Not upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against National Westminster Bank Public Limited Company (NatWest)
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6398261 of 2026-06-18T00:00:00+00:00. Card / payment disputes complaint against National Westminster Bank Public Limited Company (NatWest). Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6398261 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-06-18T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | National Westminster Bank Public Limited Company (NatWest) |
| Product | Current account |
| Claim type | Card / payment disputes |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | £30 compensation for confusion caused by NatWest's text message regarding a temporary refund (already offered by NatWest and accepted as fair). |
Summary
Mr G complained that NatWest failed to handle his chargeback requests properly after an online casino refused to pay out all of his gambling winnings. NatWest refused to raise chargebacks, stating that gambling transactions fall outside the chargeback regime. The ombudsman found that Mastercard's rules explicitly prohibit chargebacks for gambling winnings and terms and conditions issues, and that NatWest correctly applied these rules. The complaint was not upheld, though the ombudsman accepted NatWest's £30 compensation offer for confusion caused by a text message about a temporary refund.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that chargeback is a voluntary scheme, not a legal right, and that Mastercard's rules explicitly prohibit chargebacks for gambling winnings and terms and conditions disputes. NatWest correctly applied these rules and would have been pursuing a futile claim had it raised a chargeback. The £30 compensation offered for confusion was considered fair.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| National Westminster Bank Public Limited Company (NatWest), all decisions | 135 | 7% |
| Card / payment disputes, all decisions | 14,309 | 19% |
| Current account, all decisions | 52,014 | 19% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website