Chargeback UK 2026 — How to Claim, Reason Codes & Deadlines
Chargeback is the card-scheme route to reversing a payment to a fraudulent or non-delivering merchant. It applies to both credit and debit cards, has a strict 120-day deadline from transaction (in most cases), and uses scheme-specific reason codes that determine whether you win. Here’s how it works, what evidence wins, and how to escalate when the bank refuses.
Last reviewed: 13 May 2026 · ScamSupport research
Chargeback vs Section 75 — the rule that decides which to use
The single most important thing to understand: chargeback and Section 75 are different schemes with different rules. Chargeback is a card-scheme rulebook (operated by Visa, Mastercard, Amex). Section 75 is UK statute (Consumer Credit Act 1974) and applies only to credit cards on transactions between £100 and £30,000. If you paid by credit card and the value is in that band, you generally have both rights and should use whichever is most likely to succeed. If you paid by debit card, you only have chargeback. If you paid by bank transfer, you have neither — see the PSR scheme instead.
The 120-day clock starts immediately
Visa and Mastercard scheme rules give you 120 days from the original transaction date (or, for non-delivery cases, 120 days from the expected delivery date, up to a 540-day absolute outer limit) to initiate a chargeback. Amex and other schemes have similar but not identical windows. The clock does not pause while you negotiate with the merchant. The single most common reason chargebacks fail is that the consumer spent too long trying to resolve directly and missed the deadline.
If you suspect the transaction was fraudulent or non-delivery: open the chargeback now. You can always close it later if the merchant resolves the issue. You cannot reopen it after the deadline.
The reason codes that matter
Banks file chargebacks under scheme-specific reason codes. Picking the right code is critical — the wrong code can torpedo an otherwise winnable case.
Visa — the core fraud and non-receipt codes
10.4 / 10.5 Fraud — card-absent environment: someone used your card details without authorisation (e.g. phishing, account takeover, data breach). Most online-fraud cases.
13.1 Merchandise / services not received: you paid but never received the goods or service. Most non-delivery scams.
13.3 Not as described or defective merchandise: you received something, but it’s materially different from what was promised. Lower-evidence-bar version of fraud cases.
13.5 Misrepresentation: the merchant deceived you about what you were buying (e.g. fake investment platform, sham service).
13.7 Cancelled merchandise / services: you cancelled the subscription or service but the merchant kept charging.
Mastercard — the core fraud and non-receipt codes
4837 No cardholder authorisation: unauthorised card use. The equivalent of Visa 10.4 / 10.5.
4855 Goods or services not provided: equivalent of Visa 13.1.
4853 Cardholder dispute — not as described: equivalent of Visa 13.3 / 13.5. Covers misrepresentation cases.
4540 Late or non-receipt of goods: backstop for delivery failures.
4863 Cardholder does not recognise — potential fraud: when the transaction is so out of character it’s flagged automatically.
Amex — commonly used codes
F24 / F29 No cardmember authorisation: Amex’s fraud codes.
C08 Goods/services not received: non-delivery.
C31 Goods/services not as described: misrepresentation.
C32 Damaged or defective merchandise: defective goods.
You don’t need to know the exact code when you call your bank — they’ll classify it. But knowing which category your case falls into lets you frame the call correctly and pushes back if the bank tries to file under a weaker code.
What evidence wins a chargeback
The strongest chargeback claims are built on a documented trail. For each case type, prioritise:
The transaction record: bank statement entry, card statement, the merchant’s receipt or confirmation email.
All communications with the merchant: order confirmation, delivery confirmation (or non-delivery), customer-service correspondence, cancellation requests. Save the originals; export to PDF if email.
The merchant’s representation: marketing copy, product listing, screenshots of what was promised at the moment of purchase. Web archives via Wayback Machine can rescue this if the merchant has since changed the listing.
Evidence the goods weren’t received OR were not as described: courier tracking showing failed delivery, photographs of damaged or wrong items, expert valuation if relevant.
Your attempts to resolve directly: dates of contact, the merchant’s replies or non-replies, any refunds promised but not received. Banks ask “did you give the merchant a chance to resolve” — the answer needs to be a documented yes.
Police / Report Fraud report reference: if fraud is suspected, file the report and quote the crime reference number. Strengthens your case.
For non-delivery scams: the merchant’s website if it’s now disappeared (screenshot the takedown / 404), or evidence the “business” was a shell (Companies House search showing no active registration, no contact address, etc.).
Use the Chargeback & Section 75 Generator
Use our Chargeback & Section 75 Generator → to produce a structured claim letter that frames the case under the right scheme rules and reason codes. The wizard runs entirely in your browser; nothing leaves your device. It asks for the transaction details, the merchant’s conduct, and the evidence you hold, then produces a letter you can paste into the bank’s dispute form or email to their fraud team.
How the chargeback process actually runs
You file the dispute with your card issuer — by phone, in-app, or via online dispute form. Provide a clear short statement plus evidence.
The issuer raises the chargeback with the card scheme (Visa / Mastercard / Amex). Funds are typically credited to your account provisionally (a “temporary credit” or “pending refund”) within a few working days.
The merchant’s acquiring bank is notified and has a window (typically 30-45 days) to either accept the chargeback or contest it with rebuttal evidence.
If contested, the case goes to representment: the merchant provides evidence, your bank responds. The card scheme’s rules then determine the outcome.
If you lose representment, you can request a second chargeback (“pre-arbitration”) with stronger evidence. Each scheme has slightly different rules but the second-round dispute is meaningful and frequently flips losing cases.
Arbitration is the final scheme-level step — rarely used because of the cost, but available for high-value disputes.
If the bank refuses to raise the chargeback at all, or refuses to escalate after losing: that’s when you go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
What banks try to push back on (and how to respond)
“You authorised the transaction so it’s your problem.”
This conflates two different concepts. Authorising payment to a merchant doesn’t waive your scheme-rule rights when the merchant fails to deliver, defrauds you, or misrepresents the product. Chargeback exists precisely because card payments create those scheme-level protections. Push back: cite the specific reason code that applies (e.g. Visa 13.1 non-receipt or Mastercard 4855) and ask for written reasons for refusal.
“You bought it knowing what you were getting.”
This is the merchant’s strongest defence at representment but it’s also frequently defeated by showing what the merchant’s marketing actually promised vs what was delivered. Wayback Machine evidence of the listing at purchase time is decisive here.
“You waited too long.”
For non-delivery cases the 120-day clock can start from the expected delivery date, not the transaction date, so “too long” arguments often fail. If the merchant promised delivery within 60 days, the 120-day clock starts at day 60. Provide the promise-date evidence.
“The merchant has already offered a partial refund / store credit.”
You don’t have to accept a partial refund or store credit instead of a full chargeback. If the scheme rules entitle you to a full reversal, push for the full amount.
“Chargeback can’t be raised for service / digital goods.”
It can. Both Visa and Mastercard rules cover services and digital goods. The bank may be unwilling to file under their misrepresentation codes — that’s a bank-side issue, not a scheme-rule issue. Push back and escalate.
You paid by cash, cryptocurrency, or gift card: no scheme protection. Recovery is extremely limited.
The merchant has gone out of business and there’s no acquirer to chargeback against: scheme rules typically still allow this; the issuer simply absorbs the loss. Don’t accept a refusal on these grounds — the bank is wrong.
The transaction is older than 120 days from the trigger event: scheme rules block the chargeback. In some misrepresentation cases (especially long-running subscriptions) you can still file a Section 75 claim if you paid by credit card.
You knowingly bought a high-risk speculative product (e.g. unregulated crypto investment) and the loss is purely market-driven, not fraudulent: schemes don’t cover investment losses, only fraud / non-delivery / misrepresentation.
If the bank refuses your chargeback
Get the refusal in writing. Banks are required to provide a final response letter explaining their reasoning under the specific scheme code they relied on.
Escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Free for consumers, binding on banks. FOS regularly orders chargebacks the bank refused. See our FOS complaint guide.
Pair with Section 75 if eligible. If your purchase was on a credit card between £100 and £30,000, you have parallel Section 75 rights even if chargeback fails. See our Section 75 claim guide.
Consider FOS even before bank’s 8 weeks. If you have a final response letter, you can file with FOS immediately. You don’t have to wait the full 8-week complaint window.
Keep all correspondence. The FOS evidence package is largely a chronological dump of bank emails, your reply emails, and screenshots of the merchant’s conduct.
What you can recover
The original transaction amount, returned via the chargeback.
Refund of associated charges on the card (interest accrued, late-payment fees) if your case wins at FOS.
8% interest on the lost funds if FOS orders the bank to compensate for delay.
Distress and inconvenience compensation: typically £100–£1,500 in FOS awards depending on bank conduct.
Currency conversion losses on international transactions if relevant.
Common scenarios
Fake online shop took my card details — never delivered anything
This is the textbook non-delivery case. Visa 13.1 / Mastercard 4855. File chargeback immediately. Evidence: order confirmation, the website (screenshot now in case it goes offline), failed delivery promises, Report Fraud report reference. High success rate.
Investment platform took my deposit, blocked withdrawals
This is misrepresentation (Visa 13.5 / Mastercard 4853) or fraud (Visa 10.4 / Mastercard 4837) depending on framing. Banks sometimes resist these because they classify them as “investment loss” rather than “merchant misconduct”. Push back: the deposit wasn’t a market investment, it was a payment to a fraudulent platform that never had any intention of allowing withdrawals. Cross-reference our Investment Pitch Analyser output if you have it.
Subscription kept charging after I cancelled
Visa 13.7 cancelled-services code. Evidence: your cancellation request (email, in-app screenshot, recorded call), the merchant’s acknowledgement (or non-acknowledgement), subsequent charges. Generally straightforward to win.
Hotel / flight / event cancelled, merchant refuses refund
Non-delivery (Visa 13.1) or service-not-provided (Mastercard 4855). Often comes up after a merchant insolvency. Strong scheme protection here.
Card details used without my knowledge after a data breach or phishing
Card-absent fraud (Visa 10.4 / Mastercard 4837). Banks usually process these straightforwardly. If they refuse, push back: PSD2 rules require strong customer authentication; if SCA wasn’t applied to the transaction, the bank generally bears the loss.
Frequently asked questions
What is a chargeback in the UK?
Chargeback is a card-scheme route to reversing a payment to a fraudulent or non-delivering merchant. It applies to both credit and debit cards, operates under Visa, Mastercard, and Amex scheme rules, and has a strict 120-day deadline from the transaction date (or expected delivery date for non-delivery cases) up to a 540-day outer limit.
How long do I have to file a chargeback in the UK?
120 days from the original transaction date for most cases. For non-delivery, the 120 days starts from the expected delivery date, not the transaction date. The clock does not pause while you negotiate with the merchant — the single most common reason chargebacks fail is missing the deadline. If you suspect fraud or non-delivery, open the chargeback now and close it later if resolved.
What are the main UK chargeback reason codes?
For fraud: Visa 10.4/10.5 or Mastercard 4837 (card-absent fraud). For non-delivery: Visa 13.1 or Mastercard 4855. For misrepresentation or not-as-described: Visa 13.3/13.5 or Mastercard 4853. For cancelled subscriptions: Visa 13.7. Amex equivalents: F24/F29 (fraud), C08 (non-receipt), C31 (not as described).
Can I file a chargeback on a UK debit card?
Yes. Both Visa and Mastercard debit cards support chargeback through the same scheme rules as credit cards. The main difference is that debit-card transactions don't have parallel Section 75 protection (which only applies to credit cards), so chargeback is your only card-scheme route on debit.
What evidence wins a UK chargeback?
Transaction records, all merchant communications (order confirmation, customer-service correspondence), the merchant's marketing or listing (Wayback Machine if removed), evidence of non-delivery or misdescription (photos, expert reports), documented attempts to resolve directly with the merchant, and the Report Fraud crime reference if fraud is suspected. Banks ask whether you gave the merchant a chance to resolve — the answer needs to be a documented yes.
What if my bank refuses to file a chargeback?
Request the refusal in writing under the specific scheme code they relied on, then escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service. FOS often orders banks to file chargebacks they refused. If you paid on a credit card between £100 and £30,000, you also have parallel Section 75 statutory rights that may still succeed even when chargeback fails.