Dispute a Transaction Bank of America: Credit and Debit

Quick Answer: For a Bank of America credit card, log in to Online Banking and dispute the posted transaction from the Activity tab, or use the Dispute a transaction link on the Information & Services tab, within 60 days of the statement it appeared on. For a debit or ATM transaction, use the Online Banking dispute link or call 877-366-1121. Report unauthorized use right away at 800.432.1000.

Bank of America runs credit card and debit card disputes through different doors. Credit card disputes start inside the card account in Online Banking; debit and ATM disputes have their own Online Banking link and phone number. Both ask you to try the merchant first, and both are tracked through Bank of America's Claims Message Center. Details below come from its dispute FAQs, read 27 October 2026.

Bank of America's pages describe the Online Banking route; its mobile app may offer a similar option from the transaction, but menu labels there are not covered below. For the federal rules every card issuer follows, see the issuer-neutral dispute guide.

First question: merchant problem or unauthorized use?

Bank of America's credit card FAQ makes a point worth taking seriously: many disputed charges are legitimate ones the customer did not recognize or remember. Before filing, open the transaction in the Activity tab and look at the merchant details.

Then decide which of these you have:

• Unauthorized use. Someone used your card or number without permission. Bank of America asks you to call 800.432.1000 immediately rather than wait to file an online dispute. If the card itself is lost or stolen, the debit card FAQ gives the same number (Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, weekends 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET) and 1-315-724-4022 from outside the US.
• A merchant problem. You made the purchase, but the amount was wrong, it was charged twice, the item never arrived or a refund never came. This is a dispute, and Bank of America recommends contacting the merchant first, since the merchant can often answer your question and fix it. The merchant's phone number is usually on your receipt or statement.

If you are still unsure whether a line is fraudulent, the guide to detecting unauthorized charges walks through the usual clues.

How do I dispute a Bank of America credit card charge?

From Bank of America's credit card dispute FAQ:

1. Log in to Online Banking.
2. Open your credit card account page.
3. Either find the transaction on the Activity tab and dispute it from the transaction detail, or choose Dispute a transaction on the Information & Services tab.
4. Describe what went wrong and submit.

Rules that apply on the credit card side:

• Posted transactions only. A pending charge cannot be disputed yet.
• 60 days. The FAQ says you may submit a dispute within 60 days of the date on the statement where the transaction appeared.
• No interest on the disputed amount. Bank of America says no fees or interest are incurred on the disputed charge while the dispute is open.
• Your minimum payment may drop. Bank of America may recalculate the minimum payment as the total balance minus the amount in dispute.
• AutoPay is reviewed. If you have AutoPay or a payment scheduled three or more days out, Bank of America says it will review whether to reduce that payment so you do not pay into the disputed amount.

Not enrolled in Online Banking? Bank of America's credit card customer service contact page lists the phone options, and you can schedule an appointment with a credit card specialist.

How do I dispute a Bank of America debit card transaction?

Bank of America's debit card FAQ gives two ways:

• Online: log in to Online Banking and use the link to dispute an ATM or debit card transaction.
• Phone: call 877-366-1121.

As with credit cards, the FAQ suggests a quick call to the merchant first. If the problem is with a pending transaction on your debit card, the FAQ points you to a financial center or 800-432-1000 instead.

The FAQ itself does not state how long a debit dispute takes or when you get money back. Those limits come from federal law, Regulation E: you need to report an error within 60 days after the statement showing it was sent, and a bank that takes longer than 10 business days to investigate generally has to provisionally credit your account while it finishes, with up to 45 days, or 90 days for point-of-sale debit card purchases, to complete the investigation.

Credit and debit side by side

What happens after you submit

On a credit card, Bank of America says its dispute department researches the transaction with the merchant and the merchant's bank. That back-and-forth with the merchant's bank is the chargeback. It handles disputes under the billing error procedures in federal law and your card agreement, and keeps you updated by phone, mail or the Online Banking Message Center.

Two things to watch for:

• Requests for information. If Bank of America needs more from you, it asks through the Message Center, and you need to reply within 12 business days. Missing that window can stall the dispute.
• The result. If the charge was posted in error, Bank of America corrects your account. If it was not, it tells you what you owe.

How do I check a Bank of America dispute status?

Log in to Online Banking and open the Claims Message Center. It lists each dispute separately and is where you receive and answer requests for more information. Check it every few days while a dispute is open, since that 12-business-day reply window starts when Bank of America sends the request.

When to call instead of filing online

Use the phone when:

• The charge is unauthorized, or your card is lost or stolen: 800.432.1000.
• You want to dispute a debit card transaction and are not set up for Online Banking: 877-366-1121.
• The transaction does not show a dispute option, or it is still pending and you think it is wrong.
• Several transactions are linked, such as a run of repeat charges from the same merchant.

Pulling together the evidence

Bank of America does not publish a document checklist, but the dispute form will ask what happened. Have the date, amount and merchant name as printed, your receipt or order confirmation, any cancellation or return confirmation, and your messages with the merchant.

For a charge that repeated over months, export the history first. Bank of America lets you export transactions to CSV or Excel for recent activity. If you need months only available as PDF statements, QuickBankConvert can turn them into spreadsheet rows; the Bank of America bank page has more on its statements. Filter by merchant, total the charges, and you have a clean list to attach.

Related guides

• Dispute a credit card charge: the 60-day process
• Export Bank of America transactions
• Detect unauthorized charges on your statement
• Bank of America: Credit card disputes FAQ
• Bank of America: Debit card FAQs