Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your credit card provider JOINTLY liable with the seller when something goes wrong — the company goes bust, goods never arrive, the item is faulty, or the service was misrepresented. It applies when the cash price of the item or service is over £100 and up to £30,000, and the famous quirk: paying even £1 of it on the credit card protects the FULL price. You claim from the card provider directly — useful precisely when the seller has vanished.

What is chargeback and how is it different?

Chargeback is a card-scheme process (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) that reverses a card payment when goods or services weren't delivered, were faulty, or the transaction was wrong — and unlike Section 75 it covers DEBIT cards, prepaid cards and credit card purchases of £100 or under. It isn't a legal right (it's scheme rules), and you must usually raise it within around 120 days of the transaction or of the date a future service was due. Ask your bank to 'raise a chargeback' — many don't offer unless you ask by name.

When would I use Section 75 or chargeback?

Classic cases: an airline, retailer or holiday firm goes bust before you get what you paid for; an online order never arrives and the seller stops replying; a sofa or car deposit on a purchase that falls through; faulty goods the trader won't refund; a service that was nothing like what was promised. Rule of thumb: credit card and over £100 → Section 75 first (it's the stronger, legal route). Debit card, or £100 and under → chargeback.

How do I actually claim?

Contact your card provider — say 'I want to make a Section 75 claim' or 'I want to raise a chargeback' — and give them the story: what you bought, what went wrong, what you've done to resolve it with the seller, plus evidence (order confirmation, receipts, photos, correspondence). It's free. Put it in writing where you can. The provider investigates and refunds you directly if the claim stands.

The bank refused — is that final?

No. Ask for the refusal in writing, then take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service — free, independent, and its decisions bind the bank. You must go to the FOS within 6 months of the bank's final response letter. Banks reject plenty of valid claims on the first pass; a well-evidenced FOS complaint regularly overturns them.

Section 75 & chargeback

Pick your route — 30 seconds

Your situation	Route	Why
Credit card · item/service cost over £100 (up to £30,000)	Section 75	A legal right — the card provider is jointly liable, even if only a deposit went on the card
Debit card (any amount)	Chargeback	Card-scheme rules reverse the payment — ~120-day window
Credit card · £100 or under	Chargeback	Below the Section 75 floor — chargeback still works
Both could apply	Section 75 first	It’s the stronger, statutory route with no fixed deadline window

Classic Section 75 wins: the airline/holiday firm/retailer goes bust before delivering; goods never arrive; the item is faulty and the trader refuses; the service was misrepresented. The card provider pays even though the seller has vanished — that’s the whole point of joint liability.
The £1 deposit quirk: the £100–£30,000 test is about the cash price of the item, not what touched the card. A £200 deposit on a £15,000 kitchen paid by credit card = the whole £15,000 protected.
Watch the gaps: Section 75 usually fails when a third-party payment processor or agent sits between you and the seller (some marketplace and travel-agent purchases), and additional-cardholder purchases for non-family can complicate it. Chargeback often still works — try both.

How to claim — free, in writing, name the route

Try the seller once (keep the evidence of trying) — the card provider will ask.
Gather: order confirmation, receipts/invoice, photos of faults, the promises made (listing screenshots, brochure), and your correspondence.
Contact the card provider and use the magic words: “I want to make a Section 75 claim” or “please raise a chargeback”. Front-line staff sometimes don’t volunteer these routes — naming them changes the conversation. Put it in writing or follow the call up in writing.
State plainly: what you bought, the cash price, what went wrong, what you want back.

Bust company? Move fast on chargeback Section 75 has no fixed claim window (normal legal time limits apply), but chargeback’s ~120 days runs from the transaction — or from the date a future event (flight, concert, delivery) was due to happen. If a firm has just collapsed, raise the chargeback now and let the bank sort the rest.

Bank said no? That’s not the end

Ask for the refusal — and their final response — in writing.
Take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service: free, independent, decisions bind the bank. You have 6 months from the final response letter.
Banks reject plenty of valid claims on the first pass; well-evidenced FOS complaints regularly overturn them. Persistence is the strategy.

Never pay to claim “Section 75 specialists” and refund firms charge a cut of money the law already owes you, for a letter you can write in ten minutes. And anyone who contacts you offering to recover money from a collapsed company — for an upfront fee — is running a recovery scam: check it.

Do this now

Find the order confirmation and work out the route from the table above. Then ring or message your card provider tonight and name it: “Section 75 claim” or “raise a chargeback”.

Refused? Final response in writing → Financial Ombudsman within 6 months. Track it as a case in My Sorted so the dates look after themselves.

The habit worth keeping For anything big — sofas, holidays, building work deposits, event tickets — put at least part of it on a credit card (then pay the card off). That £1-on-the-card quirk is the cheapest purchase insurance in Britain. Not advice to borrow — advice on which plastic to tap.

Section 75 & chargeback — common questions

What does Section 75 cover?

Credit card purchases where the item or service cost over £100 and up to £30,000 — the card provider is jointly liable for breach of contract or misrepresentation, so you claim from them when the seller fails or vanishes. A £1 part-payment on the card protects the full price.

I paid by debit card — am I stuck?

No — ask your bank to raise a chargeback. It covers debit, prepaid and credit cards (including purchases of £100 or under), usually within about 120 days of the transaction or the date a future service was due.

The company went bust — who do I claim from?

Your card provider. That's the entire point of these routes: the refund comes through the card, not the dead company. Credit card over £100 → Section 75; otherwise raise the chargeback quickly while the 120-day window is open.

The bank refused my claim?

Get the final response in writing and go to the Financial Ombudsman within 6 months — free, independent, binding on the bank. First-pass rejections are regularly overturned with good evidence.

Does it cost anything?

Nothing — both routes and the Ombudsman are free. Anyone charging a cut to "handle" a Section 75 claim is selling you a ten-minute letter.

Sources Section 75 joint liability, the £100–£30,000 cash-price test and chargeback rules · Financial Ombudsman Service (verified this session) + Consumer Credit Act 1974 s.75. Chargeback ~120-day window · card-scheme rules as published by the FOS and UK Finance. FOS 6-month escalation window · FOS complaints process. Cross-check · MoneySavingExpert. SortedUK is not FCA-regulated and this is general information, not financial advice. Last reviewed: 11 June 2026.

Seller failed you? Get the money back through your card.

Pick your route — 30 seconds

How to claim — free, in writing, name the route

Bank said no? That’s not the end

Section 75 & chargeback — common questions

The seller failed. The card pays.

One scan. Every UK money route you may be owed.