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How to dispute a debit card charge

If your debit card was charged by mistake — or even fraudulently — here’s what you can do to resolve it and get your money back.

Yahoo Personal Finance· Getty Images
5 min read

Reviewing your bank statements and keeping up with your debit card transactions may not be much fun. But if it helps you catch a fraudulent charge or error on your statement, you’ll be glad you did.

Unfortunately, disputing fraudulent or erroneous debit card charges isn’t as straightforward as disputing a credit card charge. But that doesn’t mean you can’t — or shouldn’t — when you suspect something’s wrong.

Mistaken or fraudulent charges can be alarming when you notice them but try not to panic. Instead, take the proper steps to dispute the debit card charge and document the process along the way.

Yes, you can dispute a debit card charge — though it may not be as straightforward as disputing a credit card charge.

First, debit and credit cards work differently. Swiping a credit card doesn’t directly deduct the payment from your checking account. Instead, it deducts the amount from your available credit. Swiping a debit card, on the other hand, does pull funds directly from your checking account.

Credit cards also have better fraud protection than debit cards. But debit cards come with some protection, too, assuming you act quickly. If you lose your debit card or your PIN is stolen, you have to contact your bank within two days of the loss or theft. As long as you do, your bank can’t hold you responsible for any transactions over $50. But beyond the two-day mark, you could be on the hook for up to $500 worth of unauthorized transactions.

Additionally, you have to notify your bank of any error you want to dispute within 60 days of receiving the statement that includes that transaction. If you wait longer, you may be responsible for additional charges that happen after that window.

Some debit cards come with additional fraud protection, so check your account policies to see what your card offers. These features could come in handy whether or not you end up disputing a charge.

There are several situations that may warrant disputing a debit card charge, including the following:

  • You were charged for a service you previously canceled.

  • You were charged multiple times for a single purchase.

  • You were charged the incorrect amount.

  • You paid for a product or service but never received it.

  • You bought something that was damaged or wasn’t as described.

  • You were charged for something you never purchased.

  • You returned an item but weren’t refunded for it.

If your reason for disputing a debit card charge falls outside of these scenarios, you may not have success getting the transaction resolved.

When you notice a suspicious or incorrect charge on your debit card, you can dispute it by taking the following steps:

  1. Decide whether or not you’re dealing with fraud. Double-check that you or a joint account owner didn’t make the purchase. If you suspect fraud or theft, contact the issuing bank or credit union immediately. They’ll be able to deactivate your current card and send you a new one.

  2. Contact your bank or credit union to dispute the charge. If you’re confident the transaction you’re dealing with isn’t fraudulent, you should still contact your bank right away. Let them know you want to dispute a debit card charge. Depending on where you bank, you may be able to start a dispute online, over the phone, or in writing. Regardless of how you contact your bank, make sure you keep detailed records of your communication.

  3. Identify the charge you want to dispute and follow the bank’s instructions. Make sure you have the date, description, and amount of the transaction handy. If you have a receipt from the merchant, have that on hand, too. Follow the bank’s instructions for proceeding.

  4. Follow up in writing. A follow-up letter provides documentation of when and how you disputed the transaction. Send one within 60 days of receiving the statement with the disputed charge. The letter should include your name and account number, the disputed charge amount, the date of the disputed charge, and the reason for disputing it. To streamline the process, the FTC provides a sample letter to use as a starting point. Send your letter to your bank via certified mail and ask for a return receipt.

  5. Contact the merchant. You may also want to contact the merchant of the disputed transaction to see if they can quickly resolve the problem. But if you do this before contacting your bank, you risk missing out on consumer protections that only apply for a limited time. If the merchant does resolve the dispute, check back with your bank to confirm everything looks correct in your account.

  6. If the problem persists, report it to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. You can file a complaint online or over the phone.

If you’re dealing with a fraudulent charge, your bank generally has 10 business days to investigate after you notify them. If you recently opened the account, though, they may have 20 business days. If they find an error, they have to resolve it within one business day and notify you within three.

Occasionally, it may take the bank longer to investigate the charge, especially with more complex cases. When this happens, the bank may issue a temporary credit to your account. But if they confirm they determine the disputed charge isn’t an error, they’ll end up reversing the credit.