Section 75: credit cards on bigger purchases
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes a credit card provider jointly responsible with the seller if something you bought is faulty, not as described or never arrives. You can claim from either one. Three conditions have to be met:
- The item's price is over £100 and no more than £30,000. It's the price of the single item that counts, not the basket total. You only need to have put part of the price on the card.
- You paid by credit card. Debit cards and prepaid cards aren't covered.
- You paid the seller directly. Paying through an intermediary such as PayPal usually breaks the link, so Section 75 normally no longer applies. PayPal's own buyer protection may help instead.
In practice that means Section 75 matters for consoles, handhelds, collector's editions and big bundles. It rarely applies to in-game currency or a single cosmetic, which almost always cost under £100.
Chargeback: debit cards and smaller amounts
Chargeback isn't a law. It's a scheme run by Visa, Mastercard and American Express that lets your bank ask the seller's bank to reverse a payment when goods or digital content aren't provided or aren't as described. It covers debit cards, credit cards and amounts under £100. Banks usually set a time limit of about 120 days, so raise it promptly. Ask the store for a refund first: many platforms restrict an account after a chargeback. Our refunds guide covers each store's own rules.
Payments you didn't make
If a payment leaves your account without your permission, for example after a game account is hijacked or a card is stolen, the Payment Services Regulations 2017 say your bank must refund it promptly. The most you can normally be asked to pay is £35, and nothing at all if you couldn't have noticed the loss. You lose that protection if you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence, such as sharing your card details or security codes. Tell your bank without delay, and in any case within 13 months of the payment.
If a child used a card saved on a console or phone, contact the platform's support team first. Apple, Google and the console makers each have a process for purchases made without the account holder's permission. Then set up purchase approvals so it can't happen again.
No extra charge for paying by card
Since 13 January 2018, UK sellers can't add a surcharge when consumers pay by debit card, credit card or payment services such as PayPal. If a store adds a "card fee" at checkout, that's not allowed. The price you're shown for a game or currency pack should be the price you pay.
Bank approvals at checkout
Strong customer authentication means many online card payments now ask you to approve them in your banking app or with a one-time code. It's there to stop fraud. A real store will never ask you to read that code out to someone, or type it anywhere except the checkout page itself.
Costs to watch on a credit card
- Gift cards and prepaid vouchers. Some card providers treat these like an ATM transaction: a fee plus a higher interest rate from day one, with no interest-free period. It depends on how the retailer codes the sale, so check your card's terms, or buy vouchers with a debit card.
- Foreign currency. A store that charges in dollars or euros may trigger your card's non-sterling fee. UK storefronts for the platforms we list charge in pounds.
- Interest. Buying games on a credit card and not clearing the balance in full means paying interest on them. A purchase that's only affordable on credit is a sign to wait for a sale or pick a free game from our chooser.
Buy now, pay later
Some retailers offer to split the cost of a console or game into instalments. Since 15 July 2026, most of these interest-free agreements are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lenders must check affordability and explain what happens if you miss a payment. Missed payments can still affect your credit file, so treat instalments like any other borrowing.
Help with borrowing
For free, impartial guidance on credit cards and borrowing, the government-backed MoneyHelper service is a good place to start. Under-18s can't hold a credit card in the UK, so any credit card on a child's game account belongs to an adult, who is responsible for its use.