Whether a payment was accidentally duplicated, you didn’t receive the goods you paid for or what arrived doesn’t match the description, or a transaction was cancelled and the money never made it back to your account, these things do happen. What matters is knowing what to do when they do.

For tricky card 💳 transactions like the ones above, our advice is to get in touch directly with the merchant you shopped with. Explain the issue and look for a solution together. That’s the easiest route for both sides. What’s more, in that case your money will get back into your account much faster than through a chargeback 😉.

#Tip: If you can’t reach the merchant by phone, try emailing them — that might be quicker.

If the first option doesn’t deliver, no problem — we’ll try to help you as quickly as possible. Here’s what you need to do:

• Get in touch with our colleagues in the Call Center at 0264 308 028 and explain the situation. Don’t worry about the time — they’re available 24/7 to help.
• Pay us a visit at the nearest BT branch. But don’t forget your ID! 😉

We’ll review your chargeback request based on the details you provide, and we may ask you for supporting documents. These can include invoices, receipts, POS slips, account statements, and the emails you exchanged with the merchant.  

⚖ We know paperwork can make you reluctant to stop by, but that’s exactly why we’re telling you we need those documents 📃: under the international card dispute rules set by Visa and Mastercard, we must document the case and justify the refund request to the merchant and their bank.

Once you submit the documents, we’ll let you know what steps we’ve taken and we’ll get back to you with the outcome of the chargeback by SMS, by email or with a phone call.

On the other hand, say you’ve noticed an unknown transaction on your account. Here’s a tip in advance: better safe than sorry. To stay on top of all transactions on your cards, track them in real time in the BT Pay app or in Neo. That way, all the information is just a click away, at any hour of the day 🌞 or night 🌙.

The first thing we recommend in such a situation is: don’t panic. Take a moment to think whether it might be an online order the courier never delivered and you forgot about, or a subscription you initially signed up for for free — the free trial ended and it’s now rolled over to a paid plan. Don’t forget to check the emails you received around the time of the transaction — you might just find the “culprit”.

If it’s not in your Inbox ✉, we suggest you ask your wife or husband, your friend or partner, the kids or even the grandkids — just in passing — whether the transaction looks familiar. Who knows? Maybe they treated themselves to a secret gift.  🤭.

We know it may sound a bit odd, but once you tell us about such a transaction, we must log it as a fraud complaint. As a result, we’ll ask you to file a report with the competent authorities to investigate the fraud, which can have unwanted repercussions if the person behind the transaction turns out to be someone close to you.

If you’re sure the transaction was not made by you or by someone close to you, please contact us through one of the options mentioned above.

❗ It’s important to know that if your request is resolved unfavourably, you will have to pay a fee we charge according to the fees and charges list for cards.

But that’s not the only time a transaction can give you a headache. Mistakes can also slip into internet & mobile banking transactions. For example, in a rush you might have picked a different beneficiary or entered the wrong amount — don’t worry, there’s a fix here too 😊.

Let’s say that through Neo or BT24 you’re paying your electricity bill and, instead of 57 lei, an extra zero sneaks in at the end. Now, out of the blue, 570 lei have left your account to the power supplier. In such a moment you need to contact us right away:

🔸 either directly through the app’s secure messaging:

• In Neo you’ll find it in the Messages section — head to #IntrebBT to see the exact steps.
• In BT24 go to the “Messages” section, then click the “Intreb BT” button in the top right.

🔸 or by paying a visit to one of our branches.

#Tip: The quickest and most convenient way is to write to us right in the app and request a transaction cancellation. Don’t forget to include a few details such as the amount and the beneficiary’s name so we can identify it as quickly as possible and, of course, tell us why you want to cancel the transaction — in this example, the amount was entered incorrectly.

For interbank payments, it often takes a little while for your money to reach the company’s account because the funds are held until the invoice is processed. During this time you need to contact us, because once the merchant has settled the payment, we can no longer cancel it.

When it comes to intrabank payments, these are executed instantly; therefore, our recommendation is to contact the merchant directly and resolve the situation amicably. Mistakes do happen, so once the merchant is notified, you’ll surely find the right solution.

And because we’re always ready for #bankingladistanta, we also offer an option to dispute transactions that appear in the most common situations directly through BT Visual Help. Come see the steps on #IntrebBT 😉.

When a transaction needs to be disputed or cancelled, as you’ve seen, the process is a bit more complex — but we’re here to help. Whatever you’re dealing with, we’re ready to find the right solution together. 😊

Editor: Mihaela Ban, Communication & PR Officer, Banca Transilvania