How To Dispute a Credit Card Charge With Capital One

You can dispute problematic charges on your Capital One credit card whether you were overcharged or charged by mistake. Capital One enables cardholders to file disputed credit card charges online, by mail, or by phone. 

Once you get in contact with Capital One about a disputed charge, the issuer will contact the merchant to review the disputed charge. If Capital One believes the charge was inaccurate, you’ll get a refund. But not all credit card disputes are deemed accurate, so you’ll need to be ready with evidence that the charge isn’t right.

Let’s look into your consumer rights regarding disputed charges, how Capital One handles disputes, and what you need to do to win your credit card dispute on a Capital One credit card.

What Is a Disputed Charge?

Disputed charges are transactions on your credit card account that are inaccurate or illegitimate in some way. A dispute could be for a charge you recognize but have a problem with. For example, if you canceled a recurring charge in time but were still charged anyway, you can file a dispute for it.

Disputes and chargebacks are sometimes considered synonymous, but these terms are different even though they’re related. You file a dispute for inaccurate charges, then if you’re successful, the issuer initiates a chargeback to reverse the charge.

It’s possible to dispute a transaction on any Capital One credit card, such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card or the Capital One Venture X Business Card*. On consumer cards such as the Capital One Venture X card or Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card*, you’ll have not just Capital One’s dispute policies but also the benefit of federal consumer billing protections.

*(Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)

Consumer Rights for Disputed Charges

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, consumers (not businesses) have the right to dispute transactions on any credit card, including Capital One cards. Your consumer rights under the FCBA extend to disputing unauthorized charges, billing and payment errors, and problems with goods or services. 

To use your FCBA rights, you have to submit your dispute in writing and stay within the FCBA dispute timeline:

• Within 60 days of receiving a bill with an error, you have to write Capital One a letter. We recommend sending the letter via certified mail with a return receipt so you have documentation that the letter was sent.
• Within 30 days of receiving your complaint in writing, Capital One must acknowledge your complaint in writing. However, your complaint may be resolved before then.
• Within 90 days of receiving your written complaint, Capital One must resolve your dispute, whether in your favor or not.

Hot Tip:

Both Capital One and FCBA require you to file a claim within 60 days of your billing statement. Other issuers, such as American Express, may allow a longer dispute period.

The FBCA Disputed Charge Process

During your dispute investigation, you have certain rights that Capital One and other credit card issuers must work within. For example, you can withhold payment on the disputed amount, including finance and related charges. While you can do this, you don’t have to, and we recommend paying for it if you can because you’ll have to pay back the disputed amount and finance charges if your dispute is denied. 

Though you can withhold payment on the disputed amount, you must pay the undisputed amounts on the rest of your bill to stay current.

While you’re disputing a charge, Capital One can’t take action against your account due to the disputed amount. For example, Capital One can’t require you to pay your full balance with the disputed amount, report your account as delinquent, close or restrict your account, or sue you for the disputed amount. Capital One can report to the 3 major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) that you have a dispute, but it’s not considered negative credit reporting.

Dispute Outcomes

What happens next depends on the outcome of your disputed charge with Capital One:

• If Capital One decides in your favor and you win the dispute, you must be informed in writing how your account will be corrected. This includes a refund of the disputed amount along with related interest and other charges.
• If you don’t win the dispute, you again must be informed in writing. Capital One must explain why your dispute was unsuccessful and tell you when you have to pay the amount owed. As long as you pay within the time period Capital One provides, your account can’t be reported as delinquent.
• If you don’t agree with Capital One’s decision, you can file an appeal for a short time. You must submit your appeal before the due date Capital One sets on the disputed amount or within 10 days of receiving the written decision explanation, whichever is later. You’ll need to write Capital One to submit your appeal. During this time, Capital One can use collection methods for payment on the disputed amount, including reporting your account as delinquent with a note that the amount is disputed.

Another option is filing a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau complaint if you disagree with Capital One’s decision. You can get help from your state’s consumer protection agency if you have a complaint about product quality. For example, if you need to get a refund on a defective item and the retailer and manufacturer won’t help.

Credit Card Dispute Reasons

The reasons you can dispute a charge on your Capital One (or any other) credit card include:

• Billing errors
• Problems with goods or services
• Unauthorized charges

Billing errors are generally the main reason to dispute a charge on your Capital One card. For example, you might get double charged or charged the wrong amount. Sometimes the entire charge is a problem, such as when you canceled a service in time to avoid an automatic payment, but the payment was charged anyway.

Problems with goods or services are another reason you can dispute a credit card charge with Capital One. Maybe you paid a contractor to do work that was never completed, or you received a damaged item, and the merchant won’t accept a return. 

Hot Tip:

Although you don’t have to pay disputed amounts while Capital One investigates your dispute, we recommend paying the amount anyway, just in case. You’ll have to pay the amount plus applicable finance charges if you don’t win your dispute. If you can afford to do it, it’s better to take a refund from a dispute you’ve won than it is to pay for it after you lose.

Capital One Fraud Claims

While claims for unauthorized charges on Capital One cards are different from disputed charges, the online process for a fraud claim with Capital One starts the same way a disputed charge does. Ultimately, you’ll need to call Capital One to report fraud, but you can log in to confirm the charge is fraudulent.

You’ll log in to your account, select the charge, and click Report a problem.

Once you get into the reporting flow, Capital One will ask if you’ve ever given the merchant your credit card information and if you recognize the details of the purchase. Select No for both questions, and you’ll be directed to give Capital One a call to report the suspected fraud.

You can report fraud to Capital One by calling 800-227-4825 within the U.S. or Canada, or 804-934-2001 from other countries. Once you get in touch with Capital One about fraudulent charges, your card will be deactivated and you’ll get a replacement card within 4 to 6 business days. You’ll need to update your credit card information for automatic payments.

Capital One Dispute Options

Capital One offers a few options you can select when disputing a charge online, including:

• The transaction amount is correct, but you were charged more than once
• The transaction amount is correct, but there’s another problem
• The transaction amount is incorrect, and you were charged too much
• You shouldn’t have been charged at all

Capital One Dispute Policies

While all credit card issuers have to meet at least the minimum requirements for consumer protections under FCBA, each issuer can set its own policies that fall within the requirements. Capital One is no exception.

Pending Charges

As with other credit card issuers, Capital One won’t allow you to dispute a charge while it’s still pending. Capital One advises that you must dispute transactions after they’ve been posted to your account, which can take about 5 days.

Temporary Credit

When you start a dispute case, Capital One may place a temporary credit for the disputed amount on your account, usually within 2 to 3 business days.

Capital One Disputed Charge Period

Just like the FCBA requires, you have up to 60 days from your first bill with an error to dispute the charge. However, it’s best not to wait. Dispute the charge as soon as you notice a problem so you can get your money back quickly, and it’s easier to complete the investigation.

How Long Capital One Can Investigate Disputes

Capital One can, under FCBA, take up to 30 days to respond to your dispute and up to 90 days to resolve it after you’ve reported the dispute. It’s Capital One’s policy to take up to 90 days to resolve the dispute while contacting the merchant and working through the documentation, though the online dispute process advises it may be more than 50 days.

Contacting Merchants

Before you can submit a dispute online, Capital One will ask you to confirm that you’ve contacted the merchant. If you say you haven’t contacted the merchant, you’ll be directed to a page that explains working directly with the merchant is the fastest way to resolve your dispute.

How To File a Capital One Dispute

The most direct way to file a Capital One dispute is to find the charge in your online account and report a problem or call Capital One to start your dispute. While you have multiple options for starting a Capital One dispute, you’ll be directed to either log in or call to get help with your dispute.

You can start a Capital One dispute by:

• Calling to report an unauthorized charge
• Calling to file a dispute
• Chatting to start a dispute
• Filing a dispute by mail
• Filing a dispute in your online account

Fraudulent Charges

If you need to report fraud, you must call Capital One at 800-227-4825 within the U.S. or Canada, or 804-934-2001 from other countries. 

Capital One will deactivate and replace your card within 4 to 6 business days to stop the fraud and protect your account.

Phone Dispute

You can call 800-227-4825 within the U.S. or Canada or 804-934-2001 from other countries to start your Capital One dispute over the phone.

Chat Dispute

Once you’re logged in to your online account, you can click on the Eno chat button at the top of the screen. If you type in Start a Dispute, Eno will give you a list of the accounts you can get help with.

Select the right account, and you’ll see your most recent charges. You can select the charge you have a problem with. Eno will also offer to help you search based on the date or amount. 

After you select the charge, Eno will ask questions about the charge, including whether you or an approved user made the purchase. If you say you made the purchase but there’s a problem, you’ll be directed to contact the merchant and call Capital One to file a dispute if you can’t work it out with the merchant.

Mail Dispute

Mail is another option for initiating a disputed charge claim with Capital One. You can fill out Capital One’s disputed charge form. 

Or, if you prefer to write your own letter instead of filling out a form, you can do so. Be sure to include your contact information, account number, the details of the charges, including the merchant and transaction date, and the reason you’re disputing the charge. You should provide documentation and information to support your dispute. Tell Capital One what you’d like to happen with the dispute, usually a reversal of the charges. You can use the Federal Trade Commission’s sample letter for disputing card charges.

Mail your dispute form or letter (or both) to:

Capital One Disputes
P.O. Box 30279
Salt Lake City, UT
84130-0279

Online Account Dispute

Logging in to dispute a charge in your online account is one of the easiest ways to start your dispute. You’ll just answer a few questions to start your case. Let’s look at the details of filing a dispute online with Capital One.

Filing a Dispute Online

First, log in and select your account, then go to your transactions on your account page. Select the charge you want to dispute, then look for the flag that says Report a problem. If the charge is pending, you won’t be able to submit a dispute, but you can just wait until the charge clears — usually within 5 days.

After you click on Report a problem, Capital One will ask you to review the details and answer questions. 

First, you’ll need to confirm whether you’ve given the merchant your credit card information. If it’s true, select Yes, then hit Continue.

Next, you’ll confirm whether you recognize any of the purchase details. Note this question doesn’t ask if all of the details are correct, just whether you recognize the charge in any way. Select Yes if that’s true, and you’ll proceed to the next step.

Then, Capital One will ask whether you’ve contacted the merchant about the issue.

If you say no, you haven’t contacted the merchant, Capital One will advise you to contact the merchant first, telling you that it’s generally a faster way to get your money back than filing a dispute with Capital One.

If you say Yes, indicating that you have contacted the merchant, you’ll go to the next step. 

Next, Capital One will ask whether you paid for the transaction with something other than the card you’ve selected. If you say Yes, you’ll be prompted to call Capital One to dispute the charge.

If you say you didn’t pay for the transaction with something other than your selected card, you’ll be prompted to answer another question in a drop-down menu.

Your options include:

• The transaction amount is correct, but you were charged more than once
• The transaction amount is correct, but there’s another problem
• The transaction amount is incorrect, and you were charged too much
• You shouldn’t have been charged at all

If you select any of these options, you’ll navigate to the dispute page, where Capital One explains the process, including the temporary credit you should receive within 2 to 3 business days while Capital One investigates your dispute with the merchant.

Select I Want to Continue, and you’ll start sharing information about your dispute with Capital One. 

First, you’ll explain to Capital One how you contacted the merchant.

You can tell Capital One the method you used to get in touch (phone, online, in person, mail, fax, or other) and then the outcome. There are several options, including:

• They issued a credit or partial refund
• They agreed to issue a refund
• They didn’t respond or offer compensation
• They said the purchase was delayed
• They said the purchase was delivered
• They are no longer in business
• Other

Next, you’ll explain what’s wrong with the charge. 

You’ll need to say what kind of purchase you made, whether it’s physical goods, merchandise, or a service.

If you select Merchandise, you’ll need to explain the delivery status. Your options are:

• Yes, I received all of the purchase
• Yes, but I only received part of the purchase
• Yes, but I didn’t receive what I expected
• No, I did not receive any of the purchase

You’ll then need to tell Capital One whether you returned the purchase, selecting Yes or No.

Capital One will take you back to the dispute summary and on to the next step, which is the amount you’re disputing.  You can dispute the full amount or enter a different amount.

Again, you’ll go back to the dispute summary after selecting the amount.

Under purchase details, you’ll describe what was purchased, including the duration, type, level, brand, and physical goods. You’ll also say when you expected the purchase to arrive.

Back to the dispute summary, and you’re almost done.

In return details, you’ll share how you returned the purchase, when you returned it and why, and whether the merchant provided return instructions.

Finally, you’ll reach the dispute summary again to review the details and submit your dispute case.

After You Submit Your Dispute

Once you’ve sent in your Capital One dispute, the issuer will confirm receipt of the dispute within 30 days. You’ll likely get a response sooner than that. 

Capital One will communicate with the merchant to gather information about the dispute. The issuer will send information about the purchase and your dispute to the merchant. The merchant can accept or reject the dispute with an explanation. If the merchant rejects the dispute, Capital One will review the information, including the merchant’s response, and determine whether or not you’re responsible for the charge. 

During the dispute review period, Capital One may give you a temporary credit on your account for the disputed amount, along with related fees and interest. The dispute period may last as long as 90 days for consumers.

You may get a request for more documentation from Capital One. The issuer may ask for receipts, how you’ve attempted to return or cancel merchandise or services, and communication between you and the merchant.

• If Capital One determines you’re not responsible for the charge, the merchant will get a chargeback, and you won’t have to pay for the charge or related interest charges.
• However, if Capital One determines you are responsible for the charge, you’ll need to pay for the charge along with related fees and interest.

How To Win Your Capital One Dispute

You’ll need to provide Capital One with enough information to determine whether the disputed charge is valid or not. That means sharing documentation, such as receipts and communications, that support your claim that you’re not responsible for the charge or it’s inaccurate.

While you have up to 60 days from the date of your first bill with the inaccurate charge to submit a dispute, it’s best not to wait that long. Get in touch with Capital One as soon as you notice there’s a problem. The longer you wait, the more information can erode and hurt your case. For example, you might lose receipts or merchandise as time goes on.

It’s also a good idea to approach the merchant with problems first, as Capital One will direct you to do so before initiating the dispute process.

Hot Tip:

However you send in your dispute, follow up with a letter if you’re disputing a charge on a consumer account. The FTC recommends sending a follow-up letter, ideally by certified mail, with a return receipt. Your dispute will be protected by FCBA rules when you send a letter within 60 days of the first statement with the disputed charge.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with a credit card dispute is hardly anyone’s idea of fun, but Capital One makes the process fairly simple. You have multiple options for initiating a dispute, whether you submit your claim online, by phone, or by mail. Understand your rights under the FCBA, work within the timelines, and stay on top of requests for evidence from Capital One to have the best chance of winning your disputed charge with Capital One.