What Is a Careington Charge? How to Cancel, Refund, and Dispute

A Careington charge on a credit card is almost always a recurring membership fee for a dental, vision, or other health discount plan administered by Careington International Corporation, a Frisco, Texas company that sells plans directly and also handles billing for many third-party sellers.¹ If the name looks unfamiliar, the charge is often an automatic renewal of a plan signed up for months or years earlier, sometimes under a completely different brand name.

What the Charge Is

Careington is not an insurance company. It sells discount programs that give members reduced rates at participating dental, vision, and wellness providers in exchange for a monthly or annual fee, and its materials state plainly that the plans are “not insurance” and are not meant to replace health insurance.¹

Amounts vary by plan and billing cycle. Complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau document charges of $9.95, $14.95, and $29.95 per month, along with $140.76 and $209 annual charges and a $239 semi-annual charge.² Careington’s own site currently lists its Dental Plus Savings Plan at $18.95 per month for an individual and $24.95 per month for a family, or $189 to $249 annually, with a one-time $20 processing fee.¹ Plans auto-renew unless the member cancels in writing.³

Why You May Not Recognize the Name

Careington contracts with third-party sellers who market plans under their own brands, including 1Dental.com, PremierOne Dental, Dentrite, and vision programs such as VSP. Because Careington handles the billing, the statement descriptor often reads “Careington International” rather than the brand the consumer actually signed up with. One BBB complainant bought through a company called “Dental1” and had no idea what “Careington International” was when it showed up on their statement.² The same descriptor has been traced to VSP vision plan renewals.⁴ 1Dental has itself acknowledged that dental offices may not recognize the “1Dental” name because plans are administered under titles like “Careington 500” or “Aetna Dental Access.”⁵

So before assuming the charge is fraud, think back to any dental or vision discount plan you may have enrolled in, even years ago. That is the most likely source.

How To Cancel

Careington allows members to cancel at any time and states that it will stop collecting fees within 30 days of receiving a cancellation notice.⁶ Submit the request through any of these channels:

Phone: (800) 290-0523
Email: memberservices@careington.com
Fax: (888) 335-7330
Mail: Careington International Corporation, Attention: Member Services, 7400 Gaylord Parkway, Frisco, TX 75034

For monthly billing, the cancellation notice must be received before the 20th of the month to stop the next draft.⁷ Keep a written record of the request. Some consumers have reported being billed after they believed they had canceled, which is harder to challenge without proof of when and how notice was given.⁸

Getting a Refund

Careington offers a 30-day money-back guarantee: cancel within 30 days of the effective date or receipt of membership materials and the fee is refunded, minus a “nominal processing fee.”⁷ That processing fee is $5 for Maryland residents and is fully refunded for Arkansas residents. A separate terms-and-conditions page references a 45-day cancellation window for a refund.³

For members billed quarterly, semi-annually, or annually, Careington says it provides a pro-rata reimbursement of periodic charges once a cancellation is processed.³ Older charges beyond the guarantee window are not covered by that policy, but the company has refunded long-running fees in individual cases. In a May 2025 BBB complaint, Careington refunded $792, equal to eight years of fees, after discovering that renewal notices had been going to a former dental office’s email address.⁹

Disputing the Charge With Your Card Issuer

If Careington will not refund you, or the charge is genuinely unauthorized, the card issuer is the next step. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, liability for unauthorized credit card charges is capped at $50, and many issuers go further with zero-liability policies.¹⁰

To preserve those protections, send a written dispute that reaches the issuer within 60 days after the statement containing the charge was sent. The issuer must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days.¹¹ During the investigation, you may withhold payment on the disputed amount without being reported as delinquent. If the issuer fails to follow the required settlement procedures, it forfeits the right to collect up to $50 of the disputed amount even if the charge turns out to be valid.¹⁰

Patterns in Consumer Complaints

Careington holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau as an accredited business, with 38 complaints filed over the past three years, 12 classified as billing issues.⁹ Reviews on ConsumerAffairs run harsher: all 58 listed reviews carry a one-star rating.⁸

Recurring themes worth knowing about if you’re trying to resolve a charge:

Unexpected auto-renewal billing, sometimes continuing for years when renewal notices went to outdated contact information.⁹
Difficulty reaching the company to cancel, with reports of full voicemail boxes, busy phone lines, and unresponsive emails. BBB reviews describe cancellation as “almost impossible.”¹²
Continued billing after a cancellation request was submitted.⁸
Dentists listed as participating providers who do not actually accept the plan.⁸

Careington has typically responded to BBB complaints by issuing refunds, canceling plans, and clarifying its auto-renewal disclosures, and it stated in at least one 2026 response that it is “reviewing its communication channels” to improve member support accessibility.⁹ If direct contact stalls, filing a BBB complaint and disputing the charge with your card issuer in parallel tends to move things faster than either route alone.

1
Careington. Dental Plus Savings Plan Sign-Up
2
Better Business Bureau. Careington International Corporation Complaints Page 2
3
Careington. Terms and Conditions
4
Gordon Meyer. Credit Card Charge From Careington International Is VSP
5
Better Business Bureau. 1Dental Complaints
6
Careington. FAQ
7
Careington. Frequently Asked Questions
8
ConsumerAffairs. Careington
9
Better Business Bureau. Careington International Corporation Complaints
10
Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
11
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute a Charge on My Credit Card Bill
12
Better Business Bureau. Careington International Corporation BBB Profile