Overview
A retailer stops answering emails. A fitted appliance never arrives. A company takes a deposit and then closes. Paying by credit card can give you another organisation to pursue when the supplier has failed to do what it promised.
Section 75 is the part of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 behind that protection. It can make the credit provider jointly responsible for a supplier's breach of contract or misrepresentation, provided the purchase and credit arrangement qualify.
Quick Answer (Read This First)
For a qualifying credit card purchase, the cash price must be more than £100 and no more than £30,000. You can pay only part of that price on the card and still have protection for the qualifying purchase. The amount charged to the card is not the price test.
A refund is not automatic whenever you are disappointed. There needs to be a relevant problem with the contract or what you were told, and the required connection between the buyer, credit provider and supplier. The Financial Ombudsman's explanation of Section 75 sets out those conditions.
The Price of the Item Matters
The lower limit is more than £100. Something priced at exactly £100 does not pass it. The upper limit includes £30,000.
For separate purchases, adding the receipt together does not necessarily help. An £80 lamp and a £70 mirror do not become a single £150 item merely because you bought them in the same transaction. A set sold as one product can be different; keep the product description and invoice showing what was actually sold.
These illustrative examples show the distinction:
| Purchase | Paid on credit card | Price test |
|---|---|---|
| One £650 washing machine | £50 deposit | Passes: the machine costs £650 |
| One £100 pair of shoes | £100 | Fails: the price is not more than £100 |
| Three separately priced £60 items | £180 | Each item is below the threshold |
| One £30,000 purchase | £500 deposit | Within the upper limit |
| One £31,000 purchase | £1,000 deposit | Outside the usual Section 75 price range |
Passing the price test is only one part of eligibility. MoneyHelper's card-protection guidance explains the item-versus-total distinction and protection when only a deposit is paid by card.
Paying a Small Deposit Does Not Limit the Claim to That Deposit
Suppose you buy a £900 wardrobe directly from a retailer, paying £75 by credit card and £825 by bank transfer. It is never delivered and the retailer cannot provide it or refund you.
If the transaction qualifies and the claim succeeds, the card payment does not cap your claim at £75. The relevant purchase price is £900. Keep evidence linking both payments to the same order, so the provider can see the whole transaction.
This does not mean a £75 card payment turns any large contract into an eligible purchase. The cash-price limit and the contractual relationship still apply.
What Sort of Problem Can Qualify?
The useful question is what the supplier agreed to provide and how it failed to meet that agreement. A missing delivery, goods that do not meet the required standard, or a materially false description can raise different legal issues, but each needs evidence.
Write down the promise and the failure separately. For example: the order confirmation promised a particular model; the delivery was a different model; you notified the retailer on a specified date; the retailer refused to correct it.
Changing your mind about a satisfactory purchase is a different question. Cancellation rights, the retailer's returns policy and the nature of the purchase determine whether a refund is due. Section 75 does not create an unlimited right to return anything bought on credit.
Payment Routes That Need Closer Attention
A direct purchase on the main cardholder's credit card is usually easier to explain than a chain involving other people or businesses. The legal relationship is sometimes called the debtor-creditor-supplier connection.
Using an intermediary, marketplace or payment service can complicate that connection. Do not assume that every payment service removes protection, or that every card-funded payment preserves it: identify who sold the item, who took payment and how the credit funded the purchase.
Purchases by an additional cardholder can also need closer examination. Tell the issuer who bought the item and who it was for, rather than submitting a claim on the assumption that the name on the card settles the issue.
Ordinary debit card purchases are outside Section 75. Our chargeback guide explains a separate route that may help with debit or credit card payments. Withdrawing cash on a credit card and then paying a seller in cash is not the same as buying directly on that card.
How to Put a Clear Claim Together
Give the supplier a reasonable chance to resolve the problem where that is practical. Keep the response, or a record that it did not respond. If the company has ceased trading, explain that rather than repeatedly sending messages to an abandoned inbox.
Then contact the card provider through its claims process. State that you want it to consider a Section 75 claim, and provide a short chronology supported by the relevant records:
- What you ordered, its cash price and the seller's identity.
- When and how you paid, including any balance paid another way.
- What went wrong and how that differs from the agreement.
- What you asked the supplier to do and its response.
- The remedy you are seeking and how you calculated any amount claimed.
An invoice, photographs and three relevant emails are more useful than fifty screenshots with no explanation. Keep the originals and submit copies through the provider's secure channel.
If you receive a refund from the retailer after making the claim, tell the card provider. You cannot recover the same loss twice. Equally, distinguish a partial refund from a full resolution when there are several items or payments involved.
If the Card Provider Refuses
Ask for the reason in writing. A rejection based on the price, the payment relationship or the evidence of the supplier's failure needs a different response in each case.
You can complain to the provider if you believe it has mishandled the claim, then use the Financial Ombudsman complaint process where eligible. Follow the time limits in the final response; a complaint about the provider is separate from the original refund request.
Keep up required card repayments unless the issuer agrees otherwise. Raising a dispute does not, by itself, change your repayment obligations. Our guide to avoiding unnecessary credit card interest explains why payment arrangements still matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Explore the Budgeting & Banking guides for related help. This is general UK information, not advice on an individual dispute. Sources checked on 20 September 2026.
