How to dispute a subscription charge with your bank or card issuer

A card dispute is for the moment the normal route has failed: you cancelled, you were charged anyway, you asked the company to put it right, and nothing happened. This guide covers that step — how to raise the dispute with your bank or card issuer, the deadline that protects you, what evidence to send, and what to expect while it is investigated. The rules below are the US ones for credit cards; debit cards, other countries and PayPal work differently, and each is noted where it matters.

When a dispute is the right step

A dispute fits a subscription charge when one of these is true:

• You cancelled before the charge and can show it, but the merchant still billed you and won't refund.
• The merchant doesn't respond to a clear, documented refund request.
• You never agreed to the charge — you don't recognise the merchant at all, and it isn't a forgotten sign-up, a family member's purchase or a renamed service. That is potential fraud: call your card issuer straight away rather than waiting on the merchant.

A dispute is the wrong tool for a subscription you agreed to, used, and simply forgot to cancel. The merchant can usually show the sign-up and the active account, and the dispute is likely to be decided in its favour. Ask the merchant for a goodwill refund instead, and cancel so it doesn't happen again.

The credit card deadline: 60 days, in writing

For a US credit card, the CFPB's guidance is to call the card company about the problem, and then to send a written billing-error notice so that you keep your legal protections.¹ The FTC puts the deadline this way: the written dispute must reach the issuer within 60 days of when the first statement with the charge was sent to you.³ A phone call or an in-app button may start the process, but check whether your issuer treats it as the written notice; if in doubt, send a letter or secure message too and keep a copy.

Count from the first statement where the charge appeared, not from the day you noticed it. If the same subscription has billed you for several months, each charge sits on its own statement, so the oldest ones may already be past the window.

What to put in the dispute

Keep it short and factual. Include:

1. Your name, address and card account number.
2. The charge — date, amount, and the merchant name exactly as it appears on the statement.
3. Why it is wrong, in one or two sentences: for example, “I cancelled this subscription on 3 March and was charged on 15 March.”
4. Your evidence: the cancellation confirmation email or screenshot, and your messages asking the merchant for a refund, with their reply or the date you got no reply.

The FTC publishes a sample dispute letter for credit and debit card charges that you can adapt.³ Keep copies of everything you send and a note of every call — date, time and who you spoke to.

What happens after you file

For a US credit card dispute, the CFPB says the card company has 30 days to confirm in writing that it received your billing dispute, unless it resolves it sooner.¹ Some issuers credit the amount back temporarily while they look into it; that is the issuer's choice, and the credit can be reversed if the decision goes against you. If you had already paid the charge, the CFPB notes that you probably won't get the money back until the issuer decides you were right.¹

The issuer usually asks the merchant for its side. If the merchant shows that the subscription was active and you agreed to the terms, and you can't show a cancellation, the charge is likely to stand. Ask the issuer for its decision in writing either way, and keep it with your records.

Debit cards, PayPal and other countries

• Debit cards. The FTC notes that the legal protections for credit cards are stronger than for debit cards, though some debit card companies voluntarily offer more, and with a debit card the money has already left your account. Report the problem to your bank as soon as you see it and ask what its dispute process and deadlines are.³
• PayPal. If you paid through PayPal, you can open a dispute with the seller in PayPal. PayPal says a dispute closes after 20 days unless you escalate it to a claim, and a closed dispute can't be reopened.⁴
• Outside the US. Card issuers in other countries have their own dispute processes and time limits. Ask your bank, and act quickly either way.

A dispute doesn't cancel anything

Disputing one charge does not end the subscription. The merchant can keep billing you next month, and a dispute won't cover a charge you haven't had yet. Cancel at the source as well — with the company, or through Apple or Google Play if they bill you⁵⁶ — and check that it has stopped renewing; see how to stop a subscription from auto-renewing. Keep the confirmation: it is your best evidence if you ever need to dispute again.

Make the next dispute unnecessary

Most subscription disputes start with a cancellation nobody can prove or a renewal nobody saw coming. Keep a record of each subscription you pay for, the date it renews, and the date you cancelled it. ManageSubs lets you add your subscriptions yourself, reminds you before the renewal dates you record, and lets you mark a subscription as cancelled with the date, without connecting your bank. It doesn't cancel anything for you or see your card statements, so keep the merchant's confirmation email as well.