Chargeback
A forced reversal of a credit or debit card payment, initiated by the cardholder through their bank, when a transaction is disputed as fraudulent or a seller has not fulfilled their obligations.
Also known as: card dispute, Section 75 claim
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
A chargeback is a consumer protection mechanism built into card-payment networks. If you pay by credit or debit card and the goods don't arrive, are significantly not as described, or the payment was made fraudulently without your authorisation, you can ask your card issuer to reverse the payment.
For fraud victims, chargebacks can recover money lost to scams — particularly where the fraudster used a legitimate-looking website. However, chargebacks are not guaranteed; they have time limits (typically 120 days from the transaction), and banks will investigate the merchant's side.
Fraudsters also abuse chargebacks themselves — a practice called 'friendly fraud' or 'chargeback fraud', where they buy goods legitimately then falsely claim non-delivery to get both the product and their money back.