A chargeback is not the same thing as asking a business for a refund, and it is not the same thing as a chargeback "right" under a statute. It is a process offered through your card. Understanding that distinction matters, because it explains why the deadlines are short, why the paperwork matters more than the argument, and why the answer to "how long do I have?" depends on who issued your card.
This guide explains what a chargeback is, why time limits differ, what records to keep, and what to ask your provider before and after you lodge a request. It also sets out what you can do if a request is rejected.
What a chargeback actually is
Consumer Affairs Victoria describes chargeback as "a term used by credit and debit card providers". The key detail in that sentence is the last part: it is a provider process, not a government-guaranteed remedy.
The mechanics are also narrower than many people assume. A chargeback "takes place between the cardholder's and retailer's banks". You are not negotiating with the business. You are asking your bank or card issuer to reverse a transaction, and your issuer is putting that request to the business's bank through the card network.
That structure has practical consequences:
- Your issuer is the decision-maker on whether to accept and pursue the request.
- The retailer's bank gets to respond, and the retailer can supply its own evidence.
- The outcome depends heavily on whether your claim fits the reason codes your card scheme allows — and on whether you can document it.
If the transaction was on a debit card, the same general process applies; Consumer Affairs Victoria's description covers both credit and debit card providers.
Time limits: why there is no single answer
The most commonly repeated number online is "120 days". It is useful as a rough mental anchor, but treating it as a rule is risky.
According to Consumer Affairs Victoria, there are "time limits on making a chargeback claim that vary from 45 to 120 days from the transaction date." That is a range, not a guarantee. Two things follow from it:
- The lower end is much earlier than most people expect. A 45-day limit is roughly six weeks. If you wait for a delivery window, then a follow-up email, then a second follow-up, you can run out of time before you have finished being patient.
- Your card is the variable. The limit that applies to you is set by your card scheme and, in practice, administered by your issuer. Two people with the same problem on different cards can face different deadlines.
Treat 45 days as the working assumption and 120 days as the outer edge you hope for. If your situation is already weeks old, raise the request now rather than after you have finished gathering everything — you can usually supplement a claim after it is lodged, but you cannot usually revive one that was never made in time.
The clock, per the same source, runs from the transaction date — not from the date the problem became obvious, not from the date you contacted the seller, and not from the date you gave up on them. For pre-orders and long delivery windows, that distinction is where most claims fail.
What counts as evidence, and why it decides most claims
Consumer Affairs Victoria's guidance on records is unusually broad, and it is worth following literally: "Keep all forms, emails, documents or web pages you have filled in, read or received."
The reason is that the dispute happens between banks. The retailer's bank will present the seller's side. Your issuer has to decide whether your version is better supported. Unsupported assertions rarely win.
| What to keep | Why it matters | Practical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Order confirmation and receipt | Establishes the transaction and its date | Capture the merchant name as it appears on your statement, not just the trading name |
| The card statement line | Confirms amount, date and merchant descriptor | Screenshot or PDF the entry itself |
| Terms, delivery promises and product pages | Shows what you were actually promised | Save web pages at the time of purchase — pages change |
| All correspondence with the seller | Shows you gave them a chance to fix it | Include dates; keep email headers if you can |
| Delivery records | Supports non-delivery or damaged-delivery claims | Tracking status, delivery photos, signed or unsigned records |
| Return or cancellation requests | Shows compliance with the seller's own process | Reference numbers and submission confirmations |
| Photos or third-party assessments | Supports "not as described" or faulty-goods claims | Date-stamped where possible |
Two habits make this much easier later. First, save a copy of anything you submit online at the moment you submit it — forms disappear and confirmation emails get filtered. Second, keep a short chronological note of what happened and when, while you still remember it. A one-page timeline is often the single most persuasive document in a file.
How to lodge a request without losing time
The order below is designed to protect your deadline:
- Contact the seller first, in writing, and give them a reasonable chance to resolve it. Many issuers will ask whether you did this, and the answer affects how your claim is assessed.
- Ask your issuer about the deadline today — before you assemble anything. Ask specifically how many days you have from the transaction date on your card.
- Lodge the request, even if your evidence file is incomplete. Note the reference number.
- Supply the supporting documents your issuer asks for, in the format they specify, by their deadline.
- Keep everything from that point on, including the rejection or acceptance letter and the reasons given.
If your request is rejected
Consumer Affairs Victoria is direct about the consequence of missing a deadline: "The card operator may reject a chargeback request made outside their time limits." A rejection on timing grounds is difficult to overturn, which is another reason to ask about the limit early.
A rejection on other grounds is a different matter. The same source notes: "If you believe a bank or card provider has incorrectly rejected a chargeback request, you can dispute the decision." That means:
- Ask for the reason in writing, and ask which specific rule or reason code it failed.
- Check whether the reason is something you can cure — missing documentation, a misidentified transaction date, or a merchant descriptor you did not recognise.
- Escalate through your provider's internal dispute resolution process.
- If the outcome still does not change, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) "can help resolve your dispute."
AFCA is the external dispute resolution body for financial complaints in Australia. Escalating there is a separate step from the chargeback itself: it asks whether your provider handled your complaint properly, not whether the original transaction should be reversed. Both can be worth pursuing, but they are not the same question and you should not treat one as a substitute for the other.
Questions to confirm with your provider
Because the details sit with your issuer, these are the questions to put to them directly. Get the answers in writing or in the app's secure messaging if you can.
- How many days do I have from the transaction date on my specific card?
- Does the limit differ for the type of problem I am reporting (non-delivery, faulty goods, unauthorised transaction, recurring billing)?
- What reason code or category will my claim be filed under?
- Which documents do you need, and in what format?
- Do I need to show that I contacted the seller first? If so, how much time must I give them?
- Will I be given a provisional credit while the claim is assessed, and can it be reversed later?
- What is your internal dispute process, and what are the timeframes for each stage?
- If my claim is rejected, what is the reference number and the stated reason?
Where chargebacks sit alongside your other options
A chargeback is one route, not the only one. Depending on the circumstances, you may also have remedies against the business itself under Australian Consumer Law, a complaint route through your state or territory consumer protection agency, or — for unauthorised transactions — a separate process under your card's terms and conditions and the ePayments Code if your provider subscribes to it.
These are not alternatives you have to choose between in advance. In practice, people often pursue a refund request, a chargeback and a consumer complaint in parallel. Just be aware that a reversal is not automatically final: the retailer's bank can represent the transaction, and a chargeback can be reversed if the seller produces stronger evidence. Keep your file until the matter is genuinely closed.
Next steps
- Find the transaction date on your statement and count forward. Act now if you are near or past six weeks.
- Call or message your issuer and ask the deadline question in writing.
- Open a folder and save everything you have already — order confirmations, terms, emails, tracking.
- Contact the seller in writing if you have not already, and keep the record.
- Lodge the request within the limit, then supplement your evidence.
- If it is rejected, ask for the reason, use the internal dispute process, and escalate to AFCA if needed.
If you are reviewing how different cards and accounts handle disputes before deciding what to use for online purchases, Australian Cash has general information you can explore at /match/.
General information only
This article is general information about how chargebacks work in Australia. It is not legal, financial or credit advice, and it does not account for your circumstances, your card's terms and conditions, or the rules of any particular card scheme. Time limits, evidence requirements and internal procedures differ between providers and can change. Confirm the current position with your bank or card issuer, and with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority about its process, before relying on any of this. Nothing here guarantees that a chargeback request will be accepted, and Australian Cash is not a lender, broker, government body, regulator or comparison service.