Upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

P, a business partnership, disputed a €1,870 transaction made via Apple Pay on 27 August 2025 from their Revolut business account, claiming they did not authorise it. Revolut refused to refund, arguing that Apple Pay setup requires active participation and consent. The ombudsman found that Revolut could not provide evidence of which device received the verification code or confirm Mr W accepted it, and that the disputed transaction was anomalous and used only once. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding insufficient evidence to support Revolut's claim of gross negligence and ordering a refund of £1,616.73 plus 8% interest under the Payment Services Regulations 2017.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Revolut claimed Apple Pay setup requires active participation and consent, Revolut could not provide evidence of which device received the verification code or confirm Mr W received and accepted it. The ombudsman rejected Revolut's assertion that compromise was 'simply impossible' given that fraud does occur during Apple Pay setup. The ombudsman noted the disputed transaction was anomalous compared to other account activity, was only made once using that token, and was immediately disputed by P. The ombudsman concluded that under the Payment Services Regulations, Revolut must refund unauthorised transactions and cannot rely on gross negligence without evidence. The ombudsman was not required to pinpoint the exact method of compromise, only to be satisfied that scenarios enabling compromise exist, which they were.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website