Yes, you may still be able to dispute a 6-month-old charge, particularly if it is fraudulent or unauthorized, which often have no strict time limits. For billing errors (wrong amount, duplicate charge) or merchant disputes, the standard limit is 60-90 days, but some policies allow up to 120 days or even one year in specific cases.
Most credit card charges must be disputed within 60 days, but you may have longer depending on whether the charge was a billing error, fraudulent purchase or an issue with the quality of the goods or services purchased.
Dispute the charges with your credit card issuer
However, if you didn't approve the charges and didn't add your kid as an authorized user, the charges are technically considered unauthorized, and you can argue that it falls under the FCBA.
Depending on the nature of your dispute, you'll need to make a claim within a certain time period. This is usually 120 days from the purchase date, but this can vary.
To dispute a charge related to billing errors under the FCBA, you must send your inquiry within 60 days of when the first bill with the error was sent to you. You can do that by sending a letter to your credit card issuer.
Generally speaking, credit card issuers don't have a time limit for charging a customer's credit card. The issuing banks, however, will often impose a limit on merchants for charging. These limits can range anywhere from three to 30 days.
File a dispute via phone, mail or online through your credit card's customer service portal. Include supporting evidence of the issue, such as emails, invoices or receipts, if you have them.
Yes, you can often get a refund for unauthorized purchases made by your child by contacting the merchant and your bank, though success depends on policies, and you should act fast to dispute credit card charges within 60 days and implement parental controls to prevent future issues. Start by reaching out to the platform (Apple, Google, game developer) or retailer, then dispute with your card issuer as a fraud claim if necessary, while also securing accounts with passwords and parental settings.
In many instances, documents proving your position can be helpful for the credit bureaus, as well as jurors. If you choose to dispute by phone, you lose the opportunity to show that your position is correct. Phone calls may be used as a means of following up on a prior credit dispute.
For most disputes the time frame is 120 days (U.S.) and 180 days (International) from the transaction date of the original sale or the date of discovery of the issue (i.e., defective merchandise). However, in some instances the time frame may be longer or shorter depending on the specific reason code.
The most frequent causes of denials fall into a few key categories.
Most banks require disputes to be submitted within 60-90 days of the transaction.
Banks are generally required to refund money if the transaction is unauthorized. For example, if your bank account was hacked and someone made a purchase or transfer without your consent, you may be entitled to a refund.
Most retail stores allow you to return things you buy within a reasonable time for a full refund, credit, or an exchange. When a store clearly displays a limited or no-refund policy, however, refunds and exchanges are not required by law.
Charge-backs can be tricky. Because increasing numbers of consumers are filing fraudulent disputes, many merchants are trying to put the brakes on these cancellations. So it's important to play by the rules, or you might get turned down. What's worse, even if you win, you could end up losing.
For buyers, the best dispute reason is arguably fraud or unauthorized activity. Cardholders who can produce compelling evidence showing that they did not approve a transaction are more likely to win a dispute than if it was initiated for another reason.
If your fraudulent transaction claim is denied by a bank, you should first find out why the claim was denied. For example, the bank might claim that you didn't reasonably protect your identity or account, or it might even have concluded that you did make the purchases and are trying to get out of paying for them.
Billing Errors: You can dispute a billing error up to 60 days after the date your bill was issued. Some credit cards give you more time, but make sure you dispute the error as soon as possible. Claims and Defenses: You can assert claims and defenses up to one year after the date your bill was issued.
A ghost card payment uses a digital, multi-use virtual card created for specific vendors or departments, not people, allowing businesses to automate recurring expenses like software subscriptions or supplier bills with built-in spending controls, all consolidated onto a single account statement without issuing physical cards. They are "ghost" because they have no physical form, existing only as a 16-digit number, offering enhanced security and tracking compared to traditional cards.
A transaction can be pending from a few hours (like instant payments) to several business days (typically 1-5 days for card purchases, checks, or online payments), but some holds, like hotel/rental authorization, can last up to 30 days; the exact time depends on the transaction type, merchant processing, bank policies, weekends, and holidays. Debit card holds often clear faster than credit card transactions but can tie up funds longer, while digital methods like RTP/FedNow are near-instant.