You know the feeling. You open your monthly credit card statement to find the balance larger than you anticipated due to an unfair credit card charge. Whether the charge stems from the credit card company itself, or from a vendor, there are steps you can take to dispute and (often) reverse the fees. Instead of getting angry, get busy disputing those unfair credit card charges.
§ Save everything. This is an important step and you should follow it faithfully whenever you use your credit card. That means saving all your card receipts, at least until you know the merchant did not tack on additional charges. In addition, save the initial documentation that came with your new credit card by putting it into a folder. As long as that card is active, you must file that information.
- Catch errors early. As soon as you receive your statement, by email or snail mail, review it carefully. Don’t wait until the last day of the grace period before checking to make sure the charges are accurate.
- Call your credit card company with the intent of presenting your side of the story but not until you calm down. Credit card customer service agents are only doing a jog they were hired to do. They do not set policy but they may be able to reverse an unfair credit card charge. Chewing them out will not help your case.
- Compare your credit card charges with your receipts. If a different amount was charged by the merchant, you will probably get a refund quickly as long as you can send a scanned copy of the receipt to the credit card company. The online customer service representative will give you the mailing address or it will appear on your statement.
- Know what types of unfair charges you may dispute. If you find unauthorized charges, charges with the wrong date, charges with incorrect amounts, you should be reimbursed for all of these.
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