How to Dispute a Charge on Your Monzo Card?

Monzo is a debit card — so Section 75 never enters the picture

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes a credit provider jointly liable with the seller when something goes wrong. It is the strongest UK purchase protection, and it is exactly why so many Monzo customers reach for it first. But it covers credit: the Financial Ombudsman Service states plainly that Section 75 does not apply to purchases paid wholly by debit card or bank transfer, and that a qualifying credit purchase must cost more than £100 but not more than £30,000. A Monzo debit card draws on money already in your current account; a Monzo prepaid card is topped up in advance. Neither is credit, so no Section 75 claim exists against Monzo for either. What you do have is Monzo's Mastercard dispute (chargeback) route, plus your Consumer Rights Act rights against the seller itself. This navigator exists to stop the most expensive Monzo mistake: waiting for a Section 75 claim that does not exist while the dispute window runs out. One boundary: this navigator covers Monzo debit and prepaid cards only. Monzo Flex is a separate credit product with its own terms and is out of scope here.

The route: one in-app flow, for card payments only

Monzo's own dispute help gives the route in one paragraph: tap the transaction you want to dispute, scroll to the bottom, tap "Something wrong? Get help", find the heading that matches your situation, and tap "Dispute this transaction". Two limits in that same page matter. First, disputes apply to card payments only — not bank transfers or direct debits. A direct debit taken wrongly is a Direct Debit Guarantee matter with Monzo, and a bank transfer you were tricked into sending is an APP-fraud matter under the Payment Systems Regulator's scheme (see below), not a card dispute. Second, Monzo says it is best to contact the merchant first to see if they can reverse the payment — which is why the navigator asks whether you have. A merchant refund is faster than any dispute, and your written message (or proof you tried) is evidence either way. But do not let a merchant stall you: message in writing, give a short deadline, and raise the dispute if there is no fix.

The clocks this page does — and does not — state

Monzo publishes a resolution timetable, not a filing deadline. Its dispute help says the dispute process can take up to 8 weeks to resolve, and some complex cases may take up to 12 weeks, because the process is set by Mastercard — so Monzo cannot speed it up. No Monzo page this build could quote publishes a filing day-count, so this page states none as a Monzo deadline. The about-120-day figure in the navigator is labelled everywhere as a card-scheme network norm, counted from the transaction (or, for goods never received, the expected delivery date): a reason to file early, never a Monzo-published deadline. Two narrower Monzo clocks are stated exactly as published: for a refund not received, Monzo cannot challenge the payment until you have proof the merchant promised a refund, 14 days have passed since that promise, and you give a full description of what happened; and a payment declined at the merchant's end but still showing on your account should be automatically returned within 7 days — only after 7 days should you ask Monzo to help. Normal refunds, separately, usually take up to 7 working days to show after the merchant sends them, and hotel or car rental deposit refunds can take up to 30 days.

Fraud, and the bank-transfer trap

Fraud is the exception to every waiting rule in this navigator. Monzo's fraud help says to freeze the card in the app first, check the payment details, and — if you still do not recognise the payment — report it as potential fraud through the app. If you cannot use the app, Monzo Web lets you freeze the card and check payments, or you can call 0800 088 4040 from the UK (+44 20 3872 0620 from abroad) or email help@monzo.com. Two honest cautions from that same page belong here. First, Monzo is explicit about what is not fraud: problems with a bill, damaged goods, cancelled subscriptions and unfair treatment by a company are merchant problems to settle with the merchant first — a subscription you thought you cancelled technically is not fraud, though Monzo says it can still help through the dispute flow. Second, Monzo warns that raising false fraud reports or sharing incorrect information could put an account at risk of closure, so check with anyone who shares the card before filing. The bank-transfer trap is the other direction: if you were tricked into sending money by bank transfer to a fraudster, that is APP fraud, and card payments are expressly outside the Payment Systems Regulator's APP-fraud reimbursement scheme. That scheme covers UK Faster Payments and CHAPS transfers only: report as soon as possible and within 13 months, expect reimbursement within 5 business days of the claim (or within 35 business days where the firm stops the clock), up to £85,000, with an optional excess of up to £100 that firms may apply. Those are scheme rules, not Monzo promises — Monzo's handling of any individual APP claim is not stated here.

If Monzo says no: complain, then the Ombudsman

A refused dispute is not the end, but the next step is a complaint, not a second dispute on the same facts. Complain to Monzo through in-app chat, by phone, or by email, and keep the complaint reference. The Financial Ombudsman Service's time limits are the ladder's rungs: a business has 15 days to consider complaints about payment services, fraud and scams or electronic money, and 8 weeks for most other complaints. If Monzo has not given you a final response within the applicable time, or you disagree with the final response you received, you can refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service — and you then have six months from the date of Monzo's final response letter to make that referral, counted in calendar months. The Ombudsman service is free. A complaint is a second, documented review of the same file, not a promised reversal.

Sources (verified November 4, 2026): Monzo Help — "Disputing a transaction" (card payments only, not transfers or direct debits; wrong amount, not given what was paid for, refund not due; in-app flow: transaction → "Something wrong? Get help" → "Dispute this transaction"; refund-not-received precondition: proof of promise + 14 days waited + full description; resolution up to 8 weeks, complex cases up to 12 weeks, timescales set by Mastercard); Monzo Help — "Reporting fraud" (freeze the card in the app; subscription-cancelled is not fraud but Monzo can still help; bill problems, damaged goods, cancelled subscriptions and unfair treatment are not fraud; false fraud reports may put an account at risk; Monzo Web fallback; 0800 088 4040 from the UK, +44 20 3872 0620 from abroad, help@monzo.com); Monzo Help — "Card payment declined but I was charged" (automatic return within 7 days); Monzo Help — "Refund hasn't arrived" (refunds up to 7 working days to show; hotel/car rental deposit refunds up to 30 days); Monzo current account terms (card payments anywhere Mastercard is accepted, drawn on the current account). Financial Ombudsman Service — Section 75 myths (Section 75 does not apply to purchases paid wholly by debit card or bank transfer; cash price more than £100 but not more than £30,000) and time limits (15 days for payment-service, fraud and scam complaints; 8 weeks for most other complaints; 6 months from the final response to refer). Payment Systems Regulator — APP fraud reimbursement protections (in effect 7 October 2024; Faster Payments and CHAPS transfers only, card payments excluded; report within 13 months; reimbursement within 5 business days, 35 business days maximum; maximum claim £85,000; optional excess up to £100; sending and receiving firms split costs 50:50). No Monzo page publishes a chargeback filing day-count; the about-120-day figure is a card-scheme network norm, not a Monzo deadline. Your Monzo terms are the final word.

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