Chargebacks and credit card disputes
Last updated 1 September 2026
Before you contact your bank
A chargeback is a slow and permanent way to solve a problem we can usually fix in a day. Once you start one, we cannot stop it, cannot refund you directly, and your account may be restricted while it runs.
What a chargeback is
A chargeback is when you ask your bank to reverse a payment rather than asking the merchant. Your bank takes the money back from us and then reviews whether the charge was valid. The process is run entirely by your bank and the card network.
It exists for real problems, and it is the right tool when a payment was genuinely not yours. It is a poor tool for anything else.
The two routes compared
| Contacting us | Bank dispute | |
| How long | Usually a day | Several weeks |
| Can it be undone | Yes, at any point | No, not once filed |
| Your account | Unaffected | May be restricted or closed |
| A refund from us | Possible | No longer possible |
Once a dispute is open, our hands are tied. We cannot refund a payment that is already being reversed, and we cannot withdraw the dispute on your behalf. Only your bank can close it.
What happens to your account
If a chargeback is raised against your account, your access may be restricted while it is reviewed, and it may be closed permanently. Any content you have bought or subscribed to becomes inaccessible, and this includes purchases unrelated to the disputed charge.
A chargeback also removes any possibility of a refund from us on that payment.
When you should contact your bank
If your card has been used without your permission, contact your bank. That is what the process is for, and you should not delay it to talk to us first. Tell us as well, so we can secure the account and stop anything else happening on it.
For everything else, a charge you do not recognise, a purchase that did not arrive, a subscription you thought you had cancelled, come to us first. Those are all faster to fix directly, and most of them are fixable.
Talk to us first
| Email bill@hidden.com with the date, the amount, and the last four digits of your card. |
| Tell us within 30 days of the charge appearing. After that we are much more limited in what we can do. |
If your access was restricted by mistake
Email support@hidden.com and we will look into it. If a dispute was raised by someone else with access to your card, say so, because that changes what we can do.
Common questions
+I already filed one. Can I cancel it?
Only your bank can withdraw a dispute, so ask them. Tell us as well, and once your bank confirms it is closed we can look at your account again.
+I did not recognise the charge, so I disputed it.
This is the most common reason people file, and it is usually a misunderstanding. Charges appear under our billing partner's name rather than as Hidden. See How Hidden charges appear on your statement.
+Does a chargeback affect the creator?
It can. Creators are paid from the money you spend, and a reversal is taken back out of the platform. Someone who has done nothing wrong may lose earnings they had already been paid.
+Someone used my card without permission.
Contact your bank so they can secure the card, and tell us too. This is different from a dispute over a payment you made, and we treat it differently.
Related
How Hidden charges appear on your statement
What to do if someone else accessed your account
Not sure about a charge? Email bill@hidden.com before you contact your bank.
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