N
The Daily Insight Hub

Are you liable if someone uses your credit card?

Author

Sarah Martinez

Updated on February 01, 2026

In the event that your credit card is stolen in the United States, federal law limits the liability of cardholders to $50, regardless of the amount charged on the card by the unauthorized user. Remove unauthorized charges from your credit card account. Close down your account to prevent future fraudulent charges.

Can you block a company from charging your debit card?

Even if you have not revoked your authorization with the company, you can stop an automatic payment from being charged to your account by giving your bank a “stop payment order” . This instructs your bank to stop allowing the company to take payments from your account. Click here for a sample “stop payment order.”

How long do you have to reverse a payment?

In this case, the banks will reverse the amount to the credit card and will not pay it to the merchant. You have to place chargeback requests within a period of 180 days, starting from the date of purchase.

Who is responsible for stolen credit card charges?

The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) is the federal law that defines your rights when your credit card is stolen. Under the FCBA, you won’t be held liable for any charges if you report the theft before any fraudulent charges are made on your account.

What happens if you report a lost or stolen credit card?

updated JUL 11, 2017. If you report a lost or stolen credit card before it is used, the card company cannot hold you responsible for any unauthorized charges. If there is unauthorized use of your card before you report it missing, the most you will owe for unauthorized charges on the card is $50.

How much money can be stolen from a credit card?

In the U.S., millions of credit card numbers are stolen each year accounting for billions of dollars in illegal purchases. Regulations state that an individual is limited to just $50 in the event of credit card fraud, but the theft must be reported and the correct steps undertaken.

What to do if someone makes a fraudulent charge on your credit card?

If you discover someone has made unauthorized charges on your credit card account, you should: Immediately contact the credit card company. Many have zero-liability policies, meaning you won’t be responsible for any fraudulent charges made on your accounts. What’s more, federal law limits your liability for fraudulent credit card charges.