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Payments & travel · Germany
Checked 2026-09-30

💳 A payment I didn’t make is on my account: how do I get it back in Germany?

Short answer

If you did not authorise a card or bank payment, tell your bank at once. It must refund you by the end of the next business day, unless it has reasonable grounds to suspect fraud by you and reports that to the authorities. If you were tricked into approving the payment yourself, other rules apply.

⏱ DeadlineTell the bank as soon as you notice, and within 13 months of the debit at the latest.

📜 Your rights

EUThe EU rule

EU consumer law applies in every EU country. Your country writes it into its own law — the national rule is below.

  • Tell your bank without undue delay once you notice an unauthorised payment, and no later than 13 months after the debit date (Art. 71(1) Directive (EU) 2015/2366).
  • If you deny having authorised a payment, the bank must prove it was authenticated, correctly recorded and not affected by a technical failure; use of your card or app alone is not enough (Art. 72).
  • The bank must refund you immediately, and at the latest by the end of the next business day, unless it has reasonable grounds to suspect fraud and reports them in writing to the national authority (Art. 73(1)).
  • For a lost, stolen or misused payment instrument you can be made to bear at most €50, unless you acted fraudulently or with intent or gross negligence (Art. 74(1)).
  • You bear nothing if the loss could not be detected by you, or if the bank did not require strong customer authentication — unless you acted fraudulently (Art. 74(1) and 74(2)).
Official source: publications.europa.eu · Checked 2026-09-30

The rules in Germany

For an unauthorised payment your bank must refund you at the latest by the end of the business day after you reported it (§ 675u BGB). Report it without undue delay, at the latest 13 months after the debit (§ 676b BGB).

  • For a lost or stolen payment instrument you pay at most €50. You pay nothing if you could not notice the loss, or if the bank did not require strong customer authentication; the full loss only for fraud, intent or gross negligence (§ 675v BGB). (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • After you have reported the loss or misuse, you are not liable for later payments, unless you acted fraudulently (§ 675v (5) BGB). (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Law: §§ 675u, 675v, 676b BGB
Official source: gesetze-im-internet.de · Checked 2026-09-30

🪜 Step by step

  1. Block the card or appCall your bank’s blocking line now. After you report it, you no longer bear losses (unless fraud).
  2. Tell the bank in writingUse the letter below: it lists the payments, says you did not authorise them and asks for the refund.
  3. Report to the policeEspecially with fraud. Keep the report number for the bank.
  4. Refund refused?Ask for the refusal and the evidence in writing, then go to the financial dispute body under “If the trader does not answer”.
  5. Tricked into approving it?That is an authorised payment. See “Scammed online” in Who do I contact: report it at once all the same.

✉️ Your letter

Information, not legal advice. FFCheck is independent and not affiliated with any authority, court or company. The letter is a template filled with your details: you check it and send it yourself.

Fill in your details. The letter appears on this page: copy it into an e-mail or the trader’s contact form, or print it. Nothing you type is stored.

Bank or card issuer
One per line, e.g. “12 Sept 2026 · €89.00 · SHOPXYZ.COM”
Never type the full card number or a PIN.
Your full name
Optional, but a letter by post needs it.
Language of the letter

🧭 If the trader does not answer

Give the trader the time in your letter. Then, in this order:

An out-of-court dispute body (ADR) can settle it. The trader has to tell you which ADR body covers it (on its website, terms or in its reply).

Schlichtungsstellen der Finanzwirtschaft (Übersicht der BaFin)Official list of free ADR and ombudsman bodies for disputes with banks and payment providers.🔗 bafin.de
Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) – VerbrauchertelefonFinancial supervisor; takes complaints about banks, insurers and financial firms.📞 0800 2 100 500 🔗 bafin.de

Trader in another EU country? The European Consumer Centre helps for free.

Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland (EVZ)Free help with disputes with traders in other EU countries, Iceland or Norway.🔗 evz.de

European Small Claims Procedure: for cross-border claims up to €5,000, a written procedure without a lawyer. e-justice.europa.eu

The EU’s online dispute resolution platform (ODR) closed on 20 July 2025. Use the bodies on this page instead.

📇 Every office for this in Germany →

❓ Frequently asked questions

I approved the payment in my app because a “bank employee” told me to. Is it unauthorised?

Usually not in the legal sense: you authorised it. Report it at once all the same; your bank and the police may still be able to stop or recover it.

The bank says I was grossly negligent. What now?

The bank has to show that. Ask for its reasons and evidence in writing and take it to the financial dispute body.

Does this cover credit cards?

Yes: cards, transfers, direct debits and payment apps provided by a payment service provider.

📎 Sources

Checked: 2026-09-30

🔎 What people search

  • “unauthorised payment refund Germany”
  • “bank refuses refund fraud card”
  • “payment I didn’t make bank”
  • “card used without permission”
  • “dispute transaction letter bank”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related

💶Refund not received→📦Order not delivered→🔁Cancel a subscription→↩️Return an online order→📇Every office for this in Germany→

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