FAQ

VISA Disputes

Most popular questions...

• You are unable to take a scheduled flight as a result of government travel restrictions or due to medical symptoms or you cannot reach a hotel stay due to border closures. Do you have dispute rights?

  No. You do not generally have disputes rights if you cannot use or access services made available by a merchant as long as the merchant has properly disclosed its terms and conditions. This also applies to non-airline merchants, such as hotels and other venues that kept their obligations to deliver services.

  We suggest you attempt to resolve the dispute directly with the merchant. 

• You purchased services however chose not to use them due to concerns related to COVID-19. For example, you cancelled your flight as you chose not to travel on a scheduled flight. Do you have dispute rights?

  No, you do not have dispute rights if you chose not to use services made available by a merchant, as the merchant has fulfilled their obligations to provide the service and has properly disclosed its terms and conditions. This also applies to non-airline merchants, such as hotels and other venues that kept their obligations to deliver services.

  We suggest you attempt to resolve the dispute directly with the merchant.

• You have tickets for an event such as a sports match, a concert or a theatre performance that was cancelled and rescheduled. However, you do not want to attend the event on the alternate date chosen by the merchant. Do you have dispute rights?

  Generally yes. The merchant is usually responsible for providing the purchased service on the agreed upon date and you are not usually required to accept an alternate date. However, you should check the terms and conditions you have agreed to. Further, if the reason for the cancellation of the event was due to a government-imposed prohibition on proceeding with the event as originally scheduled, then you would generally not have a right to dispute the transaction. Government regulation and/or law supersedes Visa rules on dispute rights.

  We suggest you attempt to resolve the dispute directly with the merchant.

• You missed your flight (for any reason) and as a result, missed a subsequent separate non-refundable service, such as a cruise or prepaid hotel reservation. Do you have dispute rights for the subsequent missed service?

  No. You would not have dispute rights for the subsequent missed service.

  We suggest you attempt to resolve the dispute directly with the merchant. 

• You order merchandise from a merchant and the merchandise is not received by the expected date. Can a dispute be pursued?

  Yes. If the merchant fails to provide the merchandise by the expected date, you would have a valid dispute. However, you must first attempt to resolve the dispute with the merchant. 

More questions...

• Due to a merchant cancellation of a service, you incur additional out-of-pocket expenses. For example, your flight is cancelled, and you are rebooked for a flight the following day. You take a taxi to a nearby hotel to stay the night and want to be reimbursed for the additional cost of the taxi and hotel. Can these be included in the dispute?

  No, the dispute value which we can assist you with is limited to the value of the services not received. We suggest you raise the issue of any additional costs you have incurred with the merchant.

• You purchased a good or service and decided to not to use it, however the merchant was willing and able to provide the purchased goods / service. As a courtesy, the merchant offered a credit / voucher for future use. The merchant went bankrupt before you used the credit / voucher. Do you have dispute rights?

  No. The merchant was able to provide the service and you cancelled outside of the merchant’s properly disclosed policy. Since you did not have the dispute right for a refund on the original transaction, the extension of the voucher by the merchant does not later change the dispute rights. 

• You purchased goods/services and the merchant cancels the good or service due to a government prohibition. For example, an airline cancels a flight because the government closed the border or a gym closes operations because of a government mandate to cease operations. Do you have dispute rights?

  No, if the merchant has not provided the service due to a government-imposed prohibition, you do not have a dispute right. Government regulation and/or law supersedes Visa rules on dispute rights.

  We suggest you attempt to resolve the dispute directly with the merchant.

• How to dispute a debt that is not yours?

  It is generally a good idea to contact the business first. This may remind you of a purchase that you did make or a payment that you did owe them! Issues are also often able to be resolved faster by contacting the business directly.

  If you need our assistance our team is here to support you.  To provide us with the information we need:

  Complete and sign the VISA DISPUTE FORM
  Email the form to [email protected].

  Please ensure you attach all supporting information you may have. For example, receipts/proof of purchase, photographs of the item/s if it’s not as described, copies of correspondence you have had with the business about the issue (e.g. email). We may also contact you to request further information if required.

• How do I dispute a credit card charge?

  It is generally a good idea to contact the business first. This may remind you of a purchase that you did make or a payment that you did owe them! In some cases (e.g. the goods haven’t been received) we will ask you to attempt to contact the business as a first step.  Issues are also often able to be resolved faster by contacting the business directly.

  If you need our assistance, our team is here to support you.  To provide us with the information we need:

  Complete and sign the VISA DISPUTE FORM
  Email the form to [email protected].

  Please ensure you attach all supporting information you may have. For example, receipts/proof of purchase, photographs of the item/s if it’s not as described, copies of correspondence you have had with the business about the issue (e.g. email). We may also contact you to request further information if required.

• Where can I find a VISA dispute form?

  A form to enquire about an unauthorised VISA transaction form can be found in Forms, under Transaction and Enquiry forms.

• Can you dispute credit card charges if you were intoxicated?

  Being intoxicated is generally not a valid reason to dispute a transaction if you were the one who authorised the transaction.

• You purchased goods/services and the merchant decides to cancel the good or service. For example, an airline cancels a flight due to low demand. Do you have dispute rights?

  Yes, there is a dispute right when goods/services are not provided for any reason, including bankruptcy or other circumstances. An EXCEPTION is cancellations due to government prohibition as government regulation and/or law supersedes Visa rules on dispute rights.

  We suggest you attempt to resolve the dispute directly with the merchant before initiating a dispute.

• How do we investigate a dispute? What is a chargeback dispute?

  Our Visa Disputes team will review the circumstances of the dispute.  If the claim falls within the Visa International Operating Regulations we will  charge the transaction back to the Merchant.  This is called a ‘chargeback’.

  What could happen next?

  The Merchant has the right to challenge the chargeback and under Visa International Operating Regulations, has up to 30 days to respond.  If the Merchant provides evidence of the validity of the charge, the transaction may be re-presented back to your account.

• How do I dispute a PayPal transaction?

  PayPal have a Resolution Centre for PayPal disputes.  Contact the PayPal Resolution Centre to dispute a PayPal transaction.