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Email templates · Bank and credit union

Email template to dispute a bank transaction

There is a charge on your checking account or debit card that you do not recognize, that was billed twice, that is for the wrong amount, or that paid for something the merchant never delivered. Under federal rules for electronic transfers and debit cards, you have to tell your bank about an error within 60 days of the statement it first appeared on, and the bank then has to investigate. Telling them in writing starts that clock with a date attached and leaves a record of exactly what you reported. If your card was lost or stolen, call the number on the back of the card first to freeze it, then send this so the dispute itself is on paper.

Before you send

  • The transaction as it appears on your statement: date, amount, and the merchant description word for word.
  • Which of the four problems it is: you did not make it, it was charged twice, the amount is wrong, or you paid and got nothing.
  • Whether you have already asked the merchant to fix it. Banks often want to see that you tried, at least for the "never delivered" case.
  • The date of the statement the charge is on, so you can show you are inside the 60-day window.
  • Any proof: a receipt, an order confirmation, a cancellation email. You do not need to attach it yet, but say you have it.
Subject Dispute of transaction on [date] for $[amount], account ending [last four digits] 
Hi [bank name] team,

I'm writing to dispute a transaction on my [checking account / debit card] ending in [last four digits].

- Date: [transaction date]
- Amount: $[amount]
- Description on my statement: [merchant name exactly as it appears]

[One sentence that fits your case: I did not make or authorize this transaction. Or: I was charged twice for a single purchase. Or: the amount charged is different from what I agreed to pay. Or: I paid for something that was never delivered and the merchant has not answered my refund request.]

Please open a dispute for this transaction, credit the amount back to my account while you investigate, and let me know if you need anything else from me. I have [a receipt / the order confirmation / my emails with the merchant] and can send copies.

This charge appeared on my statement dated [statement date], so I'm reporting it within the 60-day window. If my card needs to be replaced, please let me know.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • Expect a confirmation that a dispute was opened, with a case number, and in most cases a temporary credit for the amount within about ten business days while the bank investigates.
  • A bad reply is "please contact the merchant" with no case number. Write back once, say you are asking the bank to open a dispute, and ask for the case number.
  • If the bank denies the dispute, ask for the documents it relied on. You are entitled to see them, and they often reveal the merchant simply said "the charge is valid."
  • If the bank will not open a dispute at all for a charge you did not authorize, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Dispute a transaction with my bank 
Hi StandIn,

Please dispute a transaction on my bank account and see it through until it is resolved.

Bank: [bank or credit union name].
Account: [checking or debit card, last four digits only].
The transaction: [date, amount, and the merchant name as shown on the statement].
What's wrong: [I didn't make it / charged twice / wrong amount / never delivered].
What I've already done: [contacted the merchant on which date, or nothing yet].
Proof I have: [receipt, order confirmation, emails].

Write the dispute, ask for a case number and a temporary credit, chase them if they go quiet, and tell me if they need anything from me directly. Never share my full account number or login details.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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