Not upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against Santander UK Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr M booked flights through travel companies B and T in May 2025, paying approximately £2,370 using his Santander debit card. After needing to cancel due to a passenger's death, he requested refunds and asked Santander to pursue a chargeback. Santander requested specific documentation including refund receipts and cancellation policies to support a chargeback claim under Mastercard rules. Although Mr M provided some information, including an email from B confirming a refund for the first flights, this came in October 2025, outside the chargeback time limits, and did not confirm refunds for both transactions. The ombudsman upheld Santander's decision, finding insufficient evidence to support a chargeback claim and that the information provided did not meet Mastercard scheme requirements.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman determined that Santander acted fairly because: (1) Mr M authorised the transactions, making chargeback the only available protection; (2) Santander clearly explained the required information under Mastercard rules; (3) Mr M did not provide sufficient evidence that the merchants agreed to refunds, particularly for the second set of flights; (4) the information Mr M eventually provided came outside the time limits for raising a chargeback; and (5) even if provided earlier, the evidence would not have met the chargeback scheme requirements. The ombudsman concluded there was insufficient evidence to show a chargeback would likely have succeeded.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website