I was billed for a credit card add-on I did not agree to

This notice

Your credit card statement, app screen, or email shows a fee for debt protection, payment protection, credit protection, identity monitoring, or another optional add-on product. You believe you never agreed to buy it, or a free trial ended and charges started without a clear enrollment you wanted.

This is not a late fee after an on-time minimum payment. Use the late-fee guide for that line.

It is not an overlimit fee about going over your credit limit. Use the overlimit-fee-without-opt-in guide for that fee.

It is not a finished purchase-dispute denial. Use the dispute-denied guide when the issuer finished investigating a merchant charge and said no error was found. You may still dispute an unwanted add-on fee as a billing error; that is not the same as a closed merchant-dispute denial letter.

It is not deferred or promo interest after a purchase promo ended. Use the deferred-interest guide for that bill.

The CFPB page What are credit card “add-on products?” says add-on products are additional, optional services. You do not have to buy them—or other extras—from the credit card company to activate your card. The page describes sales during card activation or customer-service calls, monthly or annual fees, bank or third-party vendors, high-pressure or confusing tactics, and trial periods that can begin automatic charges unless you cancel after reviewing written terms.

The CFPB page How do I dispute a charge on my credit card bill? is the billing-error path for a fee you dispute. Call the issuer promptly, then send a written billing-error notice within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on your statement. Keep copies. After the issuer receives the written notice, it generally has 30 days to acknowledge unless it already finished the required procedures. You can dispute even if you already paid the fee.

Recent CFPB narratives describe debt-protection or payment-protection fees people said they never enrolled in, trial add-ons that converted to paid fees, and fees that stayed after a phone cancel. Company names vary. Use the add-on explainer plus the written billing-error steps.

Official path

1. Save the statement that shows the add-on fee, the fee name and amount, and any mail, email, or app screen about enrollment, a trial, or cancellation.

2. Search for any written enrollment or confirmation. The en-1541 page advises waiting for written terms before you enroll and being clear that you do not want enrollment until you decide.

3. Call the card issuer (and the add-on vendor if listed). Ask whether the account is enrolled, ask for enrollment proof, ask to cancel future billing, and ask for a refund of fees you did not agree to. Write the date, time, and reference number.

4. Send a written billing-error notice to the billing-error address on the statement within 60 days of the statement that first showed the fee, as the en-61 page describes. State that you did not agree to the add-on, ask for a credit of the fee, and ask for written confirmation that enrollment is canceled. Keep a copy.

5. Pay other undisputed amounts while the dispute is pending if the issuer’s instructions require that. The en-61 page notes you can dispute a charge you already paid; follow the written dispute rules so your rights stay intact.

6. Submit a complaint at Submit a complaint if the issuer keeps billing an add-on you canceled or never agreed to, or cannot produce enrollment confirmation. Attach the statement and your letter.

People in CFPB narratives often cancel only by phone and never send the 60-day written billing-error notice. The dispute Ask page wins that conflict. Cancel, then put the dispute in writing within 60 days.

What people reported

Often helps

• Canceling the add-on on the call, then mailing a billing-error letter within 60 days that asks for a fee credit and written cancel confirmation.
• Asking for enrollment proof when the issuer claims a phone or chat opt-in the consumer does not recall.

Often fails

• Waiting past 60 days after the first statement to write, then arguing only in chat with no billing-error letter on file.

Template

[DATE]

[CARD ISSUER NAME]
Billing error / account services
[BILLING-ERROR ADDRESS FROM THE STATEMENT]

Re: Account ending [LAST FOUR]; add-on fee on [STATEMENT DATE] statement

That statement shows a charge of $[FEE AMOUNT] labeled [DEBT PROTECTION / PAYMENT PROTECTION / OTHER ADD-ON NAME]. I did not agree to buy this product, and I do not have enrollment confirmation.

The CFPB add-on Ask page says add-on products are optional and that I do not have to buy them to activate a card. I dispute this fee as a billing error under the CFPB dispute Ask page.

Please credit the fee, confirm in writing that the add-on is canceled and will not bill again, and send any enrollment record you claim. Treat this letter as notice that I do not authorize future add-on enrollment on this account.

On [PHONE DATE] I called [NUMBER]. Reference: [NUMBER]. I asked to cancel and reverse the fee.

Please reply in writing to the address below. Enclosed: statement copy.

[FULL NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]

Stop here if…

• The fee is a late fee and you believe you paid at least the minimum on time. Use the late-fee guide.
• The fee is an overlimit fee about exceeding your credit limit. Use the overlimit-fee-without-opt-in guide.
• The letter is a finished purchase-dispute denial for a merchant charge. Use the dispute-denied guide.
• The bill is about deferred or promo interest after a purchase promo ended. Use the deferred-interest guide.

FAQ

Is this the same as a late fee after I paid on time?

No. A late fee is about whether at least the minimum payment arrived on time. An add-on fee is a separate product charge such as debt protection or payment protection. Use the late-fee guide only for a late-fee line.

Is this an overlimit fee without opt-in?

No. An overlimit fee is about going over the credit limit and whether you opted in to allow over-limit charges. This page is about an optional add-on product fee you say you never agreed to. Use the overlimit guide for that fee line.

Is this a denied purchase dispute?

No. A dispute-denied letter finishes a merchant-charge investigation. An unwanted add-on fee is a product charge from the issuer or its vendor. You may still use the billing-error dispute path for the fee; use the dispute-denied guide only for a finished purchase investigation denial.

Is this deferred interest after a promo?

No. Deferred interest is interest that posts after a promo period if a balance remains. An add-on fee is a separate product line. Use the deferred-interest guide for promo interest, not this fee.

Do I have to buy an add-on to activate my card?

The en-1541 Ask page says you do not have to buy add-on products or other extras from the credit card company to activate your credit card. It also warns about high-pressure sales and trial periods that can start automatic charges unless you cancel.