Visa 12.6 · Mastercard 4834

You were charged twice for the same thing

A duplicate charge is one of the most straightforward disputes there is: one purchase, two identical debits. It is a processing error rather than an argument about quality, so it rarely turns on interpretation — which is why banks resolve these quickly when the evidence is laid out clearly.

Does this apply to you?

• The same amount was taken twice on the same day for one purchase
• A card terminal was tried twice after the first attempt appeared to fail
• An online order went through once but was billed two or three times
• You paid a bill by card and by another method, and both were taken
• A hotel or rental charged both a deposit and the full amount without releasing the deposit

How long you have to file

Visa gives you 120 days and Mastercard 90, both counted from the day the payment was taken.

That is the card network's outer limit. Your own bank often sets an earlier one, and a missed deadline ends a dispute however good the case is — so treat it as the day to have filed by, not the day to start.

What to gather before you file

• Your card statement showing both charges, with dates and amounts
• The receipt or confirmation showing a single purchase
• Proof of the other payment method, if you paid a second way
• Any message where the merchant acknowledged the double charge

What the seller will argue

The merchant will argue the two charges are two genuine purchases, and if you buy from them regularly that argument can look plausible on a statement. The answer is your receipt: one confirmation number, one order, two debits. Where a payment terminal was tried twice, say so explicitly — staff retrying a card that appeared to decline is the most common cause and banks recognise the pattern immediately.

What to do, in order

1. Check whether one of the charges is a pending authorisation rather than a settled payment. Those often drop off by themselves within a week.
2. Print or screenshot the statement lines showing both charges.
3. Contact the merchant — many refund a genuine duplicate without argument.
4. File with your bank as duplicate processing if they do not.
5. Watch for the deadline: Mastercard allows 90 days for this type, less than Visa's 120.

When this will not work

Make sure it really is one purchase. A subscription that renewed, a split delivery billed in parts, or two genuinely separate orders on the same day will look identical on a statement and will not be refunded.

Other problems we cover

• Your order never arrived. Here is how to get your money back
• They kept charging you after you cancelled
• What arrived is not what you paid for
• You paid for the real thing and received a fake