Hey bunqers 🌈,

A chargeback is your way to dispute unrecognized card payments — it’s designed to help you get your money back when payments made from your bunq Cards are incorrect or unauthorized. 

Instead of you having to rely on a merchant refund, we’ll submit your chargeback request and try to reverse the transaction through the card network’s rules. A chargeback covers you in the following situations:

• Unauthorized payments: a payment which you didn’t make or approve. 

• Goods or services not received: when you paid for something but it never arrived. 

• Not as described or defective: when the item that showed up was broken, defective, or totally different from the description. 

• Duplicate charges: when you’re accidentally charged twice for the same purchase. 

• Canceled subscriptions: when you’re still getting charged for a subscription you already cancelled. 

• Missing refunds: when a merchant promised a refund, but it never came through 

• ATM errors: when an ATM charged you for a withdrawal, but didn’t dispense any cash 

You can simply submit a chargeback request through the app and we’ll handle the rest for you. Here’s everything you need to know about the chargeback process. 

How can I request a chargeback? 

It’s simple! Just follow the steps below: 

1. Go to your Home Tab

2. Select the relevant Bank Account

3. Find and select the payment you’d like to dispute

4. Tap on More

5. Tap Request a Chargeback

6. Select the reason

7. Upload the requested information and submit

If the payment isn't eligible for a chargeback, the Request a Chargeback button won't appear in the app. 

When is a payment eligible for a chargeback request?

A payment is usually eligible for a chargeback when:

• You didn’t authorize the payment or your card details were used fraudulently

• You never received what you paid for

• What you received is significantly different from what was advertised

• You were charged more than once for the same purchase

• You canceled a subscription but were still charged

• A merchant promised a refund that didn’t arrive after a reasonable period

• An ATM failed to dispense cash but debited your account

When is a payment not eligible for a chargeback request?

Chargebacks only apply to card payments made with a bunq Credit Card or Debit Card (Mastercard). The following payment types are not eligible for a chargeback:

• Bank transfers

• iDEAL payments

• Wise (e.g. TransferWise) payments

• B2B direct debits

• SWIFT payments

• Maestro card payments (Mastercard consumer protection applies to Mastercard debit and credit cards, not Maestro)

Card payments which are not eligible for chargebacks include:

• Payments deposited into an investment or cryptocurrency account

• Payments made via an e-money wallet (e.g. PayPal or Curve)

• Payments made as a donation to a charity

• Payments on gambling or betting websites

• Buyer’s remorse, or not following the merchant’s return policy

• Payments settled more than 120 days ago 

• Chargebacks for the same transaction which were already submitted or denied 

Important: Submitting a chargeback without valid grounds or evidence may lead to a denial. For the full rules, see our Mastercard chargeback terms and conditions.

How does the chargeback process work?

1. Start your chargeback. Submit your claim from the app and upload evidence.

   • We’ll pick up your request within 3 working days of your submission.

2. We review your request. Our Cards Team reviews your documents and checks that your case meets Mastercard conditions within 5 working days of request reception. 

   • We may ask for additional documents or information to help support your case. 

   • If your request is eligible, we’ll submit the claim to Mastercard. 

3. Merchant response.The merchant can accept the chargeback or contest it with their own evidence, they have up to 45 working days to respond. 

   • If they don’t respond within this time frame, you’re automatically refunded. 

   • If the merchant disputes your claim, we’ll notify you immediately via the app and review the merchant response within 5 working days. 

   • If we challenge the merchant response, the merchant has another 45 working days to respond. 

4. Final decision 

   • The card network applies their rules and decides.

The full chargeback process can take between 50 and 120 days, depending on the case.

How do I track the status of my chargeback request?

We’re here to help make this process as simple and clear for you as possible. That’s why you can see every update on your chargeback request in the app. Simply: 

1. Go to the Home Tab

2. Select the Bank Account you used for the chargeback

3. Find the chargeback event in the timeline

4. Open it to see the latest status

We'll also send push notifications whenever there's an update, to keep you in the loop every step of the way.

What does my chargeback status mean?

You’ll always be able to view your chargeback’s latest status in the app. Here’s what each status means for your funds. 

• Approved. Your chargeback is successful and your funds will be returned. Any temporary credit becomes final once the network’s decision is confirmed.

• Denied. The funds stay with the merchant. We’ll explain the reason code and, if possible, guide you on next steps (for example, providing more evidence or following up with the merchant).

Note: Some disputes may receive a temporary credit while the network reviews the case. If the dispute is later denied, that temporary credit is reversed.

What should I do if my chargeback was denied because the merchant claimed the money? 

Some card payments start as reserved card payments. This is a temporary hold that guarantees to the merchant there's enough money in your account, and obliges us to reserve that amount for them. The money is reserved, but hasn't left your account yet. This is common with:

• Hotels, car rentals, deposits, and pay-at-pump fuel

• Online merchants verifying your card

• Merchants checking available balance before completing the sale 

Before we can start the chargeback process, we wait for 30 working days to see if the merchant will either claim or release the reserved funds. If the merchant doesn’t claim the reserved card payment, an automatic refund will be issued to your account — and you won’t need to submit a chargeback request. That’s why we can only start a chargeback process after the payment has been claimed by the merchant and is shown as settled in your bunq App. 

If your payment is still reserved, just hang tight! Once the payment has been claimed, you can easily start the chargeback right from your bunq app. 

If you request a chargeback for a reserved card payment and the merchant claims this payment after your chargeback has already been submitted — your chargeback request will be denied. No worries, you can simply request a new chargeback request for the same payment and we'll review the request for you.