Section 75 or chargeback: which can a UK buyer use?

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 lets a UK buyer claim against their credit card company for a single item priced above £100 and up to £30,000. Chargeback has no price floor and reaches debit cards too, so a seller's cheaper UK orders come back as chargebacks.

What does Section 75 cover?

Section 75 makes the credit card company jointly and severally liable with the supplier when goods or services are misrepresented or the contract is breached. In plain terms, the cardholder can pursue the card company as well as the seller. It is a legal claim brought by the cardholder under UK statute.

The section covers a lot less than that sentence suggests. It excludes any single item with a cash price of £100 or less, or over £30,000, and Which? points out that it covers credit cards only, not debit or charge cards. A seller in the US shipping to a London buyer faces two separate routes to the same refund.

Which? also notes that a part-payment on the card is still covered for the full value. Its example is a £500 deposit on a £10,500 car. If you take deposits by card, assume your exposure is the full price of the item.

How is chargeback different?

Chargeback is a separate mechanism that runs on card-network rules instead of statute. Which? describes it as voluntary, meaning it rests on card-network rules rather than law, with no price floor, so it covers items under £100, and for debit cards a claim should be made within 120 days. Visa's rules give the issuer 120 days from the processing date for most fraud and consumer disputes.

That leaves a gap in UK consumer protection which chargeback fills. A £60 pair of boots bought on a debit card falls outside Section 75 altogether, yet can still be disputed through the card network. Expect your low-value UK orders to reach you as chargebacks.

Is a small UK chargeback worth fighting?

For a UK order under £100, fighting is rarely worth the effort unless the case is easy to prove. Stripe's dispute received fee is $15 in the US and £20 in the UK, and it applies whatever the order value. A US seller whose £60 order is disputed loses the goods, the £60 and the $15 fee before any time is spent.

The sensible policy for low-value UK orders is to refund quickly. The arithmetic behind that choice is laid out in the dispute fee comparison by processor. Run your own UK order values against it.

What does the EU withdrawal right add?

The European Union adds a third clock. Directive 2011/83/EU gives consumers a 14-day right to withdraw from a distance sale under Article 9. The trader must reimburse within 14 days of being told of the decision, and may hold the money back until the goods come back or the consumer shows proof of dispatch.

Under Article 13 the consumer pays the standard cost of returning the goods. A refund that waits for the parcel is therefore lawful. A refund that waits much longer than 14 days after the customer has said "I want to withdraw" is the kind of delay that turns into a claim.

Consider a customer in Germany who withdraws on day 10, returns the goods on day 20 and sees no refund by day 35. That customer has the contract right on one side and a bank dispute on the other, and in the dispute your evidence is the refund date while theirs is the withdrawal message. Keep both messages and refund on time, so the record you show the bank is clean.

Takeaway: what to do this week

1. Log every withdrawal and refund with a date. In an EU dispute, the refund date is your evidence against the customer's withdrawal message.
2. Refund within 14 days of being told of a withdrawal. You may hold the refund until the goods or proof of dispatch arrive.
3. Treat UK orders under £100 as chargeback-only exposure. Section 75 does not reach them, and refunding quickly is the sensible policy at that value.
4. Take local advice. If you have significant UK or EU volume, speak to a local lawyer.

Sources: legislation.gov.uk, Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75 and section 75(3)(b) (up to date to 20 October 2026); Which?, "Can I claim on my credit card when something goes wrong" (1 September 2026); Visa Core Rules (18 April 2026); EUR-Lex, Directive 2011/83/EU, Articles 9 and 13, consolidated text; Stripe Support, "June 2025 pricing updates for disputes". All checked 24 October 2026.