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The Daily Insight Hub

Can I dispute a credit card charge that I willingly paid for?

Author

Emma Miller

Updated on February 18, 2026

Disputing a credit card charge. Consumers can dispute fraudulent charges on their bill by calling their issuer. You also have the right to dispute a credit card charge for a purchase you willingly made. This can be done for a number of reasons, including services not rendered or dissatisfaction with services rendered.

What happens when a credit card company disputes a charge?

Disputing a charge does not have an impact on your credit. You must keep paying your credit card bill like normal during the dispute process. As mentioned previously, card issuers usually remove disputed charges from the bill until the dispute is resolved, but you’re still responsible for paying the rest of the bill.

Does disputing charges hurt your credit score?

No. The act of disputing items on your credit report does not hurt your score. However, the outcome of the dispute could cause your score to adjust. If the “negative” item is verified to be correct, for example, your score might take a dip.

Is disputing a transaction easy?

Disputing a charge is not difficult, but there are steps to take before contacting your credit card issuer, including making sure the charge is inaccurate and reaching out to the merchant to correct it. The Fair Credit Billing Act, or FCBA, offers protections to consumers against billing errors.

What should I know about a credit card dispute?

The law for consumer rights with credit card disputes, known as the Fair Credit Billing Act, states that consumers must make a good-faith effort to handle purchase problems with the merchant before filing a dispute. Your credit card company will likely remove the charge from your statement during the dispute process.

When are customers entitled to dispute a charge?

Credit Card Disputes – When Are Customers Entitled to Dispute a Charge? A credit card dispute, more commonly known as a credit card chargeback, occurs after your customer, identifying a transaction they believe is not valid, disputes the transaction to the issuing bank. The bank files that dispute on the cardholder’s behalf, overturning the sale.

Can a merchant dispute a credit card chargeback?

Merchants can dispute a chargeback, but they might not prevail, especially if they can’t prove the charge was valid. It’s easy to think your dispute is legally valid when it isn’t.

What should I do if a merchant refuses to pay my credit card bill?

And if a merchant is unwilling to resolve your problem, you have another option: asking your credit card company to reverse your payment, known as a chargeback. The federal Fair Credit Billing Act gives you the right to dispute a charge under certain circumstances, and many issuers make the process much easier than the law requires.