✓DisputeKit

For shoppers · checked 27 October 2026

How to ask for a refund (and what to do if they say no)

Ask the seller first, in writing, with proof and a clear deadline. If they refuse or go silent, your card company or payment app is the next step, and the clock for that is already running.

1. Ask in writing

Use email, the store's contact form or the marketplace's message system, not a phone call, so you have a record. Keep it short:

  • What you bought: order number, date and amount.
  • What went wrong: not delivered, not as described, faulty, cancelled, or charged twice.
  • What you want: "a full refund of $X to my original payment method."
  • A deadline: 7 to 14 days is reasonable.

Attach photos, tracking, the listing, or the cancellation confirmation. Stay polite; your message may later be read by your bank.

2. Get it moving faster

  • Quote the seller's own refund policy or the listing's promise back to them.
  • Use the platform's buyer protection if you bought on Amazon, eBay, Etsy or PayPal. Their claim windows are short.
  • Don't send the item back until the seller confirms how the refund works, and always use tracked shipping.

3. If they say no: dispute the payment

  • US credit cards: under the Fair Credit Billing Act, write to the card issuer within 60 days of the statement showing the charge. The issuer must acknowledge within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles (no more than 90 days).
  • Debit cards: card networks run chargebacks too, often around 120 days from the transaction, but limits vary by network and bank.
  • UK credit cards: Section 75 can make the card company liable for purchases between £100 and £30,000.
  • Payment apps: Apple Pay, Cash App and Venmo each have their own route.

Send your bank the same proof you sent the seller, plus the seller's refusal or silence.

Let us write the letter

Our free tool picks the right route for your card and country, shows your deadline, and writes the dispute letter: get a card refund.

Related: chargeback time limits · refund promised but never arrived. Source: Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. 1666) as summarised by Cornell LII; UK Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75. General guidance, not legal advice. Read 27 October 2026.