out to your credit card issuer either by phone or through their online dispute portal. You’ll need to attach supporting documentation such as receipts, emails, or photos to strengthen your claim. The issuer will then initiate an investigation and may issue a provisional credit during the process. 

Once the investigation is complete, the issuer will notify you of their findings and either resolve the dispute in your favor or reject it. If you disagree with the outcome, you can appeal the decision with your issuer within the appropriate timeframe, which you can also find by browsing their website or contacting customer support.

How To Protect Yourself Against Unauthorized Payments and Avoid Disputes

Most credit card issuers make the dispute process convenient to protect customers against fraud and sneaky merchants. However, initiating a dispute can be challenging due to several reasons:

  • A strict timeframe to file a dispute
  • Unclear filing procedures that differ from one issuer to the next
  • The need for gathering evidence and documentation to support your claim
  • Lengthy investigation processes that can take weeks or months to complete
  • No guarantee of a favorable outcome

Fortunately, you can avoid some of the reasons for filing a dispute in the first place by paying with virtual cards every time you shop online. Virtual cards substitute your real payment card data with randomly generated numbers, adding a protective layer to your online transactions. 

If you opt for an independent virtual card provider like Privacy, you can enjoy robust security and advanced card controls that let you pause, cancel, or set a spending limit for each virtual card. Setting spending limits on cards may help prevent common dispute reasons such as duplicate billings and hidden fees.

Privacy Cards—Your Safest Bet Against Disputes

After connecting your debit card or bank account to Privacy, you can request and generate multiple virtual cards for single use or recurring payments. While these cards are linked to your actual bank account, they have a unique card number, expiration date, and security code, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized charges and billing errors that may lead to payment disputes.

Privacy offers three card types, each with a different level of protection against potential misuse leading to disputes:

Type of Privacy Card Single-Use Merchant-Locked Category-Locked
How It Works It closes automatically moments after completing the first transaction. It “locks” to the first merchant you transact with and declines charge attempts from other vendors. It “ties” to a specific merchant category rather than a single vendor. Merchants outside the category can’t charge the card.
What It’s Best For Shopping with unfamiliar merchants and those whose security measures you haven’t verified yet. Your go-to merchants and subscription services. Controlling spending through specified categories, such as groceries, retail, or education.


You can set a spending limit and pause or close your virtual cards without affecting the linked funding source. 

The spending limit feature protects you against billing errors—overcharges, duplicate payments, and hidden fees—as Privacy will decline all transactions above your preset limit. Privacy will also block all future transactions on a paused or closed card, limiting the risk of accidental charges—like those that sneaky merchants may impose while you’re in the process of stopping a subscription

How To Dispute a Charge on Privacy

If you don’t take advantage of Privacy’s detailed card controls and still want to dispute a transaction, Privacy makes it easy to complete the dispute process directly from the platform.

After submitting your dispute, Privacy’s fraud protection team will investigate the claim and, if there are grounds for it, initiate a chargeback on your behalf.

A bird’s eye view photo of a person typing on their computer with a blue card reader placed atop the keyboard
Source: REINER SCT

Convenience Beyond Robust Security

Privacy offers additional convenience features designed to make your online transactions more seamless. For example, the Privacy Browser Extension, which is available for all major browsers (including Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari or Safari for iOS), auto-populates your virtual card details at checkout, facilitating faster and more secure payments. 

You can also install the Privacy App on your Android or iOS device to create, manage, and monitor your virtual card usage on the go. After setting transaction alerts, the mobile app will send instant push notifications to help you detect potential suspicious activity every time your Privacy cards are charged or declined. 

Other convenience features you can enjoy include:

  • 1Password integration—Privacy’s seamless integration with 1Password enables you to manage your passwords and payment information from a centralized location.
  • Card Notes—Privacy lets you attach helpful notes to each virtual card for easy tracking and organization. For example, you can label a card "Subscription Services" to quickly identify its purpose.
  • Shared Card—This feature lets you securely share your virtual card details with trusted friends and family members. It makes sharing your budget easier while keeping you in control of the card. For example, you can label a card with the day you’re expecting the next payment to go through.

How To Get Your Privacy Cards

To join Privacy and secure your online transactions with virtual cards, complete these four steps:

  1. Create an account
  2. Provide the required KYC information to verify your identity
  3. Connect a funding source—your bank account or debit card
  4. Request and generate your first Privacy Card

Privacy offers four plans to cater to different budgets and user needs:

Plan Price Number of New Virtual Cards per Month Features & Benefits
Personal Free for domestic purchases 12 
  • Single-Use & Merchant-Locked Cards

  • Access to the Privacy Browser Extension and Privacy App

  • All card controls

Plus
$5/month 24
  • Everything in Personal

  • Category-Locked Cards

  • Shared Cards

  • Priority support and Live Chat (Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET)

  • Card Notes

Pro $10/month 36
  • Everything in Plus

  • Fee-free foreign transaction fees

  • 1% cashback on eligible purchases (totaling up to $4,500 per month)

Premium $25/month 48
  • Everything in Pro


Privacy cards are accepted by most vendors that process U.S. Visa® or Mastercard® payments, including subscription services such as Shopify, Twitch, and Tinder Gold.

References

[1]Chargebacks 911. https://chargebacks911.com/the-2024-cardholder-dispute-index-is-here/, sourced January 7, 2025
[2]FTC. https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/fair-credit-billing-act, sourced February 23, 2025
[3]FTC. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/using-credit-cards-and-disputing-charges#additional, sourced January 7, 2025
[4]FTC. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/using-credit-cards-and-disputing-charges#complaints, sourced January 7, 2025
[5]Visa, https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/visa-rules-public.pdf, sourced January 7, 2025
[6]Mastercard. https://www.mastercard.us/content/dam/public/mastercardcom/na/global-site/documents/chargeback-guide.pdf, sourced January 7, 2025
[7]AmericanExpress. https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/us/merchant/pdf/manage-disputes/Amex_Policy_Updates_Factsheet.pdf, sourced January 7, 2025
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