How to dispute a card or debit charge in Canada
Start with the merchant when you know the store. If the line was not allowed, or the store will not fix a mistake, tell the bank or the card issuer and keep notes. The day counts below are the ones the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada prints. Do not borrow the US 60 day credit card letter and call it a Canadian rule.
Last updated: October 17, 2026
Last checked: Oct 2026
What to gather
Write the posting date, the description, and the amount from the statement. Add the receipt or the order email if you have one, and the names of people who can use the card or the account. FCAC says that when you prepare a complaint you should write the key facts, the dates, and the outcome you want, such as a refund or a correction.
FCAC says an unauthorized transaction is generally any banking or credit card transaction you did not make or approve. Change passwords and PINs, tell the institution immediately, and keep watching the account after you report it. Your account agreement can set a reporting time. If you miss the time in the agreement, FCAC says you may be held responsible and you may not get the amount back.
For a deposit account such as chequing or savings, FCAC says you usually have 30 days after the date of your statement to dispute a transaction, and that this can differ from one institution to another. Read your agreement rather than treating 30 days as every credit union and every bank.
Credit card
FCAC says that when an unauthorized transaction is made with your credit card, your maximum liability, by law, cannot be more than $50 unless you demonstrated gross negligence. In Quebec the test used on FCAC's protection page is gross fault. The card agreement must explain the maximum liability if the card is used without permission. Tell the issuer without delay.
A federally regulated institution cannot hold you responsible for a transaction you did not authorize only because a PIN or other authentication was used. It must investigate, including swipe and other technology, and it should look at circumstances beyond your control, such as theft or a system malfunction. An investigation is not the same thing as an instant refund.
If you bought something and the amount is wrong, FCAC's credit card page says to contact the merchant first. If the merchant does not correct it, contact the financial institution. Merchants outside Quebec may add a surcharge of up to 2.4% for using a credit card, and they must tell you before they process the payment. A disclosed surcharge is not the same problem as a charge you never made.
Debit card
FCAC says you should immediately report an unauthorized debit transaction. If you took the steps to protect your PIN, you should get your money back. You are not responsible for losses from situations beyond your control, such as a technical problem, or for use after you reported the card lost or stolen. You can be responsible if you were careless with the PIN, for example by sharing it. The protection page says a PIN that is easy to guess, or one PIN reused everywhere, works against you. Use the responsibilities in your card agreement.
The Canadian Code of Practice for Consumer Debit Card Services, as FCAC publishes it, says that when you report an unauthorized transaction the PIN issuer tells you it will investigate, that any reimbursement comes from that investigation, and that it will respond as soon as possible but no later than 10 business days. If the issuer asks for a signed statement during the investigation, that request can pause the 10 day response until the statement arrives. If the problem is not settled at the first complaint, the issuer provides written information on the dispute process.
Pre-authorized debit, then a complaint
A company pulling money with your account number is a pre-authorized debit. FCAC says you usually have 90 calendar days from the withdrawal to report a debit you did not approve and to ask for the money back. The institution does not have to reimburse you after 90 days. You sign a declaration. You can ask for related charges, such as a non-sufficient funds fee, to be reversed as well. Canceling the debit in writing does not cancel the debt. Details are on ACH debit and pre-authorized debit.
If you complain to a bank, FCAC says the bank must give you a detailed written response within 56 calendar days from when you first made the complaint. FCAC does not decide that individual complaint. If you are not satisfied, you can go to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments on the earlier of two dates: more than 56 calendar days after you complained to the bank, or when the bank has given the written response and closed the file. OBSI must advise you in writing within 30 calendar days if the complaint is outside its terms. It must make a final written recommendation within 120 calendar days after it has the information it needs. A provincial credit union follows that province's regulator, not this federal path.
The US letter and the US 60 day credit card clock are a different country. They are explained on dispute a charge in the US so you do not mix them up. Upload the statement on Expenvo. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo lists the lines so you can match a short name to a date and an amount. It does not call the bank, and it does not dispute a charge.
Questions
- Is the Canadian credit card deadline 60 days?
- Do not use the US 60 day figure. FCAC says the maximum liability on an unauthorized credit card transaction is $50 unless there was gross negligence, and to report without delay. For a deposit account it says you usually have 30 days after the statement date, and that your agreement can differ.
- How long is the pre-authorized debit window?
- FCAC says you usually have 90 calendar days from the withdrawal to report a pre-authorized debit you did not approve. After 90 days the institution does not have to reimburse you.
- How fast must the bank answer a complaint?
- FCAC says a bank must give a detailed written response within 56 calendar days. After that, or sooner if the bank has already closed the file in writing, you can go to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments.
- Does Expenvo dispute the charge?
- No. Expenvo reads the statement. You report the line to the merchant and to the bank or card issuer.
Sources
Related guides
Free is $0 USD. The PDF stays on your device.