UK Financial Ombudsman Service: How to Escalate a Bank Complaint

The short answer: if your UK bank or card provider rejects your complaint — or ignores it — the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is the free escalation route. You must complain to the firm first, give it up to 8 weeks to give a final response (15 working days for payment-services and e-money complaints), and then refer your complaint to the FOS within 6 months of that final response. Miss the 6-month window and the Ombudsman may not be able to help, even if your original complaint was strong.

The steps, in order

Complain to the firm, in writing. State what happened, what you want, and attach the evidence. Keep the date and a copy — the 8-week clock runs from the firm's receipt of your complaint.
Wait for the final response — or 8 weeks. The firm must give a final response within 8 weeks for most complaints (15 working days for payment-services/e-money complaints). If 8 weeks pass without a final response, you can go to the FOS without waiting for one.
Refer to the FOS within 6 months of the final response. Use the online complaint form on the FOS website, or phone if you prefer to talk it through. It is free.
Investigation. An adjudicator reviews both sides' evidence and gives a view. If either side disagrees, an Ombudsman makes the final decision.

The clocks that decide FOS cases

Firm response: 8 weeks (most complaints); 15 working days (payment services, e-money).
Referral deadline: 6 months from the date on the firm's final response. If the final response does not mention the 6-month limit, it may not be a valid final response — check the letter, and if the limit is missing, say so in your referral.
Backstop: you generally need to have complained to the firm (or to the FOS) within 6 years of the problem, or within 3 years of when you knew (or should reasonably have known) you had cause to complain, whichever is later. The FOS can extend time limits only in exceptional circumstances.
Negotiation does not stop the clock. If you are still talking to the bank after the final response, do not assume the 6-month referral window has paused. Diary the deadline the day the final response arrives.

What the Ombudsman can award

If the FOS finds in your favour, it can direct the firm to put things right: refund the money, pay interest, and compensate for distress and inconvenience. Distress awards are typically modest — often in the low hundreds of pounds for ordinary cases, higher only for serious, prolonged impact — so frame your claim around the actual financial loss first and the inconvenience second, with each item evidenced. The decision binds the firm if you accept it; if you reject it, you keep the right to go to court instead (take legal advice before rejecting, because court is slower, costlier, and riskier).

The evidence pack

Send the FOS: the original complaint and the firm's final response (with dates), the chronology (date, event, evidence, financial effect), the statements and transaction records, the merchant correspondence, and any chargeback or Section 75 correspondence. A one-page chronology table does more work than a long narrative: investigators assess a clear schedule faster and more favourably than a general complaint about “stress.”

If you reject the decision

Rejection is your right, not a failure — but it ends the FOS route for that complaint, and court has its own deadlines, costs, and evidence rules. Before rejecting, ask yourself whether the award covers your actual loss: if it does and only the distress figure disappoints, accepting is usually the better outcome. If the award misses a real loss item, say so in your response to the adjudicator's view before it becomes a final decision — that is the cheaper moment to correct it.

What the FOS is not for

The FOS does not decide chargebacks — those are network processes run by your bank. It decides complaints about the firm: a mishandled dispute, a wrongly rejected Section 75 claim, a complaint handled badly. Frame your referral as a complaint about the firm's handling and decision, with the chargeback or claim as the subject matter — not as an appeal to the network. For US readers, the parallel route is a CFPB complaint (see our CFPB guides).

FAQ

Do I have to complain to my bank before going to the Ombudsman?

Yes. The FOS will not consider a complaint unless you have complained to the firm first and given it a reasonable opportunity to respond — up to 8 weeks, or 15 working days for payment-services complaints.

How long do I have to refer my complaint to the FOS?

6 months from the date on the firm's final response. If 8 weeks pass with no final response, you can refer without one. The 6-month clock is strict, with extensions only in exceptional circumstances.

Is the Financial Ombudsman Service free?

Yes, for consumers. The firm pays the case fee, not you — which is also why firms often settle once a complaint is referred.

If I accept the Ombudsman's decision, is it binding?

Yes — on the firm. If you reject it, you can pursue the matter in court instead, but take legal advice first: court is slower and costlier.

Can the FOS help with a chargeback directly?

Not as a network appeal. It can decide a complaint about how your bank handled the dispute or a Section 75 claim — frame the referral as a complaint about the firm, not as a chargeback appeal.