Section 75 Credit Card Protection: Your Rights Explained | LegalDocuments.co.uk

At a glance

• The statutory protection: Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your credit card provider jointly and severally liable with the retailer for a breach of contract or misrepresentation.
• Qualifying price band: the cash price of the single item or service must be over £100 and not more than £30,000. Paying even a small part of that price on a credit card is enough to bring the whole amount within protection.
• Card type matters: Section 75 applies to credit cards only — not debit cards, and not most charge cards or cash-only transactions.
• Higher-value purchases: Section 75A extends comparable, but more conditional, protection to purchases financed by a linked credit agreement priced above £30,000 and up to £60,260.
• Chargeback is different: it is a voluntary card-scheme process (not a statutory right), available on debit and credit cards of any value, but your provider is not legally obliged to grant it.
• Time limits: Section 75 and 75A claims generally follow the normal six-year contract limitation period; chargeback windows are set by the card schemes and are typically much shorter.
• If refused: you can complain formally to your provider and, if still unresolved, escalate free of charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service, or bring a money claim through the county court.

What Section 75 actually protects

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 creates a statutory "like claim" against your credit card provider. If you have a valid claim against a retailer or supplier for breach of contract or misrepresentation — for example, goods that never arrived, a service that was not provided as agreed, or a trader who misled you about what you were buying — you have the same claim against your card provider. The two are jointly and severally liable, meaning you can pursue the retailer, the card provider, or both, for the full amount.

This only applies to purchases made under what the Act calls a debtor-creditor-supplier agreement: broadly, an arrangement where your card provider has a direct commercial relationship with the retailer to accept the card as payment, and there is a clear link between the credit used and the specific goods or service bought. A standard credit card transaction with a UK or overseas retailer accepting Visa, Mastercard or American Express normally satisfies this.

The conditions that must be met

Three conditions need to be satisfied together for a standard Section 75 claim:

1. Price. The cash price of the single item or service must be more than £100 and not more than £30,000.
2. Payment method. You paid using a credit card — not a debit card, and not cash.
3. A genuine breach. There is a breach of contract or misrepresentation by the supplier — not simply a change of mind or a product you no longer want.

The price threshold generally attaches to the item or service itself, not to the total value of everything in a single transaction. If you buy several separate items in one order and each costs less than £100 on its own, Section 75 protection is unlikely to apply to those individual items even if the combined bill is higher — though a single item or package priced within the band, such as one holiday booking, is covered in full.

Paying only a deposit or part of the price

You do not need to put the full price on your credit card for Section 75 to apply. Provided the total cash price of the item or service itself falls between £100 and £30,000, paying even a small deposit or part-payment by credit card — with the balance settled another way — is enough to bring the entire purchase within protection. This is particularly useful for holidays, weddings and larger purchases where consumers often split payment across different methods.

Section 75A: purchases between £30,000 and £60,260

Section 75A was added to extend protection to more expensive purchases that fall outside Section 75's £30,000 ceiling. It applies, broadly, where the purchase is financed by a linked credit agreement — a credit arrangement taken out specifically to pay for that item or service — priced above £30,000 and up to £60,260.

The key practical difference from Section 75 is the order of steps. Under Section 75, you can generally take your claim straight to your card provider. Under Section 75A, you are generally expected to have first taken reasonable steps to pursue the supplier for the same claim — though not necessarily to the point of starting court proceedings — before your credit provider's liability arises. Section 75A tends to come up with dedicated finance agreements for high-value purchases (such as home improvements or vehicles) rather than everyday credit card spending, since few personal credit cards carry a high enough limit to fund a purchase in this range outright.

Section 75 versus chargeback

| | Section 75 | Section 75A | Chargeback | |---|---|---|---| | Legal basis | Statutory right (Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75) | Statutory right (Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75A) | Card scheme rules (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) — not statutory | | Price range | Item priced over £100, up to £30,000 | Item priced over £30,000, up to £60,260, via linked credit | No statutory limit; subject to scheme and issuer rules | | Card type | Credit cards only | Linked credit agreements (may include some credit cards) | Debit and credit cards | | How liability arises | Card provider jointly and severally liable with supplier | Card provider liable once you have first pursued the supplier | Payment reversed between banks under scheme rules; not a personal legal right | | Typical time limit | Ordinary contract limitation period (up to 6 years) | Same as Section 75 | Often around 120 days from the transaction or discovery of the problem, set by the scheme |

Because Section 75 is a statutory entitlement rather than a discretionary process, it is generally the stronger route when it applies. Chargeback fills the gaps Section 75 does not reach — purchases under £100, debit card payments, and situations outside the Section 75 time or value limits.

How to make a claim

1. Contact the retailer first. Give the trader a fair chance to put things right before involving your card provider. Set out the problem in writing, reference your order, state what you want (refund, replacement or repair), and give a reasonable deadline. Keep copies of everything — your card provider will usually ask for evidence that you tried to resolve the matter directly.
2. Work out which route applies. If the item's cash price is over £100 and up to £30,000 and any part was paid by credit card, Section 75 is usually the strongest option. For purchases over £30,000 up to £60,260 financed by linked credit, consider Section 75A. For purchases under £100, debit card payments, or claims outside these windows, chargeback may be the only route available.
3. Gather your evidence. Collect your card statement showing the charge, order confirmation, correspondence with the trader, photographs of any faulty or misdescribed goods, delivery records and anything else that shows what you paid for and what went wrong.
4. Submit your claim to your card provider. Contact your card issuer and state clearly that you are raising a claim under Section 75 (or Section 75A, or asking for a chargeback). Be precise about the amount, the transaction date, the trader's name and the nature of the problem.
5. Follow up. Card providers usually acknowledge claims within a few days and aim to resolve them within several weeks, though complex cases can take longer. Keep a record of who you spoke to and when.

If your claim is refused

Ask your card provider for its decision and reasons in writing, then raise a formal complaint through its internal complaints process. If the provider does not change its position, or eight weeks pass without a resolution, you can refer the complaint free of charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service, an independent body that can direct your provider to pay out if it finds the refusal was unfair.

If the Ombudsman route is not open to you, or you would prefer to go to court, you can bring a money claim through the county court. For most consumer disputes this is dealt with as a small claim, designed to be manageable without needing to instruct a solicitor.

Fraud is a different problem

Section 75 is built for disputes about goods and services you did buy but that went wrong — not for transactions you never authorised. If money has left your account without your permission, that falls under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 instead, which generally requires your provider to refund an unauthorised transaction promptly unless you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence. If you spot a transaction you do not recognise, report it to your card provider immediately so the card can be blocked and the payment investigated. See our guide on avoiding scams and fraud for wider protection against scams targeting card payments.

If the retailer has gone out of business

This is one of the situations where Section 75 is most useful. Because your card provider is jointly and severally liable with the supplier — rather than only liable if the supplier cannot pay — you can pursue the card company directly even where the trader has entered administration or liquidation, or has simply disappeared. You generally do not need to wait for the insolvency process to run its course, or prove you tried to claim from an insolvency practitioner first.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Assuming debit cards are covered. Section 75 does not apply to debit card payments at all — chargeback is the relevant route for those, subject to the card scheme's own rules and time limits.
• Missing the price band. A purchase priced at exactly £100 or under does not qualify for Section 75; nor does a single item priced above £30,000 unless Section 75A applies.
• Waiting too long. While Section 75 itself follows a generous six-year limitation period, chargeback windows are much shorter and stricter, so raising a dispute promptly keeps every option open.
• Not contacting the retailer first. Card providers generally expect to see that you gave the trader a reasonable opportunity to resolve the problem before you escalate.
• Overlooking wider consumer rights. A Section 75 claim sits alongside — not instead of — your underlying consumer rights against the retailer. If your dispute cannot be resolved through your card provider, alternative dispute resolution may offer another way forward, and our guide to the Consumer Credit Act covers your broader borrowing rights.

This guide provides general information about consumer protection on credit card transactions in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The law described was accurate as at July 2026 and is subject to change — always check legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK for the most current position.

Last reviewed: July 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: July 2027 or on legislative change.