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How to fix mistakes in your 

credit card bill

Mistakes happen. When they do, 

knowing how to fix them can save 

you money and time. Follow these 

five steps to dispute incorrect 

charges or fees.

1.	 Review your credit card 

statement closely every month.

The only way to find mistakes is to review your 

charges and fees carefully. Compare your starting 

balance with the previous month’s bill. Also look for 

anything unfamiliar, including “add-on,” or optional, 

fee-based products.

2.	 Call the customer service 

number 

This phone number will be on your monthly bill or 

on the back of your card. Explain what is wrong in 

your bill. The credit card company should listen to 

what you say and look into the problem.

3.	 Follow up with a letter

Also send a written notice to the credit card 

company as soon as possible to protect your legal 

rights. Your bill contains instructions on how and 

where to send this notice. 

The address for billing disputes may be different 

than the address where you send your payments. 

Be sure to include:

§ Your name

§ Address

§ Account number 

§ A clear explanation of what you think is wrong 

and why 

Submit your written notice no later than 60 days 

after the creditor sent the statement where the 

error first appeared. Keep a copy of your letter as 

proof that you wrote to the credit card company.
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4.	 Pay the other undisputed 

charges

You don’t have to pay the disputed fees or charges or 

related finance or other charges while the credit card 

company investigates your dispute, but you are still 

responsible for paying correct charges on time. 

5.	 See if the mistakes were fixed

Once you point out a mistake on your bill, the credit 

card company has 30 days to tell you it got your 

letter. It gets another two billing cycles to finish 

looking into your dispute.

You may see the disputed charge on your bill 

during this time. If so, you should also see a note 

saying that you do not have to pay the charge until 

the investigation is done.

If the card issuer decides that all or some of the 

charge is correct, it has to tell you:

§ Why it thinks you owe the money.

§ How much you owe.

§ When you must pay what you owe in order to 

avoid finance or other charges.

Credit card companies cannot:

§ Report your payment as late to a credit 

bureau if you paid the undisputed 

amount on time.

§ Charge you interest on the disputed 

charge while it is being investigated.

§ Make you pay the disputed charge while 

it looks into the issue.

If you need more help 

If your credit card issuer doesn’t respond, or 

if you need help, you can submit a complaint 

to us: 

 Online

consumerfinance.gov/complaint

 By phone

Toll free: (855) 411-CFPB (2372) 

TTY/TDD : (855) 729-CFPB (2372)

 By mail

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

P.O. Box 4503

Iowa City, Iowa 52244

We’ll forward your complaint to the 

company and work to get a response from 

them. You will receive email updates along 

the way and can track the status of your 

complaint online.