Cancellations
How do I dispute a credit card charge after I cancelled?
Updated · By the Certified Letter Online team
Send your credit card issuer a written billing-error notice at the billing-inquiry address on your statement, so that it is received within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge was sent. Include your name, account number, the charge, its date and amount, and why it's wrong (for example, that you cancelled on a date shown by your return receipt). Under the Fair Credit Billing Act rules, the issuer must acknowledge within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles and no more than 90 days.
Many issuers also take disputes online or by phone, but the written notice to the billing-error address is what triggers the federal billing-error protections.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form | Written notice |
| Where | The billing-error address the issuer discloses (often different from the payment address) |
| When | Received within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent |
| Contents | Name, account number, belief there's an error, the reason, type, date and amount |
| Issuer acknowledgment | Within 30 days of receiving your notice (unless resolved sooner) |
| Issuer resolution | Within two complete billing cycles, max 90 days |
Build the dispute packet
- Your billing-error dispute letter.
- A copy of your cancellation letter and its certified receipt and return receipt.
- The statement page with the charge highlighted.
- Any messages from the merchant refusing to refund.
Debit cards are different
The 60-day billing-error rule above is for credit cards. For debit card or bank account debits, use your bank's error-resolution process and, for recurring debits, revoke the authorization.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, a legal aid office or a licensed attorney in your state can tell you what applies.
Quick answers
Why use certified mail for a billing dispute?
Because the 60-day rule counts when the issuer receives your notice. A return receipt proves the delivery date.
Can I send the dispute to the payment address?
Use the billing-error or billing-inquiry address on your statement. Payments addresses are often processing centers that don't handle disputes.
Do I have to pay the disputed amount while it's investigated?
Under the billing-error rules you don't have to pay the disputed amount (and related charges) while the issuer investigates, but you must pay the rest of your bill.
What to do next
Fill in the billing-error letter, attach your cancellation proof as extra pages, and we'll mail it Certified with return receipt for $17.99.
Send my billing disputeSources
Checked: . General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change: confirm current values at the official links above.