Disputing a transaction

Noticed something unusual on your account? We're here to help.

Here's where to start...

We understand it can be worrying if you spot some unexpected spending on your account. So to make sure we get you the help you need, follow the steps below.

1. Check any payments you don't recognise

Visit our unrecognised transactions page to find out how you can get more information about a payment in your transaction list.

Find out more about unrecognised transactions

2. Check if the payment's pending

First things first: if the transaction is still pending, we're unable to raise a dispute until it’s left your account. View our statements and balances support page for timescales. However, if you suspect the pending payment is fraudulent, please report it to us immediately.

Pending card authorisations

3. Speak to the retailer

If you recognise the payment, the best place to start is usually the retailer as they may be able to put things right more quickly.

If you can't resolve things with the retailer, or you'd like help understanding your options, we can guide you through the next steps based on whether you paid by debit or credit card.

Paid by credit card? You may have extra protection, which means you could come to us directly. Find out more about Section 75.

4. Raise a dispute or report possible fraud

Do you recognise the transaction? And are you confident that you've not been scammed?

If you answered YES to both, you need to raise a dispute.

If you answered NO to either one, it could be fraudulent and you should contact us as soon as you can.

Report fraud

Get ready to raise a dispute

Here’s what we may ask for:

Details you need to know

debit or credit card details
account details
transaction details.

Evidence we may ask for

invoice with product/service, cost and date of purchase
letters or emails between you and the company, trade association or administrator
the retailer's purchase or booking T&Cs (not web links)
in some cases, we may also need an independent report by an expert.

How long you've got to do it

We know you might not notice an unusual transaction immediately.

For card disputes, you’ll usually need to raise a claim within 120 days of the transaction date or the date you were due to receive the goods or services, whichever is later.

If you paid by credit card, you may have additional protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Longer time limits usually apply.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to review your statements often, to make sure everything is as it should be.

Ready to raise your dispute?

Simply give us a call on 03 456 100 100 and we’ll be happy to help.

We can also help on Chat via our App or Online Banking if it’s about:

non-receipt of goods
refund or credit not received
goods or services returned or cancelled
goods or services not as described/defective
a query about an existing dispute.

Scan the QR code to head to the App to chat with us

Chat with us

Don't have our App yet? You can still chat to us by logging in to Online banking and selecting 'Message us' on the right-hand side of the screen.

What's next?

The dispute process

Once we’ve agreed to look into your disputed transaction, here’s what you can expect.

Step 1: We investigate

We try to resolve your dispute as quickly as possible but sometimes we may need to investigate it further.

If we need to speak to the retailer, they have up to 60 days to respond to us so investigating your claim may take longer. Depending on their response, we may also contact you for more information.

Step 2: Temporary credit

While we investigate your claim, we may give you a temporary credit:

when we start reviewing your claim; or
within 14 days of receiving any supporting documents and declaration we ask you to provide.

If your claim is unsuccessful, we'll remove the temporary credit. We’ll let you know before this happens.

Step 3: We update you

Keep an eye on the account you raised the dispute on, as if we refund the transaction, it'll show as ‘dispute refund’ or ‘my dispute credit’ on your statement.

We may also call, email or post you updates, so watch out for those too.

Chargeback or Section 75

Chargebacks

We may be able to recover money you’ve paid on either a debit or a credit card to a retailer if:

you didn’t get what you paid for (including if the company stops trading)
what you paid for is faulty, counterfeit or defective
you’ve been charged the wrong amount (or twice by mistake)
you’re charged for a repeat payment after cancelling a subscription.

For chargebacks it’s worth bearing in mind:

there’s no minimum or maximum payment amount you can claim
unfortunately we can’t guarantee a claim will be successful.

For chargeback claims, you’ll usually need to raise a claim within 120 days of the transaction date or the date you were due to receive the goods or services, whichever is later.

If you paid by credit card, you may have additional protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Longer time limits usually apply.

Section 75

If you’ve paid by credit card, you may be able to use Section 75 to get a refund for some or all of the purchase price (also where a chargeback wasn’t possible).

Section 75 will apply if:

all or part of the payment was made on your credit card
the total cash price of a single item is more than £100 and not more than £30,000
you have a contract with the supplier eg you paid them directly with your credit card.

If Section 75 applies, we may be equally responsible for your loss, eg if what you paid for isn’t delivered, is faulty or defective, isn’t as described, or has been misrepresented by the supplier.

Section 75 doesn’t apply for:

money transfers made using a credit card
cash withdrawals from a credit card
credit card cheques
goods or services purchased via payment processors such as PayPal
instances where the contract isn’t between you and the supplier.

To bring a claim under Section 75, you'll usually have up to six years from when the issue first happened to bring a Section 75 claim (five years in Scotland), although this can depend on your circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

Open all

Once you’ve made a one-off card payment, we can’t cancel it. If there’s a problem, you can raise a dispute once the payment has left your account and is no longer pending.

You can cancel a payment you’ve authorised to be taken on a future date.

If you see a transaction you don't recognise, there are a few things you can check first before giving us a call:

if you recently made a payment in a foreign currency, exchange rates may mean the final cost is different to the amount you paid at the time
some retailers (eg hotels, taxis, airlines and car hire companies) can add additional charges, which could make the total amount more than you were expecting
check the retailer’s name on the transaction by entering it into a search engine, as they sometimes trade or charge under different names
check your receipts to see if you have any from the same day and/or for the same amount, but with a different retailer name
check other transactions from the same time, as this may help remind you of where you were when the one you don't recognise was made
if you share the account, ask the other account holder if they recognise the transaction
check if it’s a repeat payment (eg Direct Debit or standing order) you might have set up some time ago or is only charged annually
if you've signed up for a free trial recently, check the T&Cs to see if it’s expired and you’ve started paying for it.

If you still don't recognise the transaction, chat with us in the App by going to help and selecting 'Chat now' or by logging onto Online Banking and selecting 'Message us'. We're available 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 8am-7pm Saturday and 10am-6pm Sunday.

If you think a payment was made without your permission, contact us straight away on 03 456 100 100. We're available all day, every day.

There are two ways you can claim a refund on a card: using ‘Chargeback’ or via Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

While a 'Chargeback' can apply to both debit and credit card transactions, the Section 75 option only applies to credit card transactions.

The easiest way to cancel is usually directly with the provider. They can also help you do things like change or pause your subscription.

You can also cancel your subscription by chatting with us in the App by going to help and selecting 'Chat now' or by logging onto Online Banking and selecting 'Message us' or by calling us on 03 456 100 100.

If we cancel your subscription, this should stop the provider taking your next payment. However, it won’t cancel your contract with the provider.

We’re sorry you haven’t received what you paid for. The best place to start is usually the retailer, as they may be able to resolve the issue quickly.

If that doesn't work, you can raise a dispute with us once the payment has left your account (it's no longer pending). You'll usually need to do this within 120 days of the transaction date, or the date you were due to receive the goods or services, whichever is later.

Paid by credit card? You may have extra protection under Section 75, which means you could come to us directly. Longer time limits usually apply.

You can chat with us in the App by going to help and selecting 'Chat now' or by logging onto Online Banking and selecting 'Message us' or call us on 03 456 100 100.