Disputing a credit or Visa debit card transaction

If you find a transaction on your Visa or Mastercard® Credit Card or Visa Debit Card that you didn’t make, you can dispute it if you let us know within 60 days of the transaction.

Commonly disputed transactions

You should try and contact the company before getting in touch with us.

COVID-19 related

Due to COVID-19, there are some circumstances where your transaction may need to be cancelled or your goods and services are taking longer to arrive than they should.

You should get in touch with us if you:

  • believe your transaction is affected due to a border closure or lockdown restrictions
  • receive a cancellation notice from an airline or hotel
  • have been promised a refund, but it's been changed to a credit voucher
  • are concerned about any future dated holidays or trips you've booked.

You haven't received what you've paid for

It’s so easy to buy goods or services online – but what should you do when you don’t receive what you paid for?

In the COVID-19 climate goods are taking a little longer to arrive than we're used to.

  • Get in contact with the company, you should give them 10 business days to respond.
  • If it's coming from overseas, there's a chance that Customs will hold the item. This is outside of the control of the company.
  • You'll need to wait at least 30 days from the date of purchase before we can assess our right to dispute.

Your refund hasn't been processed

You've been advised you'll receive a refund, or a partial refund and you haven't received it yet.

Before contacting us, please keep in mind:

  • it can take up to 15 days for it to appear on your account
  • in the COVID-19 climate, companies are experiencing delays in processing refunds and may require extra time
  • the company may request a longer timeframe.

Trials and sign-ups

If you've supplied your card details to sign up for a trial or subscription, it's unlikely you'll be able to dispute it, but there may be limited circumstances under which you can, for example if you:

  • believe you haven't signed up to a trial or a subscription
  • have cancelled your trial or subscription, but have continued to be charged.

Pending transactions

Although the money hasn't yet left your account, you've committed to the transaction and it can't be reversed or cancelled.

You can see pending transactions within your account in internet banking or the mobile app. These types of transactions usually appear if you've just made a purchase or perhaps signed up for something.

If you don't recognise the purchase or the company, get in touch with us once your account has been debited.

What can't be disputed

There are some types of transactions that we can't dispute, for example if:

  • it's still pending or the money hasn't left your account yet
  • it's been more than 60 days since you made the purchase
  • you've decided you no longer want the goods or services
  • a friend or family member has used your card to make the purchase
  • the purchase was made in New Zealand via a domestic EFTPOS transaction and you pushed the ‘cheque’ or ‘savings’ button (i.e. you used your ATM/EFTPOS card or Visa Debit card to make the purchase)
  • the payment was made directly from your account to the merchant's account using internet banking or the mobile app – you may however be covered by our internet banking guarantee
  • it was conducted through a New Zealand ATM.

How we process a dispute

  • Building a case

    We can't begin the dispute process until the transaction has been debited from your card or account - it can't be pending.

    We'll then assess our right to dispute the transaction based on rules and regulations provided by Visa or Mastercard. If your transaction falls under one of these rules, we'll request supporting documentation from you e.g. emails, screenshots and invoices between yourself and the company.

    We'll then put a case forward to get the money back on your behalf.

  • Chargebacks

    A chargeback is when you get the purchase amount returned onto your card or account when we've successfully disputed the transaction on your behalf with Visa or Mastercard.

    If you have a chargeback case pending with us and a payment is due on your credit card, pay this as normal to avoid any late payment fees or interest charges.

  • Timeframes & fees

    • Each dispute varies in time, however we'll aim to lodge your claim with Visa or Mastercard within 14 days of hearing from you.
    • In limited circumstances, certain fees may apply.

  • Contacting merchants

    If we provide you a refund for a disputed unauthorised transaction, we may try to contact the relevant merchant to recover this amount.

    If we're satisfied that the relevant transaction was not unauthorised, we’ll reverse the refund or get in touch with you to arrange repayment.

Get in touch with us

If you have a transaction you'd like to dispute, please get in touch with us within 60 days of the transaction, as this allows us time to process your dispute. If it's been longer than that we may not be able to dispute it. Before calling us, make sure you've read the steps above.

Call us on 0800 113 355 or +64 4 473 1133 from overseas, Monday – Friday: 7:30am to 5:00pm.

Mastercard is the registered trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Kiwibank’s terms and conditions apply. See all credit cards terms and conditions. Contactless and Tap & Go are trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.