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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsCall your credit-card issuer immediately using the number on the card, statement, official app or official website. Ask it to block the stolen card, issue a replacement and open disputes for every transaction you do not recognize. If a disputed transaction appears on a statement, send the issuer a written billing-error notice within 60 calendar days after that statement was sent, using the dispute address or channel the issuer specifies. Keep proof of the notice and continue paying the undisputed balance by its due date.
What to do first when your credit card is stolen
Speed matters because reporting the loss before anyone uses the card can eliminate your responsibility for unauthorized charges. Even if you have not seen a suspicious transaction yet, report the theft as soon as you know the card is missing.
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- Contact the issuer immediately. Use the phone number printed on the card or a statement, or sign in through the issuer’s official app or website. Do not rely on a phone number from an unsolicited text, email or search advertisement.
- Report the card as stolen and request a block. Ask the representative to permanently close the stolen card number rather than merely placing a temporary hold.
- Request a replacement card. Confirm where it will be sent, whether the number and security code will change, and how you will receive or set a new PIN if applicable.
- Review recent activity with the issuer. Identify every transaction you do not recognize, including pending transactions if the issuer allows them to be flagged. Ask how each charge must be disputed.
- Secure the account. Change the online-account password, review authorized users and contact details, and enable transaction alerts or two-factor authentication if available.
Write down the date and time of the call, the representative’s name or reference number, the card number’s last four digits and the instructions you received. A replacement card does not automatically resolve transactions already posted to the account; those charges still need to be reported and, where required, disputed in writing.
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How to dispute an unauthorized credit-card charge
Send the written billing-error notice
For a charge that has appeared on a statement, send a written billing-error notice no later than 60 calendar days after the issuer sent the statement on which the charge first appeared. The address for billing disputes may be different from the address used for payments. Follow the statement or the issuer’s instructions exactly; sending the letter to the payment address can delay processing.
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Include:
- Your name and mailing address.
- The credit-card account number, or at least enough information for the issuer to identify the account if its instructions limit what may be sent.
- The date and amount of each disputed transaction.
- A clear statement that the transactions were unauthorized and that you did not authorize them.
- A request that the issuer investigate and correct the account.
- Copies of useful supporting documents, such as a police report or confirmation that the card was reported stolen, while keeping the originals.
Keep a complete copy of the notice and attachments. Use a delivery method that creates evidence of when the issuer received or was sent the letter, and retain the receipt, tracking record or electronic confirmation. A phone call is useful for stopping the card quickly, but it is not a substitute for the written notice used to preserve the federal billing-error process.
Continue paying the correct part of the bill
During the investigation, you generally do not have to pay the disputed charge or related finance charges under the billing-error process. You must still pay all correct, undisputed charges by the normal due date. Pay at least the required amount attributable to undisputed activity, and keep proof of payment. Failing to pay the undisputed balance can create late fees or credit-reporting problems unrelated to the disputed transaction.
Track every communication
Keep a chronological file containing the initial report, written notice, transaction list, delivery evidence, issuer letters, credits, reversals and final decision. Check the account regularly for additional unfamiliar activity. If recurring merchants stored the old card number, update them after the replacement arrives; some issuers may transfer recurring payments automatically, while others will not.
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Federal rules distinguish between a stolen physical card, a stolen account number and transactions that were authorized at the time they occurred. Your card agreement may provide protection broader than the federal minimum, so read the agreement or ask the issuer about its policy.
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| Situation | General federal treatment for a U.S. credit card | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Physical card reported lost or stolen before it is used | You generally cannot be held responsible for unauthorized charges made after the report. | Report the loss immediately, even if no charge is visible yet. |
| Physical card used before you notify the issuer | Federal liability is generally capped at $50 for unauthorized use of the lost or stolen card. | Report the card and identify each unauthorized transaction without delay. |
| Only the account number was stolen; the physical card remains with you | The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says you generally have no liability for unauthorized use. | Contact the issuer, replace or secure the account as directed, and dispute the transactions. |
| A person had permission to use the card | Use may remain authorized until you tell the issuer that the permission has ended. The analysis differs from a stranger’s theft. | Tell the issuer when permission ended and describe the circumstances accurately. |
The $50 figure is a federal maximum for the circumstances described above, not an amount you should volunteer to pay. Report the loss promptly and ask the issuer to remove charges you did not authorize. Some card agreements waive even the federal maximum when you meet their reporting requirements.
Unauthorized use is different from a merchant dispute
An unauthorized charge means someone used the card or account without your authority and without a benefit intended for you. A merchant dispute usually involves a transaction you recognize but a problem with the purchase, such as defective goods, a cancellation, a billing error or services that were not delivered. Those situations can have different documentation and deadlines.
| Question | Unauthorized-use claim | Merchant or billing dispute |
|---|---|---|
| Do you recognize the merchant or purchase? | No, or the transaction was made by someone without authority. | Usually yes, but the product, service, amount or cancellation is disputed. |
| What should you tell the issuer? | State that the transaction was not authorized and report the stolen or compromised card. | Explain the purchase problem and provide cancellation records, receipts or correspondence. |
| Should you describe it as fraud? | Use an accurate description of what happened. | Do not label a recognized purchase as theft merely because the merchant failed to resolve a service problem. |
If you are unsure which category applies, tell the issuer the facts and ask which dispute process it requires. Do not submit the same transaction under conflicting explanations.
What happens after the issuer receives your notice?
| Stage | General timing or requirement |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | For a written billing-error notice, the issuer generally has 30 days to acknowledge receipt. |
| Investigation | The issuer generally has up to two billing cycles to complete its investigation. |
| While the review is pending | You continue paying undisputed amounts. The issuer should not treat the disputed amount as a required payment under the billing-error process while it investigates. |
| Decision that the charge is valid | The issuer must explain why, state the amount owed and identify when payment is due. |
| Charge already paid | You may still dispute it. If the issuer decides in your favor, the credit or refund may arrive after that decision. |
Read the issuer’s written decision carefully. If it asks for additional information, respond by the stated deadline and keep a copy. If the issuer reverses a provisional credit, check whether the explanation addresses the evidence you supplied and whether the amount is now included in a statement that requires action.
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What to do if the card was stolen with your wallet or phone
Protect other payment accounts
If the stolen wallet contained debit cards, prepaid cards, checks or identification, contact each relevant provider separately. Debit and other electronic-transfer rules are different from credit-card rules, including different reporting windows. Do not assume the credit-card deadline or liability cap applies to a debit card.
Secure a lost phone
Use your mobile carrier’s lost-device process, lock the phone remotely and change passwords for email, banking and payment apps. Remove the stolen card from mobile wallets when the issuer’s instructions allow it. Review email forwarding rules and account-recovery details for signs that someone is trying to take over your accounts.
Replace identification documents
Contact the agencies or organizations that issued a driver’s license, passport, work badge or other identification. A police report may help with replacement documents or later identity-theft disputes, but it does not replace the required notice to the card issuer.
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When stolen-card activity becomes broader identity theft
Use a broader identity-theft response if someone opened accounts in your name, changed account credentials, used your identity for purchases or misused more than the stolen card. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends closing affected accounts, contacting the financial institutions involved and reporting the incident through IdentityTheft.gov. You can also consider a fraud alert or a credit freeze.
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Fraud alert
A fraud alert asks businesses to take additional steps to verify your identity before opening new credit. It is useful when you suspect someone may apply for credit using your information.
Credit freeze
A credit freeze restricts access to your credit file for most new-credit applications until you lift it. You must place a freeze with each nationwide credit bureau and later lift it when a legitimate creditor needs access. A freeze does not stop charges on an existing account, so it is not a substitute for reporting the stolen card.
Keep identity-theft records separate
Maintain a second file for account-closure confirmations, police reports, identity-theft reports, credit-bureau correspondence and records of applications you did not make. This prevents a long identity-theft investigation from obscuring the 60-day billing-error deadline for a particular card statement.
Common mistakes that can weaken a dispute
- Waiting to call. Delay increases the chance of additional transactions and can complicate the record of when you notified the issuer.
- Sending the letter to the payment address. Use the billing-dispute address or electronic channel identified in the statement or issuer instructions.
- Relying only on a phone call. Make the written billing-error notice when a posted statement charge is involved.
- Disputing the entire statement. Identify each unauthorized transaction and continue paying correct charges.
- Ignoring pending transactions. Ask the issuer how it wants pending items reported and check whether they post later.
- Failing to save evidence. Keep copies, delivery proof, call notes and issuer responses.
- Calling a recognized merchant transaction fraud. Use the merchant-dispute process when the issue is defective goods, cancellation or non-delivery.
- Assuming a replacement card fixes recurring payments. Update subscriptions and other merchants after the new card arrives.
- Using debit-card deadlines for a credit card. The rules differ; follow the instructions for the specific payment type.
A practical checklist
- Card blocked and replacement requested.
- Every unfamiliar transaction listed with date and amount.
- Written billing-error notice sent within 60 calendar days of the statement date it was sent.
- Dispute address or channel verified from the statement or official issuer instructions.
- Copy of the notice and proof of sending saved.
- Undisputed balance paid by the due date.
- Account monitored for later charges.
- Recurring merchants updated after replacement.
- Other stolen payment cards and identification reported separately.
- IdentityTheft.gov, fraud-alert and credit-freeze options considered if misuse extends beyond the card.
Answers to common questions
How long do I have to dispute an unauthorized credit-card charge?
For the federal billing-error process, send written notice within 60 calendar days after the issuer sent the statement on which the charge first appeared. Contact the issuer immediately as well; waiting to call can allow more transactions and may affect other remedies or card-agreement protections.
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Am I responsible for charges made before I reported the card stolen?
If a physical card was used before notice, federal liability is generally capped at $50. If you reported the loss before use, you generally cannot be held responsible for unauthorized charges. Account-number-only theft generally carries no liability under the CFPB’s guidance.
Do I need to send a letter after calling the card company?
Yes, when you are using the billing-error process for a charge that appeared on a statement. The call can block the card and start the issuer’s internal review, but send the written notice to the specified dispute address or channel and keep proof.
What if the issuer says the charge is valid?
Request the explanation and review the stated amount and due date. Respond with any additional evidence by the issuer’s deadline. If the matter involves broader identity theft or you believe the issuer mishandled the billing-error process, keep all records and consider contacting the appropriate consumer-protection authority or obtaining legal advice.
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What if I already paid the charge?
You can still dispute it. If the issuer decides in your favor, the credit or refund may be issued after the investigation.
Do these rules apply to debit or prepaid cards?
No. Debit, prepaid and other electronic-transfer products have different liability and timing rules. Follow the instructions for that product rather than applying the credit-card framework.
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