To challenge your credit card bill, whether you’ve been hit with double billing, overcharge, or credit card fraud. Your rights Under the Fair Credit Claims Act. And while it should be pretty simple, the process will vary widely depending on your credit card, card issuer, merchant and your situation.
If you need to challenge your claim, here are some tips to resolve situations where it doesn’t go exactly as planned, along with how to report issues, follow through, and remove incorrect items from your invoice.
How much do I have to object to my credit card fee?
You have 60 days since a dispute claim appears within you Monthly Statement I object to that. Therefore, challenge the claim as soon as you discover it.
IRA Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Associations, suggests that you set a day a week to look into your financial records. This will allow you to take action if you see unrecognized fees.
Andrew Milz, a consumer protection lawyer for Flitter Milz PC in Philadelphia, encourages quick response to fraud alerts sent by card issuers. Additionally, if you challenge a claim based on the issuer’s own alert, the case will be removed from the invoice.
How to challenge credit card fees
It is important to adhere to standard processes and challenge fees. Otherwise, your claim could be completely delayed or rejected. The Fair Credit Claims Act provides for “steps that must be followed.” “Any deviation is a fatal flaw in your claim, and it could be dismissed,” he adds. “I’ve seen it happen.”
Let’s take a look at the steps you need to take to challenge your credit card fees.
Check the price
Please check the transaction details for your account before charging with your credit card company. If you find the fees to be inaccurate, consider why you are objecting to the claim. Have you refused a refund after purchasing a defective product? Has the merchant double-charged you? Or do you see accusations you’ve never made before, even in the merchants you’ve never visited, or even in the cities and states where you weren’t there? Details of your situation will determine how you move forward.
Please contact the merchant
For example, if you have a charging error, contact the merchant involved and see if the issue can be resolved before involving the credit card issuer.
If you decide to go this route, please document the date you contact the merchant, who you are talking to and the response to the issue. The bank may request this information later. If you reach out to the merchant involved, it ends in a deadlock. Please call your credit card company.
Please contact the publisher
It’s not just charging errors that consumers can challenge. You are unsatisfied service or Fraudulent claims. Regardless of the nature of the conflict, if you discover a problem that cannot be resolved at the end of things, call your credit card company immediately. Report a dispute claimand find what the issuer needs to remove the item from the invoice.
Your rights when sue
Many card issuers have a place within the website or app where they can challenge their fees. But you might want to think more about using it, says Kroub.
Reason: That may mean that you sign a part of your right to dispute. This is because some publishers are included Arbitration clause Other binding languages for fine printing of your site or app.
And you may already agree to some form of arbitration by simply using the card, but “Why solidify their defenses?” Cruve says.
His advice: Follow up in writing after reporting your dispute claim over the phone – either by return receipt or email.
When you call, he says you are in a conflict. “Most large credit cards companies have procedures. In many cases, the phone is not enough. I would like to follow you with a letter. Letters maintain your rights under the Fair Credit Claims Act.”
Examples for dissenting credit card fees
When preparing your letter, be sure to include the following important information about the conflict:
- your name
- Account number
- Date of conflict crime
- The amount of fee you are fighting for
- Explaining why you are dissenting the charges
Here’s a simple example of what a credit card bill might look like:
May 1, 2025
attn: billing inquiry
Notification of dispute claim to Re: #123456789
to whom it may concern:
I wrote on April 1, 2025 to Chase Freedom Unlimited to challenge the $100 fee. This price is for items purchased from Walmart on April 1, 2025 and returned on April 5, 2025.
I am requesting that I fix the billing error and credit it to my account. Additionally, please send us an accurate statement reflecting these changes.
Find a copy of the receipt for the purchased items and a copy of the returned receipt enclosed. Thank you for paying attention to this issue promptly.
From the heart,
John Doe
Next Step: Follow up on Credit Card Disputes
Just because you contacted a merchant or publisher and sent a letter doesn’t mean you’re done. Keep a copy of your letter, your documents and evidence that it was sent.
According to Kroub, it’s also important to follow up with the company, receive the letter and find out what actions they are taking. It is also important to keep logs with detailed notes whenever you contact your company. Get the time, date, employee name, and company ID number. Write down a short summary of what you’re told.
If you end up in court, “The more you can demonstrate that you are hardworking, the better you will be,” says Kurb.
What will happen next
In accordance with the terms stated in the Fair Credit Claims Act, the company has a month to acknowledge your dispute and two more months (or a billing cycle) to investigate.
Once the company completes its investigation, it must be notified in writing of its decision. And if the company chooses not to remove the claim, it must give you an explanation of why it made that decision, says Milz.
If the company decides not to remove fees from the invoice, it will take 10 days to respond, says Milz. And you might want to talk to a consumer protection lawyer, he adds.
Look for someone who is proficient in the Fair Credit Request Act and regularly appears on behalf of federal court consumers. You can find a list of Consumer Lawyer In your state through the National Association of Consumer Advocates. And because many consumer protection laws are fee-changing laws, he says, representatives are often free.
Another consideration: Depending on the arbitration agreement in a credit card agreement, Reingold said, it may not be able to sue.
The FTC implements a Fair Credit Claims Act, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is investigating companies accused of hurting consumers financially. So, if you’re not tracting against the fees, it could be helpful to file a complaint with both, says Kurb. “The more you can put this on someone else’s radar, the more successful you will be.”
Whether to pay
So, do you have to pay the bill while it is disputed? Technically, no, says Milz.
If you officially challenge a claim, the Fair Credit Request Act gives you the right to withhold payment of that one item until the card issuer’s investigation is complete. And the issuer is not permitted to send you into a collection, sue you, or report your lawsuit against the items in dispute to the Credit Bureau as late or missed payments, he says.
But in practice, it’s wise to pay the bill and accept the account credit later, says Milz. This is because if your account is reported to the Credit Bureau, correcting that record can be much more difficult than correcting a card billing error.
Also, spending a lot of money on the decline in your credit score will increase your car and home interest rate. If there is an error in your credit report, you I’m fighting with the trust bureau And talk to a consumer attorney, Mills says.
Conclusion
Whether you are dealing with credit card fraud or dealing with incorrect or unnecessary charges from merchants, challenging false charges is an important tool for consumers. However, this process can take a lot of time and may not be resolved in your favor. Still, it’s important to pay attention to your credit card statements and follow up on what appears to be odd or wrong. In the case of fraud, you should report your claim as soon as possible and make sure your account is secure.
