How do I look up a charge on my credit card

Putting a name to a place

Businesses, like your local cafe, sometimes trade under a different name to the one they registered. So, you might not always recognise the name on your statement.

To help you identify these purchases, you can use the Look Who’s Charging feature. You’ll see more details like:

The trading name and logo
A map of the transaction location
An address, phone number, and website if available

In the Westpac App

Tap the account
Tap the transaction to view more details

In Online Banking

Select the account
Select the transaction to view more details

Download the Westpac App

Frequently Asked Questions

Sometimes a transaction is the result of a misunderstanding and easily resolved with a call to the merchant.

Before calling, look up the merchant in Online Banking or the Westpac App. Simply select the account and tap the transaction to view details including the merchant logo, contact details and website.

Things you should know

The merchant information has been provided by Look Who's Charging. Westpac cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information. Found a mistake or something missing in these merchant details? Send them a message.

Westpac Mobile Banking applications are only available for use by Westpac Australia customers. Internet connection is needed to access Westpac Online Banking and the Westpac App. Normal mobile data charges apply.

Apple, the Apple logo and iPhone and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

This question is about Credit Cards

WalletHub, Financial Company

@WalletHub • 03/26/21 This answer was first published on 03/26/20 and it was last updated on 03/26/21.For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.

The charge on your credit card statement that you don’t recognize could be a charge from an unfamiliar merchant, a fee charged by the card issuer, a mistake of some sort, or an unauthorized credit card transaction.

In many cases, unfamiliar charges are simply the result of the cardholder not recognizing the merchant name on their statement, or not expecting a previously scheduled purchase. But even if the charge on your credit card statement ends up being fraudulent, all major credit cards give users a $0 liability guarantee for unauthorized charges.

It’s still best to report unauthorized charges quickly, however, and to take other steps to make sure you don’t become a victim of full-blow identity theft. This should include changing passwords and reviewing recent transactions on other financial accounts, at the very least.

How to look up a charge from your credit card statement

When you don’t recognize a charge on your credit card statement, the first thing to rule out is the possibility that you simply don’t recognize the merchant name from the statement description. Charges from merchants on a credit card statement may look confusing or unrecognizable - sometimes even to the person who authorized the charge. Some merchant names are more cryptic than others - especially small businesses that may use the business owner’s name as a merchant name rather than the name of the business.

There are a few ways to look up unfamiliar credit card charges:

Use a search engine to look up the words in the description of the charge on your statement - exactly as it appears.
See if your card issuer has its own merchant search tool by calling the number on the back of your credit card.
Contact any merchants you did business with on the date of the charge, and ask them how their business shows up on credit card statements.

With all the credit card transactions that happen every day, it’s inevitable that mistakes will happen, too. But cardholders have some recourse for mistakes that end up on their credit card bills: You can dispute charges you don’t recognize.

Just realize that the credit card company will investigate the charges, so it’s a good idea to retrace your steps before you dispute the charge. Go through all receipts from that time period to make sure you didn’t simply forget about a purchase you authorized. If you come up empty-handed, call the merchant - it could be an honest mistake, and the merchant can reverse the charge. If it’s not a mistake, it’s time to call your card issuer to dispute the charge.

However, you may find out that the charge is from your credit card issuer, not a merchant. If you suspect that your card issuer has mistakenly charged you a fee, you should take it up with a customer service rep at your credit card company.

What to do if you didn’t authorize the charge

If you’ve tracked down the merchant responsible for the unrecognizable charge, but you did not authorize the charge, you may be a target of credit card fraud. You should report it to your card issuer immediately by calling the number on the back of your card or logging into your online credit card account. Your card issuer will likely cancel your credit card and send you a new one. You won’t be responsible for paying the unauthorized charges.

With all the credit card fraud in today’s financial environment, finding an unfamiliar item on a credit card statement can be alarming. But reviewing your credit card statement every month, or keeping track of charges as they post to your online account, is an important step in protecting yourself from fraud.

Melinda Geskey, Member

@melgeskey • 08/26/22 This answer was first published on 08/26/22. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.

The specific charge on mine for Focus WC CT had a phone number and when I put it in my phone, it came up as Capital Taco (restaurant in Wesley Chapel).

prpeddle, Member

@prpeddle • 09/27/20 This answer was first published on 09/27/20. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.

If the charge you're researching starts with TST* I've discovered that restaurants use an online payment processing service called “toast”… aka TST. The short abbreviation usually following TST represents the restaurant name.

Answer Question

People also ask

How long do you have to dispute a credit card charge?

You have 60 days to dispute a credit card charge, per the Fair Credit Billing Act of 1974. The 60 days starts from the day the statement containing the erroneous charge was mailed to you or made available online (if you’re enrolled in paperless billing). So waiting for a paper statement to arrive in the mail could cost you at least a few of those 60 days,whereas you can examine your statement online right away. You can typically start the dispute process online or by giving the card’s issuer a call. The issuer must acknowledge your dispute within 30 days of receiving it and resolve the matter within 90.… read full answer

Here’s how long you have to dispute a credit card charge:

You have 60 days from when the relevant monthly statement was sent. That’s the postmark date for paper statements or the sent date for an email statement.

The issuer must send a written acknowledgement within 30 days of receiving your dispute. They must evaluate your claim and contact you with their decision within 90 days of receiving the dispute. If they agree with you, you’ll get a refund. Otherwise, you’ll still have to pay for the charge.

The credit card’s issuer may ask you to submit your dispute in writing, along with proof that the charge is incorrect, like receipts or a police report.

Because of the limited time to dispute, you should always go over your statements right after you receive them. Make sure there’s no charges you didn’t make, no wrong amounts, no inflated tips, and no items that arrived damaged that were not refunded.

If you review your monthly statement online, you may see a button to dispute charges. Otherwise, call the number on the back of your card to reach the issuer’s customer service and explain the situation.

While 60 days usually is plenty of time to dispute a credit card charge, it’s always a good idea to be proactive. Waiting too long might mean having to pay more than you really owe.

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How do I cancel a credit card transaction?

To cancel a credit card transaction, contact either the merchant on the other side of the transaction or the credit card company. Which you should contact first depends on whether or not you think the transaction is fraudulent.

When You Think the Transaction Is Fraudulent:

If you want to cancel a credit card transaction because you think it is fraudulent, the first thing you should do is search online for the name of the biller, as listed on your credit card account. Sometimes, legitimate transactions can lead to false alarms simply because a biller’s corporate name isn’t as recognizable as the brand name a consumer really does intend to pay. If that clears things up in your case, great – crisis averted.… read full answer

However, if you still don’t recognize the details, you should definitely call your credit card’s issuer (the number is listed on the back of your card) to inform them about the unauthorized transaction. Even if the issuer can’t cancel the transaction before it goes through initially, you will not be on the hook for any fraudulent purchases made with your credit card account. All credit cards give users a $0 fraud liability guarantee.

When You Just Want to Cancel the Transaction:

If you know that a credit card transaction is legitimate, but you want to cancel it because you changed your mind or made the purchase by mistake (or any other reason), take your request directly to the merchant the transaction is with. The credit card company won’t be able to do much about a legitimately authorized credit card transaction. They might be able to instruct you on how to cancel future transactions if the card is being used for a subscription or other recurring purchase, but that’s about it.

Your chances of being able to cancel a credit card transaction made online figure to be especially good. Check the merchant's cancellation policy. Some provide a small window in which you can cancel a pending transaction. Just bear in mind that in this situation, an order may show as canceled before the transaction reversal posts to your credit card account.

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WalletHub Answers is a free service that helps consumers access financial information. Information on WalletHub Answers is provided “as is” and should not be considered financial, legal or investment advice. WalletHub is not a financial advisor, law firm, “lawyer referral service,” or a substitute for a financial advisor, attorney, or law firm. You may want to hire a professional before making any decision. WalletHub does not endorse any particular contributors and cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of any information posted. The helpfulness of a financial advisor's answer is not indicative of future advisor performance.

WalletHub members have a wealth of knowledge to share, and we encourage everyone to do so while respecting our content guidelines. This question was posted by WalletHub. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.

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How do I find out where a charge came from?

Call the phone number listed on the description of the charge. Ask to speak to a customer service representative who can tell you exactly what the charge was for and what types of goods and services were purchased.

What do you do if you don't recognize a transaction?

Check your transactions. Check the date, time and location of the transaction to see if any of the details are familiar to you. ... .

Check with others. Check no one else with access to your account has made the payment, e.g. ... .

Check for regular payments. ... .

Check any payment codes..

How do you find out what a transaction is?

Find Transaction Details Circle the date of the transaction, the name of the individual or business to which the payment was made, and any transaction ID number. Take that statement to the bank and ask them for more complete information, including a copy of the check and information on who endorsed it.

How do you identify an unknown transaction?

How to identify unknown transactions on your statement.

Compare your receipts. This may seem like an obvious one, but it can save a lot of hassle: cross-reference the transaction history in your account with your receipts. ... .

Double check transaction dates. ... .

Confirm conversion rate. ... .

Go online and search the account name/number..