Most chargeback conversations start after something has already gone wrong: a charge you don't recognise, a parcel that never arrived, a subscription that kept billing after you cancelled, or the same payment taken twice. The instinct is to ring the bank first and sort out the paperwork later. Doing it the other way around is faster, because your bank can only argue your side of the case using what you give it.
This guide sets out what a chargeback actually is, what to collect before you lodge, how to lodge it, and what to do if the answer is no.
What a chargeback is, in plain terms
Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) describes a chargeback as being like a refund: it reverses a transaction made on a debit or credit card. It is a term used by credit and debit card providers, and it takes place between the cardholder's bank and the retailer's bank. When a cardholder asks for a chargeback, the retailer's bank may agree to pay funds back to the cardholder's bank.
Three practical points follow from that definition:
- Your bank is not the decision-maker on its own. The process runs between two banks, so your bank is putting a case to the retailer's bank.
- "May" is doing real work. CAV's wording is that the retailer's bank may agree to pay funds back. A chargeback request is not a guaranteed refund.
- It is a card-provider process, not a court ruling. It sits alongside — not instead of — your consumer rights around refunds, repairs and returns. CAV files its chargeback guidance inside that broader section.
Check the merchant path first
Before you lodge, deal with the seller in writing. This is practical interpretation rather than a quoted rule, but it matters for two reasons: the seller may simply fix it, and if they don't, your attempt to resolve it becomes part of your file.
Send one short message that states the order reference, what went wrong, what outcome you want (replacement, refund, cancellation) and a reasonable deadline to reply. Then stop. Save the message, any reply, and note the date you sent it. If there is no reply, note that too.
The information to gather before you call
Assemble this into a single folder — screenshots, PDFs, email threads — so you can send it in one go.
| What to gather | What to capture | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction record | Date, amount, currency, merchant name as it appears on the statement, and any reference or authorisation code | Bank statement or banking app |
| Proof of payment | Receipt, invoice, tax invoice, order confirmation, or the card transaction itself | Email, merchant account, SMS |
| Order details | What was ordered, quantity, price, delivery address, promised delivery date, cancellation terms shown at checkout | Order page, confirmation email, screenshots of the listing |
| Delivery or non-delivery evidence | Tracking number, carrier status, delivery scan, or the absence of one; photos if goods arrived damaged or wrong | Carrier site, parcel photos |
| Communication record | Every email, chat transcript, support ticket number, call date and time, and who you spoke to | Your sent items, helpdesk portal |
| Return or cancellation attempts | Return request number, return postage receipt, cancellation confirmation, or a dated note that none was provided | Merchant portal, post office receipt |
| Timeline | A one-page chronology: what happened on which date, in order | Written by you |
| Card and account details | Which card was used, the account it links to, whether the card has been cancelled or reissued | Your bank |
| Marketplace or third-party records | If you bought through a marketplace, payment processor or booking platform, its own dispute or case ID | Platform account |
| Unauthorised-transaction records | When you noticed the charge, when you reported it, whether the card was frozen or replaced, and any police or fraud report reference | Your bank, report receipt |
Two habits make the difference here. First, write the timeline before you call — a dispute assessed by a person who wasn't there needs the sequence spelled out. Second, capture what didn't happen: no tracking update, no reply to two emails, no refund by the date promised. Absence is evidence, but only if you record it.
How to lodge the dispute
- Contact your bank or card provider through the number on the back of your card or in your banking app, and say explicitly that you want to dispute a card transaction and request a chargeback.
- Describe the reason in one sentence — goods not received, charged after cancellation, duplicate charge, transaction not recognised, item not as described. Then let the evidence carry the rest.
- Submit the file in the format the provider asks for, and keep your own copies.
- Get a reference number and the name of the team handling it. Ask how you'll be told the outcome and roughly when.
- Confirm in writing. Follow the call with a message through the bank's secure channel summarising what you asked for and attaching the evidence, so there's a dated record.
- Diary a follow-up date. If nothing arrives by then, quote your reference number and ask for a status update in writing.
If your request is rejected
CAV states that if you believe a bank or card provider has incorrectly rejected a chargeback request, you can dispute the decision. It also points to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which can help resolve your dispute.
In practice, that means a rejection is not necessarily the end. Ask the provider for the specific reason in writing, check that reason against the evidence you supplied, and send anything that closes the gap. If the answer still doesn't change, use the provider's internal complaints process and keep its response, then take the matter to AFCA.
Questions to verify with your provider
These points vary by provider, card scheme and transaction type, so treat them as questions to confirm rather than assumptions:
- Is there a time limit for lodging, and does it run from the transaction date, the delivery date or the date you discovered the problem?
- Does the process differ for debit and credit cards, or for a transaction made through a third-party payment platform?
- Will you receive provisional credit while the dispute is assessed, and can that be reversed later?
- What evidence formats are accepted, and is there a size or page limit?
- How long does the retailer's bank have to respond, and how will you be told?
- If the charge is recurring, does disputing one payment stop future ones, or do you need to cancel separately?
- For an overseas or foreign-currency charge, how is the refund amount calculated?
- Does a disputed amount affect your minimum repayment, available balance or credit report while it is open?
Mistakes that slow a claim down
- Calling without the transaction details, then starting the process again once you have them.
- Sending a long narrative instead of a short summary plus organised evidence.
- Arguing with the merchant across many channels and losing the thread.
- Cancelling the card and assuming that resolves the disputed charge.
- Missing the provider's evidence deadline while waiting on the merchant.
- Not keeping a written record of phone calls.
Your next step
Pick the single transaction you want to dispute. Open a folder. Drop in the statement line, the receipt, the order details, the delivery record and every message with the seller. Write a ten-line timeline. Then contact your bank or card provider, ask for a chargeback, and send the file as one package with a reference number recorded. If the claim is rejected, ask for the reason in writing, respond to that reason specifically, and escalate to AFCA if it stays unresolved.
If the underlying problem is a broader money decision rather than a disputed transaction, you can compare options in our general money guides at /match/.
General information only
This article is general information about the chargeback process in Australia, based on Consumer Affairs Victoria's published guidance. It is not legal, financial or credit advice, and it doesn't account for your card provider's specific rules or your circumstances. Chargebacks are handled by card providers and the banks involved; outcomes depend on the evidence and on the retailer's bank agreeing to return funds, so no result can be promised. Confirm current time limits, procedures and complaint pathways directly with your bank, your card provider, Consumer Affairs Victoria or AFCA before acting.