How to sort a problem with a payment

Always speak to the company you’re paying to try and resolve any problems first. This might include:

• being charged the wrong amount, or multiple times
• not receiving the item or service you paid for
• an item arriving faulty or of poor quality. 

If that doesn’t work, ask your bank to investigate. For problems with goods or services, the route to take depends on the type of card you’ve used.

A credit card gives you spending protection on everything you buy. If something goes wrong and the company won’t give you a refund, you can ask your bank to give the money back.

If the item or service costs £100 to £30,000, submit a Section 75 claim. There’s no time limit on when you can make this type of claim.

For other amounts, you have 120 days to make a chargeback claim.

Find out more in Section 75 and chargeback explained. 

A debit card gives chargeback protection on all purchases. If an item is faulty or doesn’t arrive and the company won’t give you a refund, you can ask your bank to claim the money back.

You have 120 days from the purchase date, or date of tickets, to submit a chargeback claim.

See chargeback explained for more information.

You should be told the outcome of your Section 75 or chargeback claim within eight weeks.

If you’re unhappy with the response, or the deadline has passed, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman ServiceOpens in a new window

See what to do if a debit or credit card payment goes wrong – the process is the same. 

If an item is not delivered or not as described, always try to resolve the problem with the company first.

If that doesn’t work, you have: 

• 180 days to dispute the payment using PayPal's Buyer Protection scheme

• 120 days to submit a claim to your card provider, using the chargeback scheme  (if you used your debit or credit card to pay via PayPal).

In most cases, Section 75 protection won’t apply to PayPal payments. Learn more about what is and isn’t covered on MoneySavingExpertOpens in a new window

If you’ve made a mistake and sent money to the wrong account, contact your bank as soon as possible to report the problem.

Most banks are signed up to a voluntary code of conduct, so they’ll then: 

1. start investigating within two working days
2. ask the other account holder to pay the money back
3. let you know the outcome within 20 working days, either:  
   1. your money is paid back 
   2. your money can’t be recovered, usually because the other person disputes it. You’ll be told the options you can take, including asking for the name and address of the person who received the money.  

If you’re unhappy with your bank’s service or investigation, you can complain

If you think you’ve been scammed, tell your bank or card provider what’s happened immediately. They’ll freeze your card and might refund stolen money. You can call most banks by dialling 159.

You should then report it to:

• Action FraudOpens in a new window, either online or by calling 0300 123 2040 if you’re in England, Wales or Northern Ireland
• the police by calling 101 and Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 if you’re in Scotland
• the FCAOpens in a new window if it’s a financial scam, like investment fraud.

To speak to someone, call our financial crimes and scams unit on 0800 015 4402.

If someone has opened accounts in your name:

• tell the providers that you’ve had your identity stolen
• contact the credit reference agencies
• consider applying for protective registration on Cifas to help keep your identity safe going forward.

See our guide Identity theft and scams for more information. 

It’s free and easy to complain to your bank or card provider. Just remember to keep a record of all the communication you have. 

Here are the steps to follow: 

1. Ask your bank’s customer services to put things right.
2. If you can’t agree on a resolution, make a formal complaint – they have 15 days to investigate and give a final response if the complaint is related to payments. If it’s about anything else, they have eight weeks. If the bank accepts that they’ve done something wrong, they’ll set out what they’re going to do to make things right.
3. if you’re still not happy, or don’t hear back in time, you have six months to take your complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman ServiceOpens in a new window You’ll get an independent decision on whether your bank’s response was fair or if they need to do more. 

For more information, see our full guide  How to complain to your bank, lender or card provider.