Seeing a charge on your credit card statement that you never made is unsettling, but Philippine banking rules give you a clear, time-bound process to get it reversed. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) requires every bank and credit card issuer it supervises to accept, investigate, and resolve billing disputes within fixed deadlines under BSP Circular No. 1001, which implements the Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act (Republic Act No. 10870). This guide walks through exactly what to do from the moment you spot the charge to what happens if your bank drags its feet.
File your dispute in writing with your card issuer within 30 calendar days of the statement date, ask for a Temporary Credit while it investigates, and escalate to the BSP Consumer Assistance Mechanism if the bank doesn't resolve it fairly.
- Report an unauthorized charge to your bank in writing within 30 calendar days of the statement date under BSP Circular 1001 (implementing RA 10870)
- Your bank must acknowledge the dispute and can provisionally credit your account within 10 banking days if the claim looks valid
- Full investigation and resolution can take 45 days for domestic transactions or up to 90 days for cross-border ones
- If your bank doesn't resolve the dispute fairly, you can escalate to the BSP Consumer Assistance Mechanism through BOB, email, or hotline
- Freezing your card and requesting a replacement immediately limits further unauthorized use while the dispute is investigated
Step 1: Confirm the Charge Is Actually Unauthorized
Before filing a dispute, rule out charges you might have simply forgotten — recurring subscriptions (streaming apps, cloud storage), a merchant using a different trade name than what you expect on your statement, or a family member's authorized use of a supplementary card. Search the exact peso amount and merchant name online, since many legitimate merchants post cryptic descriptors like "SP*" or a payment processor's name instead of the actual store name.
If the charge is genuinely unfamiliar after checking these, treat it as unauthorized and move quickly — Philippine banks generally limit your liability for fraudulent transactions if you report promptly, but delays can weaken your case or push you past the formal filing window.
Step 2: Call Your Bank's Hotline Immediately and Freeze the Card
Call the 24/7 customer service hotline on the back of your card the moment you spot the charge — for example BDO's hotline, BPI's, or Metrobank's — and ask the agent to (1) log the unauthorized transaction, (2) freeze or block the card to prevent further use, and (3) issue a replacement card with a new number. Get the reference number for this call; you'll need it when you follow up in writing.
Freezing the card does not cancel your dispute rights — it simply stops the same compromised card number from being used again while your formal dispute is processed.
Step 3: File Your Written Dispute Within 30 Calendar Days
Under BSP Circular No. 1001, you generally have up to 30 calendar days from the date of your billing statement to formally dispute a charge in writing — by email, the bank's online dispute form, or a signed letter at a branch. Some card issuers set an even shorter internal deadline (as tight as 15-20 days), so don't wait for the full 30 days if you can help it; file as soon as you've confirmed the charge is not yours.
Your written dispute should include your full name, card number (mask all but the last 4 digits when emailing), the exact transaction date, amount, merchant name as it appears on your statement, and a clear statement that you did not authorize or make the purchase. Attach a copy of your statement page showing the charge.
Step 4: Bank Acknowledges and May Issue a Temporary/Provisional Credit
Once your bank receives your written dispute, it is required to act on it — typically acknowledging receipt within a few business days. If your claim appears valid on its face, many issuers will post a provisional or temporary credit to your account within about 10 banking days while the investigation continues, so you're not required to pay the disputed amount during that period. Watch your online banking or next statement for a line item often labeled something like "TEMPORARY CREDIT" or "UNDER INVESTIGATION."
A provisional credit is not the final word — if the investigation later finds the charge was valid (for example, a family member with card access made it), the bank can reverse the temporary credit and re-bill you.
Step 5: The Formal Investigation — What Happens Behind the Scenes
Your bank's fraud or disputes team will investigate by checking transaction authentication data (whether the purchase used your card's chip, PIN, OTP, or CVV), contacting the merchant's acquiring bank, and, for card-network transactions, filing a formal chargeback through Visa or Mastercard's dispute rules. Domestic transactions are usually resolved within 45 calendar days; cross-border transactions involving a foreign merchant or acquiring bank can take up to 90 calendar days because of the extra step of coordinating with an overseas bank.
You may be asked for a signed affidavit of denial of liability or a police/NBI cybercrime report for larger amounts or clearly fraudulent patterns (multiple charges in a short span, charges from a country you've never visited).
Step 6: Review the Bank's Resolution Letter
At the end of the investigation, your bank must send you a written Resolution Letter explaining the outcome — either the charge is permanently removed and any provisional credit made final, or the bank explains why it found the charge valid and will re-bill you. Read this letter carefully; it should reference the specific evidence used (transaction logs, merchant confirmation, device/location data) rather than a generic denial.
If you disagree with the outcome, the Resolution Letter should also state your right to escalate the matter, either through the bank's own second-level review process or directly to the BSP.
Step 7: Escalate to the BSP Consumer Assistance Mechanism if Unresolved
If your bank denies a dispute you believe is legitimate, or simply fails to respond within the required timelines, you can escalate directly to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas through its Consumer Assistance Mechanism. The fastest route is BSP Online Buddy ("BOB"), a chatbot available 24/7 on the BSP website and BSP's official Facebook page, which issues you a case reference number and forwards your complaint to the senior management of the bank involved.
You can also email [email protected] or call the BSP Financial Consumer Protection hotline at (02) 8708-7087, (02) 5306-2584, or (02) 5306-2778, Monday to Friday during business hours. Have your case reference number from the bank, copies of your written dispute, and the bank's Resolution Letter ready when you file with BSP.
Step 8: When to Also File a Police or NBI Cybercrime Report
For larger unauthorized charges, especially ones involving online card-not-present fraud, phishing, or a stolen physical card, file a report with the NBI Cybercrime Division or your local police station in addition to your bank dispute. This creates an official paper trail that strengthens your dispute case and is often required by banks for claims above a certain amount or for insurance-backed card protection programs.
Keep the police blotter or NBI report reference number — banks and BSP may ask for it as supporting documentation during the investigation.
Step 9: Protect Yourself While the Dispute Is Pending
While your dispute is under investigation, monitor your account daily for new unauthorized activity, since a compromised card number is sometimes tested with multiple small charges before a larger one. Change your online banking password and enable two-factor authentication (OTP or authenticator app) if you suspect your card details were exposed through a phishing message, a compromised online store, or a skimmed physical card.
Avoid using the same card number for recurring subscriptions until you've received your replacement card, since old subscriptions tied to the frozen card number will simply fail and may trigger late fees elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
You generally have up to 30 calendar days from the date of your billing statement to file a written dispute under BSP Circular No. 1001, though some banks set a shorter internal deadline of 15-20 days. Because the clock starts from the statement date rather than the transaction date, review every statement as soon as it arrives rather than waiting until the due date to check it.
Not immediately — but many banks post a provisional or temporary credit to your account within about 10 banking days if your claim looks valid on its face, so you aren't forced to pay the disputed amount while the investigation runs. This credit is provisional, meaning the bank can reverse it later if the investigation finds the charge was actually valid, so keep it in mind when budgeting until you receive the final Resolution Letter.
Domestic transactions are typically resolved within 45 calendar days, while cross-border transactions involving a foreign merchant or bank can take up to 90 calendar days because of the extra coordination required with an overseas acquiring bank through the Visa or Mastercard dispute network. If you haven't heard anything close to these deadlines, follow up with your bank in writing and keep a copy for a possible BSP escalation.
You can escalate to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Consumer Assistance Mechanism, either through the 24/7 BOB chatbot on the BSP website and Facebook page, by emailing [email protected], or by calling the BSP hotline during business hours. Bring your case reference number from the bank, your original written dispute, and the bank's Resolution Letter, since BSP will refer the complaint to the bank's senior management for a fresh review.
Not always — many straightforward disputes (a merchant you don't recognize, a duplicate charge) can be resolved with just your written dispute letter. However, for larger amounts, online phishing scams, or a physical card that was stolen, banks often ask for an NBI Cybercrime Division report or a police blotter as supporting evidence, so it's worth filing one early if the fraud looks serious.
Yes. A provisional or temporary credit is not a final decision — if the bank's investigation later determines the transaction was authorized (for instance, made by a family member with access to your card or completed with your card's chip and PIN), the bank can reverse the temporary credit and bill the amount back to your account. This is why the final Resolution Letter, not the provisional credit, marks the actual end of the dispute.
No. Freezing or blocking your card only stops that specific card number from being used for new transactions — it has no effect on your right to dispute a charge that already posted to your statement. You should freeze the card immediately to limit further damage and still file your written dispute for the original unauthorized charge separately.
Include your full name, the last 4 digits of your card number (never share the full number or CVV in writing), the exact transaction date, peso amount, and merchant name as shown on your statement, plus a clear statement that you did not authorize or make the purchase. Attach a screenshot or photo of the statement line showing the charge, and keep a copy of everything you send along with the date and method you used to send it.
Conclusion
An unauthorized charge is stressful, but BSP Circular No. 1001 gives Philippine cardholders a defined, time-bound process — a 30-day window to file, a roughly 10-day window for a provisional credit, and a 45-to-90-day cap on the full investigation. Act quickly: freeze the card, file your written dispute the same week you spot the charge, and keep every reference number along the way. If your bank still doesn't resolve things fairly, the BSP Consumer Assistance Mechanism is there specifically to hold BSP-supervised banks accountable to these deadlines.
