Chargeback timeline
Paid by card and the order went wrong? Enter your dates to see when your dispute window closes, when to have filed by, and how long you can give the shop first.
General information, not legal advice. The windows below are commonly published values, not guarantees. Card issuers, card schemes and laws set the real limits and they change, so check the current rules with your card issuer.
98 days leftWindow ends Friday 5 February 2027
- Thursday 1 October 2026 (29 days ago)You paid
- Thursday 8 October 2026 (22 days ago)Expected delivery
- Friday 30 October 2026Today: ask the shop in writing to put it right
- Friday 13 November 2026 (in 14 days)Shop's 14-day chance to reply ends
- Tuesday 26 January 2027 (in 88 days)Aim to have filed by now (10 days to spare)
- Friday 5 February 2027 (in 98 days)Last day of the 120-day window
- Card schemes set these windows and your card issuer applies them; ask the issuer for the exact deadline in your case.
The windows, and where they come from
Card chargebacks are card-scheme rules that your card issuer applies; they are not law. A window of 120 days is the figure most often published, counted from the purchase or from when you expected the goods. For example, a Financial Ombudsman Service decision records a bank explaining that under the scheme rules a claim had to be made within 120 days. Your issuer may count differently, which is why the number is editable.
US credit card billing errors: under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your written notice must reach the card company within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the error.
UK Section 75: for a single item priced over £100 and up to £30,000 bought on a UK credit card, the card provider is jointly responsible with the seller. It has no short window like a chargeback, so the tool checks the price range instead.
Whatever the route, ask the shop in writing first, but do not let its replies run you past your aim-by date.
Sources
- Financial Ombudsman Service, decision DRN-5370159: a bank's explanation that under the chargeback scheme rules a claim had to be made within 120 days.
- 15 U.S.C. § 1666 (Fair Credit Billing Act, correction of billing errors) and the CFPB's How do I dispute a charge on my credit card bill?
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75 and Citizens Advice, Getting your money back if you paid by card or PayPal.
Questions
Does a debit card have the same chargeback window?
Card schemes apply chargebacks to both credit and debit cards, but your issuer sets its own process. Ask it for the exact deadline.
What does "days to spare" mean?
It moves your aim-by date earlier than the real deadline, so a slow reply or a weekend does not make you miss it.
The window has passed. Is it hopeless?
Not always. Ask your card issuer anyway, and for UK credit card purchases look at Section 75.