Do I need to contact the merchant before filing a chargeback?

Yes in practice. Issuers expect a documented attempt to resolve it, and it also gives the merchant a chance to refund quickly. Do it right away so it does not use up your dispute window.

What if tracking says delivered but I never received it?

Ask the merchant and the carrier for proof of delivery such as a photo or location. Tell your issuer exactly that: delivered per tracking, not received, with what you asked for and what they said.

What if I paid by debit card?

You have fewer statutory protections than with a credit card in some countries, but you can still dispute. In the US, notify the bank within 60 days of the statement; in the UK, use chargeback.

Chargeback guide

Chargeback for non-delivery: evidence and steps

Show the promise never arrived.

Updated October 18, 2026 · General information, not legal advice

Key facts

US credit card: Written notice within 60 days of the statement. Issuer confirms receipt in 30 days and has two more billing cycles to resolve.
US debit card: Tell your bank within 60 days of the statement. It generally has 10 business days to investigate before it must provisionally credit you.
UK: Section 75 (credit cards, £100 to £30,000) or chargeback (debit, credit, prepaid), generally within 120 days.
Seller’s duty (US): Ship by the promised date, or within 30 days if none was stated; if delayed, the seller must offer you the choice to cancel for a refund.

Copy a letter Open workspace

01
Capture the promise
Save the listing, shipping estimate, order email, and the delivery date shown at checkout before the page changes.
02
Show the failure and your attempt to fix it
Keep tracking screenshots (or the lack of any carrier scan) and the message where you asked for delivery or a refund.
03
File with the card issuer in time
Send the dispute in writing to the billing-dispute address, with the dates, amount, and merchant contact record in a short summary.

Letter generator

Non-delivery letters: fill in your details and copy

Start with the merchant request, escalate with the final notice, and use the summary for your card issuer.

01Delivery-or-refund request to the merchant

Hello, I ordered [product or service] (order [order number], [amount], paid on [charge date]). It was promised by [promised delivery date] and has not arrived.

Please confirm a delivery date by [date you expect an answer] or refund [amount] to my original payment method. If the order has not shipped, please treat this as a request to cancel it.

02Final notice before a card dispute

Hello, I asked on [date of first message] about order [order number] and have not received the item or a refund.

If I do not receive a refund or proof of delivery by [final date], I will dispute the [amount] charge with my card issuer and include this correspondence.

03Issuer dispute summary: goods not received

I am disputing a charge of [amount] from [merchant], posted on [charge date], for order [order number]. The goods were never received.

The delivery promised at purchase was [promised delivery date]. [what went wrong in one sentence]. I contacted the merchant on [date of first message] and [date of second message] and received [no reply / no resolution].

Enclosed: order confirmation, the listing showing the delivery promise, tracking history, and my messages with the merchant. I request reversal of this charge.

Need the letter tailored to your exact timeline, plus an escalation message and a bank dispute summary? Build the full package in the workspace.

How this works

A non-delivery dispute is won with three facts: what was promised, that it did not arrive, and that you asked the merchant first. Mind the clock. For a US credit card, written notice is due within 60 days of the statement that shows the charge; UK chargeback claims are generally made within 120 days.

Dispute deadlines by country and card type

These are the headline numbers. Your card issuer’s own terms control, so confirm the deadline when you call.

US credit cards: send written notice to the billing-error address on your statement no later than 60 days after the statement showing the charge. The issuer must confirm receipt within 30 days and then has two more billing cycles to finish. You do not have to pay the disputed amount while it investigates.
US debit cards: notify the bank no later than 60 days after the statement. It generally has 10 business days to investigate, must credit the disputed amount provisionally if it takes longer, and must finish within 45 days (up to 90 days for point-of-sale debit purchases).
UK: credit cards are covered by section 75 for purchases from £100 up to £30,000 when goods or services are not supplied. Chargeback covers debit, credit, and prepaid cards and is generally claimed within 120 days; for future events the period starts from the event date.
EU: if no delivery date was agreed, the trader should deliver within 30 days. If it does not, give a reasonable extra deadline, then cancel and be reimbursed. You can skip the extra deadline if the trader refuses to deliver or the date was essential.

What the card issuer wants to see

Reviewers decide from a short file. Make it easy to see the answer to each of these:

What was bought, for how much, and on what date (statement line plus order confirmation).
What delivery was promised, and by when.
Proof it was not delivered: tracking history, a carrier statement, or the merchant’s own admission.
That you contacted the merchant, with dates, and what they replied or did not reply.

Before you send, and when to escalate

Before you send

Put the order number and amount in the first line of every message and of the dispute.
Check the date on your statement against the issuer’s deadline before anything else.
Write to the billing-dispute address on the statement, not the payment address.
Keep paying the undisputed part of your bill while the dispute runs.

Escalate when

The promised delivery date has passed and tracking shows no real movement.
The merchant refuses a refund or does not answer your request for an update.
Your card dispute deadline is approaching and the merchant is still stalling.

Common questions

Do I need to contact the merchant before filing a chargeback?: Yes in practice. Issuers expect a documented attempt to resolve it, and it also gives the merchant a chance to refund quickly. Do it right away so it does not use up your dispute window.
What if tracking says delivered but I never received it?: Ask the merchant and the carrier for proof of delivery such as a photo or location. Tell your issuer exactly that: delivered per tracking, not received, with what you asked for and what they said.
What if I paid by debit card?: You have fewer statutory protections than with a credit card in some countries, but you can still dispute. In the US, notify the bank within 60 days of the statement; in the UK, use chargeback.

Sources

Rules change. Check the current official text before relying on a deadline.