Bank refused to reverse a charge: what to do next

Checked: October 26, 2026

Ask your bank for the reason in writing. If it is "not enough evidence", gather the proof and ask it to look again. If the bank handled your case badly, complain to the organization that oversees banks in your country: usually the central or national bank, sometimes a financial ombudsman. Court is the last resort, and for a $40 charge it is rarely worth it.

Rules differ from country to country. The steps below work almost everywhere, and the names of organizations are only examples: look up the one in your country.

First, find out why the bank said no

The next step depends on the reason, so ask for it in writing: "Please send me the written outcome of my dispute with the reason for the decision and the case number." The usual reasons are:

• "You authorized the transaction." You entered your card details and agreed to the terms, so the bank treats the charge as yours. This is the most common answer for trial subscriptions.
• "The company provided evidence." The company showed the card network a sign-up page with the renewal terms and your click on the button.
• "The dispute was filed too late." You went past the card network's window, usually about 120 days, or past the bank's own deadline.
• "Not enough documentation." No proof of cancellation, no record that you asked the company for a refund.

A refusal is not a verdict on you. The cheap-trial scheme is designed so that your consent looks clean on paper. A great many careful people end up exactly here.

Step 1: ask the bank to look again, with better proof

If the reason was evidence, you can fix that. Collect everything from how to dispute a charge with your bank: the statement line, a dated screenshot of the cancellation, your refund request to the company and its reply, and screenshots of the page where the real price was hidden. Point out anything the company's evidence leaves out: for example, that you cancelled before the charge, or that no reminder was sent before the trial ended. In many countries a payment taken after you cancelled a recurring card payment counts as one you did not authorize; ask your bank what rules apply to you. Ask the bank's support where to send a second request (sometimes a separate form in the app or a separate e-mail address), and put the case number in the subject line.

Step 2: complaining about the bank, and when it helps

Almost every country has an organization that oversees banks and takes complaints from customers: usually the central or national bank, sometimes a financial ombudsman. For example, in the US it is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in the UK the free Financial Ombudsman Service. But be clear about what it does: it does not refund you, and it does not make the bank win the dispute with the company. It checks whether the bank followed the law and its own contract: whether it accepted your request, answered in time, and gave a real reason. So a complaint makes sense when the bank ignores you, takes longer than it promised, or refuses without an explanation.

1. First wait for the bank's written answer, or for its deadline to pass: without it, the complaint is usually sent back.
2. Find that organization's website for your country (search "complain about a bank" and your country) and its section for consumer complaints.
3. Describe what happened briefly, by date: when you were charged, when you asked the bank, what the bank answered. Attach the case number and copies of the messages.
4. Give your name and contact details: anonymous complaints are not handled.
5. If you are not sure how to file, call the organization and ask how to do it in your case.

Step 3: write to the company once more

While the paperwork moves, a second, calm e-mail to the company often works faster. Say that you have disputed the charge with your bank and complained to the regulator, that you never used the paid service, and that you are asking for a voluntary refund. For many companies a few dozen dollars is cheaper to return than a dispute is to fight. Keep it factual: no threats, no accusations.

Step 4: court, honestly

As a last resort, you can take the bank's refusal or the company to court; the rules and the costs depend on your country. Be honest with yourself about the odds. Courts usually check first whether you made the payment yourself, and customers who confirmed the payment themselves often lose. If you go after the company, it is often registered abroad, and suing it from your country is a long and costly thing to do over $30–40. Consider court when the sum is large, or when the bank clearly broke the rules: for example, it did not refund a payment you never agreed to at all.

If someone in your search results offers to "guarantee your money back" for a fee paid up front, that is almost certainly a second trap. No firm can guarantee what a bank or a card network will decide.

What usually happens

The honest picture: a charge taken after a dated cancellation is refunded fairly often. The first full-price charge after a trial you formally agreed to is refunded far less often, unless the company gives in. A complaint about the bank makes it do its job properly; it does not decide who is right in the dispute with the company. Court rarely pays for small sums. So the most valuable things you can do today are to make sure the charges have stopped, keep every e-mail, and make sure it does not happen again.

If you are now wary of another site you are about to pay on, you can check it by its link before you enter a card.

This is general information, not legal advice. Bank and app store rules change and differ from country to country, so check the steps in your bank’s app or with their support.