China — payment services supervision and UnionPay card dispute rules

The clocks it starts

• Card scheme dispute window (commonly 120 days)The scheme window is short and it is the one that closes first. It runs from the transaction or, for undelivered goods and interrupted services, from the date delivery or performance was due. The domestic routes below run much longer, so a closed scheme window is a reason to hurry, not a reason to stop.Filing window

What it entitles you to, beyond money

• A reasoned written decision from the institutionA decision naming the clause or rule relied on is the thing that unlocks everything above it, and it is an obligation rather than a favour in every regime in this file.in force 1 May 2024; consumer-protection and complaint-handling obligations on payment institutions
• Reversal or refund of the disputed amount where the claim succeedsWhat that is worth depends on the route: a scheme dispute reverses the transaction, a conduct regulator can require the institution to put you back in the position you would have been in, and a court or ombudsman can go further and cover consequential loss.
• Blocking further payments to the same merchantAsk for this in the same letter. Recovering what has gone does not stop what is coming, and a recurring authority survives a successful dispute unless you cancel it separately.

What the other side will say

Each of these is a refusal this regime lets a counterparty attempt, paired with the answer to it. Reading them before you write is worth more than any amount of polish on the letter itself.

Where to take it next

1. 01Written complaint to the institution that debited youAddress it to the complaints or consumer-protection unit, not to a branch. Ask for a reference number and a written decision with reasons, and say what outcome you want in one sentence.Claim direct·typically 30 days
2. 02Scheme chargeback, in parallelAsk the issuer to raise a dispute under the card scheme reason code that fits the facts. It is faster than any regulatory route, it costs nothing to run alongside, and a refusal decides nothing about your legal rights.Claim direct·typically 45 days
3. 03The People's Bank of China (12363 financial consumer hotline) and the National Financial Regulatory AdministrationThe PBOC runs a dedicated financial-consumer complaint channel (the 12363 hotline and its online equivalent) for payment and banking conduct; the NFRA, created in 2023, supervises banks and insurers and took over the former CBIRC's consumer-protection function. File with whichever supervises your institution, and say in the complaint that the institution has not answered. This body will look at your individual case, so file it as a case: dates, amount, reference numbers, and one sentence saying what you want done.Regulator·typically 60 days·official page
4. 04Civil or small-claims proceedings against the merchant or the institutionThe last rung, and in several countries here the cheapest one — consumer courts and small-claims procedures in this region are frequently free or nearly so and do not need a lawyer. Use it when the sum is worth it and the regulator route has produced nothing.Small claims·typically 180 days