How to Dispute a Charge on Discover: Deadlines and Process

To dispute a charge on Discover, submit a billing error notice online at Discover.com, through the Discover mobile app, or by certified mail to Discover, P.O. Box 30421, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0421. Do it within 60 days of the date the statement containing the charge was sent. That deadline, set by federal law, is what forces Discover to investigate, pause collection on the disputed amount, and resolve the matter within 90 days.¹

The 60-Day Deadline Comes First

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the clock starts when Discover sends the statement showing the error. You have 60 days from that date to submit a written or electronic notice.¹ “Written or electronic” matters. You can call Discover to report a problem, but a phone call alone may not trigger the company’s legal obligation to investigate. Filing through the online portal, the app, or a mailed letter locks in your rights.²

Check statements as they arrive. If something looks wrong, act on it the same week; waiting until the next cycle eats into the window.

Try the Merchant First

Before you file anything with Discover, contact the merchant. Duplicate charges, missing refunds, items that never shipped, or canceled subscriptions still billing are often fixed with one call or email. Discover’s own guidance recommends going to the seller first and escalating only if that doesn’t resolve the issue.³

Keep notes. Record dates, names, what was said, and any confirmation or ticket numbers. If the merchant promises a refund that never posts, those notes become your strongest evidence when you escalate to Discover.

What You Can Dispute

The Fair Credit Billing Act covers specific categories: charges you never made, charges in the wrong amount, charges for goods or services never delivered, math or accounting mistakes on your statement, and payments or credits Discover failed to post correctly.¹ Subscriptions you canceled but keep getting billed for fit here too.

Unauthorized charges, where someone used your card without permission, are treated differently. Federal law caps your liability for unauthorized credit card use at $50.⁴ Discover’s $0 Fraud Liability policy goes further and holds you to nothing for unauthorized purchases.⁵ If you suspect fraud rather than a billing dispute with a known merchant, say so when you contact Discover; the internal routing is different.

What to Gather Before You File

Your notice needs three things: your name and account number, the dollar amount you believe is wrong, and a description of what happened and why you think the charge is an error.² Pull up the transaction and note the exact date, the merchant name as it appears on the statement, and the amount.

Supporting evidence strengthens the case but isn’t required to start. Receipts, order confirmations, shipping tracking, screenshots of cancellation requests, and any back-and-forth with the merchant all help. If you already tried the seller, summarize those communications and the outcome.

Filing Online or in the App

The fastest route is through your account at Discover.com or in the Discover mobile app. Log in, go to recent transactions or statement activity, and select the charge you want to dispute. The form will ask for the reason and a description. Discover also maintains a dedicated billing error notice page at discover.com/billingerrornotice for electronic written submissions.²

An online submission creates a timestamped electronic record, which is what you want if there’s ever a question about meeting the 60-day deadline. Check the amount and description against your documentation before you confirm.

Filing by Phone or Mail

Discover customer service is reachable at 1-800-347-2683, available around the clock. A call is a reasonable way to report suspected fraud or get the ball rolling, but the cardholder agreement is clear that a phone call alone may not trigger the full legal investigation process for a billing error.² If you call, follow up in writing or electronically.

For a formal written dispute, send your notice to:

Discover
P.O. Box 30421
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0421²

Use certified mail with return receipt requested. The receipt is your proof of when Discover received the letter. Send copies of your supporting documents, not originals, and keep a full copy of everything you sent.

What Happens After You File

Once Discover has a valid written or electronic dispute, the law sets a firm timeline. Within 30 days, Discover must acknowledge receipt. Within two full billing cycles, and no more than 90 days, Discover must either correct the error or send you a written explanation of why the charge stands.¹

While the investigation is open, Discover cannot try to collect the disputed amount or report you as delinquent on that portion of your balance.² The charge may still show on your statement, but you don’t have to pay it yet. You do still owe the rest of your balance and any minimum payment on the undisputed portion. Discover can also apply the disputed amount against your available credit limit while the review is pending.

Behind the scenes, Discover contacts the merchant for documentation. The merchant can accept the reversal or provide evidence the charge was legitimate. Discover weighs both sides before deciding.

If Discover Rules in Your Favor

When the investigation confirms a billing error, you won’t owe the disputed amount or any interest and fees that built up on it.⁶ Discover must correct your account and remove the related finance charges.² Any temporary credit posted during the investigation becomes permanent.

If Your Dispute Is Denied

If Discover decides the charge was correct, it must send a written explanation of what you owe, why, and when payment is due. That amount includes applicable interest and fees that accumulated during the investigation.⁶ Any temporary credit is reversed.

You still have options. Within 10 days of receiving the explanation, you can write back, or submit through discover.com/billingerrornotice, stating that you still refuse to pay.² Discover can then report you as delinquent, but it must also report that you dispute the charge, name every credit bureau or organization it notified, and update those same organizations when the matter is resolved.

There’s an enforcement backstop. If Discover fails to follow the required dispute procedures, you don’t have to pay the first $50 of the disputed amount, even if the charge turns out to be valid.²

Filing a CFPB Complaint

If you believe Discover mishandled your dispute or violated the Fair Credit Billing Act, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Include a clear description of the problem, key dates and amounts, and copies of your communications with Discover.⁷ The CFPB forwards complaints to the company, and responses generally come within 15 days, with up to 60 days for more complex cases.

How a Dispute Affects Your Credit

Filing a dispute does not by itself hurt your credit score. During the investigation, Discover cannot report the disputed amount as delinquent, so your payment history stays clean on that charge as long as you keep paying the undisputed part of your balance on time.²

The risk comes after a denied dispute. If you owe the amount and don’t pay by the date Discover sets, it can report you as delinquent. A written refusal within the 10-day window forces Discover to note the dispute on that report, but the negative mark still appears. If you can afford to pay the amount after a denial while continuing to challenge it through a CFPB complaint, that keeps your credit report clean during the fight.

One detail that catches people off guard: while the dispute is pending, Discover can apply the disputed amount against your credit limit. If you’re close to your limit already, that temporarily raises your utilization ratio and can nudge your score down even though nothing is actually wrong on your end.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors
2
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Discover Bank Cardmember Agreement
3
Discover. How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1643 – Liability of Holder of Credit Card
5
Discover. Credit Card Benefits: Discover Card Rewards
6
Consumer Advice. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
7
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint