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What is Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act?

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can give you extra protection when you buy goods or services with your credit card.

What does Section 75 cover?

Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if you paid for something between £100 and £30,000 with a credit card – your purchases are protected if the supplier breaches its contract or misrepresents the goods. This means you’re covered if:

  • the product is faulty
  • the product doesn’t match the description
  • the product or service is not delivered
  • the supplier goes out of business

Even if you just made part of the purchase with your credit card (such as a deposit), you’ll still be able to make a claim – as long as the total purchase price for a single item is between £100 and £30,000.

What’s not covered by Section 75?

If the total purchase price is under £100 or over £30,000, it will not be covered by Section 75. This sounds simple, but can be complicated in some instances. 

When you purchase multiple items, to be eligible, the cash price attached to a single item will need to be over £100 and under £30,000. For example, if you buy two tickets for £60 each, these would not be covered. 

Delivery is also not included. If you bought a ticket for £95, and paid a £10 delivery fee, this would not be covered as the cash price for the ticket itself was below the £100 threshold.

Other purchases that are not covered include:

  • hire purchases
  • payments through third parties (such as a third party payment provider)
  • cash advances

Section 75 may also not cover you if the supplier gives you the option to re-book or provides a credit voucher.

Can you claim for travel bookings under Section 75?

If flights, package holidays or events are cancelled, it’s important to refer to your contract. Read and understand the supplier’s terms relating to cancellations, refunds or re-booking in the first instance. This will help you set out your dispute or claim and could enable you to get a resolution quicker. 

If your booking isn’t cancelled, check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) current travel restrictions for guidance and advice. You may need to wait until any restrictions or bans are extended before being able to make a Section 75 claim.  

If the supplier gives you the option to re-book or take a credit voucher, you won’t be able to raise a dispute or claim under Section 75, unless this is in breach of the supplier’s terms and conditions.

If the supplier stops trading or becomes insolvent and cancels, but doesn’t offer a refund or re-booking, you may be able to make a Section 75 claim.

Explore: Should you get travel insurance?

How do you raise a dispute or claim under Section 75?

To raise a dispute or claim under Section 75, you’ll need to be able to tell us:

  • the date of the transaction(s), which relates to your dispute
  • the amount of transaction(s), which relates to your dispute (we may ask you for evidence of payments)
  • the date you were meant to travel, or the date goods and services should have been delivered on
  • when and how you contacted the supplier (we may ask you for evidence or details/dates)
  • what the supplier’s terms and conditions say you're entitled to (we may ask you to provide a copy)
  • details of when you should have had the refund (if due) according to the terms and conditions (we may ask you to provide a copy)

We’ll review your case, but will ask for evidence that you have tried to resolve the dispute with the supplier and attempted to recover your loss.

Find out more about disputing a transaction

What is a chargeback and how does it work?

Chargebacks are a way for us to try and get the money back directly from the supplier’s bank, and apply for both debit and credit card transactions. 

Chargebacks may be done if: 

  • you don’t get the goods or services you paid for, including where the company stops trading
  • goods or services you purchased are faulty, counterfeit or defective
  • you’re charged the wrong amount, or charged twice by mistake
  • you’re charged for a repeat payment after cancelling a subscription

You should contact us to make a claim as soon as you find out there’s a problem, or have concerns about a card payment. 

We usually need to start the chargeback process within 120 days of the date of the transaction, or when you were due to receive the goods or services. There’s no minimum payment amount for a chargeback.

Advantages of raising a dispute through a chargeback

If a valid chargeback right is available, the chargeback scheme allows your bank to raise a dispute against the transaction on your behalf. 

It can be a quick and efficient way of getting a refund from the supplier’s bank, which doesn’t affect your Section 75 rights.

Provided you meet the criteria for a Section 75 claim, you may still rely on your Section 75 rights if the chargeback is not successful.