How to Dispute a Charge: Get Your Money Back from Unauthorized Transactions

Sign into your bank or card issuer's website or mobile app with your usual login. Once you're in, you'll see a list of your cards and accounts. If you have more than one card, find the specific card the disputed charge was made on. Click or tap that card to open the account details. The walkthrough here shows Chase, but the layout is similar across most major card issuers like Capital One, Citi, and Bank of America.

Once you're inside the card's account view, scroll down to recent transactions or activity since last statement. This is where every charge posted to the card is listed. Look through the list carefully and find the charge you want to dispute. Check the date, merchant name, and amount so you grab the right one. If you're not sure which charge is wrong, compare the list against your receipts before going further.

Click the arrow at the end of the transaction row, or tap the transaction itself on mobile. A panel opens up showing the merchant, the sale amount, the date, and the category. Underneath those details you'll see a Dispute Transaction button. If you don't see that button right away, scroll down or look for a More Options menu. Some issuers tuck the dispute link behind a three-dot menu on the right side.

Tap or click the Dispute Transaction button. A new window opens asking what doesn't look right about this charge. This is where the dispute form starts. Take a breath before you click through. Have your evidence ready: receipts, emails confirming a refund, screenshots of the merchant's website, or the order number. The more specific you are in this form, the faster the bank can investigate and credit you back.

Select the reason that best fits your dispute. Common options include: you were charged the wrong amount, charged twice for one purchase, charged for a subscription you canceled, charged for something you never received, or charged on a card that wasn't even used. Pick the closest match. If your situation doesn't fit any option exactly, choose the nearest one and add a note. Wrong reason codes can slow the dispute down or get it denied.

Depending on the reason you picked, the form asks follow-up questions. If you were overcharged, type the amount you actually expected to be charged. If a subscription wouldn't cancel, enter the date you tried to cancel. Be honest and specific. The bank cross-checks what you enter against the merchant's records, so guessing or rounding hurts your case. Click Next when each screen is filled in.

The final screen lets you review everything before submitting. Go back and edit any page where the details look off. When everything's correct, click Submit Dispute. You'll get a confirmation screen and usually an email with a case ID. Save that case ID. You'll need it to check the status later. The bank will contact the merchant, investigate, and usually issue a temporary credit while they work through it.

To check on your dispute later, log back into your account and pick the same card. On desktop, click the three-dot menu and choose Account Services, then scroll down to Track Disputes. On mobile, scroll down on the main card screen to Account Services and tap Show More if Track Disputes isn't visible right away. Tap Track Disputes and you'll see every open and closed dispute with its current status.

Disputing at other banks. The universal pattern is the same wherever you bank: call the card-issuer phone number on the back of the card for fraud or urgent disputes, file the online dispute through the app or website for everything else, and follow up in writing (certified mail) if the online process stalls past 60 days. Capital One, Citi, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Discover, and most credit unions all use a near-identical online form. The screens have different colors and the buttons have different labels, but the seven steps above map almost one-to-one.