Not upheld: chargeback dispute handling and merchant misconduct complaint complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr C complained that Revolut unfairly declined his chargeback claims for approximately £2,000 in transactions to an online gaming merchant between February and August 2025. Mr C alleged the merchant's monetisation model was misleading and manipulative, with prices subsequently reduced and progression locked behind undisclosed spending. Revolut declined the claims on procedural grounds—some were outside the 120-day chargeback window and others lacked requested information. The ombudsman found that Revolut acted fairly because Mr C's claim did not meet VISA chargeback scheme criteria (he had received and used the digital currency and items purchased), and Revolut is not responsible for investigating merchant misconduct beyond assessing chargeback eligibility. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the chargeback scheme has limited protections and strict conditions. Since Mr C received and used the digital currency he purchased with his debit card, and the digital items obtained with that currency, his claim did not meet the criteria for a successful chargeback under VISA rules. Additionally, many transactions were outside the 120-day chargeback window. The ombudsman noted that Revolut is not responsible for the merchant's alleged misconduct and is only required to assess whether a refund can be obtained through the chargeback process, not to investigate the merchant's business practices. Even if Revolut had acted unfairly in declining on procedural grounds, Mr C would not have lost out because the claim had no reasonable prospect of success.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website