---
title: "How to Ask for a Refund, and How to Make a Company Refund You When It Says No"
description: "How to request a refund that gets paid: what to say, what proof to attach, a deadline to give the seller, and the card or payment-app dispute to use if they refuse, with the US 60-day billing-error rule."
url: https://disputekits.com/how-to-ask-for-a-refund
---

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](https://disputekits.com/dispute-apple-pay-charge), [Cash App](https://disputekits.com/dispute-cash-app-charge) and [Venmo](https://disputekits.com/dispute-venmo-charge) 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](https://disputekits.com/card-refund).

Related: [chargeback time limits](https://disputekits.com/chargeback-time-limits) · [refund promised but never arrived](https://disputekits.com/credit-not-processed-chargeback). 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.