Charge On Imports Charge: Import Fee or Unknown Merchant?

A Charge On Imports charge on a credit card, debit card, or bank statement does not currently identify one confirmed merchant, payment processor, courier, or government agency. It could relate to an international purchase or import fee, but the wording may also be incomplete transaction information that requires additional details from the bank.

What Is the Charge On Imports Charge?

At this time, ChargeOnMyCard.com could not verify CHARGE ON IMPORTS as the official universal billing descriptor of one specific company.

If that exact wording appears on your account, it may be:

• An incomplete or shortened merchant descriptor
• A payment connected with an imported online order
• An import duty, tax, or customs-processing payment
• A courier, postal operator, freight company, or customs-broker fee
• A cross-border ecommerce payment processor
• A bank-generated transaction label or category
• A foreign merchant whose complete name is not displayed
• An unauthorized payment if no valid order or shipment can be found

The words alone are not enough to identify who received the payment. The complete descriptor, merchant country, amount, date, telephone number, website, and merchant category are important clues.

Is Charge On Imports a U.S. Customs Charge?

Not necessarily. The descriptor does not prove that the payment went to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

CBP says duties and fees can be handled differently depending on how goods enter the United States. Duties on mailed packages are typically determined during examination and may be paid through the local post office. Commercial and courier shipments may involve a carrier, customs broker, importer, government payment system, or another party.

CBP also says not every location accepts credit cards for duties, taxes, and fees. Some official payments are processed through ACH, Pay.gov, eCBP, or other approved methods. See the current CBP duty payment guidance.

Who Might Collect an Import-Related Payment?

A legitimate import-related payment may be collected by a different organization from the store where the product was purchased.

• The retailer or marketplace: Duties and taxes may be included at checkout.
• A merchant of record: A cross-border checkout company may process the order and applicable import costs.
• A courier or postal operator: The carrier may collect an assessed amount before or at delivery.
• A customs broker: A broker may charge for preparing an entry or advancing duties.
• A government payment system: Certain importers may pay government duties or user fees directly.
• The card issuer: The bank may separately assess a foreign-transaction or currency-conversion fee.

The resulting card descriptor would normally identify the retailer, processor, courier, broker, government payment portal, or bank rather than simply state “imports.” That is why the bank’s complete merchant information is necessary.

How to Identify the Charge

1. Copy the complete statement descriptor exactly as displayed.
2. Record the amount, currency, transaction date, and posting date.
3. Determine whether the transaction is pending, completed, reversed, or refunded.
4. Open recent international orders and compare the total charged at checkout.
5. Check whether the checkout stated that duties and taxes were included or would be collected later.
6. Enter the tracking number directly on the official carrier’s website.
7. Review messages from the retailer, carrier, postal operator, or customs broker.
8. Search email for the exact amount and terms such as duty, tariff, customs, import, clearance, brokerage, international shipping, and delivery.
9. Ask other authorized card users whether they ordered an item from another country.
10. Request expanded merchant and transaction information from the card issuer.

What Information Can the Bank Provide?

Your bank or card issuer may have more information than appears in the abbreviated online transaction list. Ask for:

• The complete merchant descriptor
• The legal merchant or doing-business-as name
• The merchant telephone number and website
• The merchant city and country
• The merchant category code
• The original currency and converted amount
• The payment processor or acquiring bank
• Whether a digital wallet or stored card was used
• Whether the transaction was recurring
• Whether the payment was made online, in person, or by telephone
• Any additional transaction reference that can safely be shared with the merchant

Do not publish the transaction reference, card number, bank-account number, tracking number, home address, or other private information in a public comment.

Import Duty, Courier Fee, or Foreign-Transaction Fee?

These are separate types of charges:

Import Duty or Tax

A customs authority assesses this amount based on factors such as the product, declared value, country of origin, and applicable import rules.

Courier or Brokerage Fee

A carrier or customs broker may charge for customs entry preparation, advancing duties, handling paperwork, storage, or collecting money from the recipient.

Foreign-Transaction Fee

This is generally a fee charged by the bank or card issuer because the purchase was processed internationally. It may appear separately from both the original purchase and the import costs.

For statement wording associated with an issuer’s international-service fee, see the FOREIGN ATM/POS ISA FEE guide.

Were Duties Already Included at Checkout?

Review the retailer’s checkout confirmation and invoice. Look for wording such as:

• Duties included
• Taxes included
• Import fees collected
• Delivered duty paid
• Duties payable on delivery
• Recipient responsible for customs charges
• Estimated duties and taxes

If the invoice shows that all duties were prepaid but a carrier requests another payment, ask both companies for an itemized explanation. The second amount could be an additional assessment, brokerage fee, billing mistake, or fraudulent payment request.

Could Global-e or Another Processor Be Involved?

Some international retailers use a merchant-of-record or cross-border checkout company. The cardholder may remember the retailer but see the processor’s name on the statement.

For example, Global-e processes international ecommerce payments for participating retailers and may handle localized currency, duties, taxes, shipping, and customs services. See the Global-e charge guide if GLOBAL-E, GLOBALE, or a retailer name appears in the complete descriptor.

Do not assume Global-e is involved unless its name appears on the receipt, checkout terms, order email, or bank transaction details.

Import and Package-Fee Scam Warning

The FTC warns that scammers impersonate USPS, FedEx, DHL, and other delivery companies in messages designed to steal payment and personal information. Use tracking information obtained from the original retailer rather than a link in an unexpected message. See the FTC package-message warning.

Warning signs include:

• You are not expecting an international package.
• The message creates an urgent deadline.
• The web address does not match the carrier or government agency.
• You are asked to pay using cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfer, or a personal payment account.
• The supposed courier cannot provide valid tracking information.
• The requested payment keeps increasing.
• A person met online claims to be sending money, jewelry, gold, or an expensive gift.
• You are asked for a card number, password, Social Security number, or banking login.

What If You Do Not Recognize Any Package?

Treat the transaction as potentially unauthorized when:

• No authorized card user placed an international order.
• There is no matching receipt, invoice, or shipment.
• The bank cannot identify the merchant.
• The supposed carrier has no valid tracking record.
• Several unfamiliar international charges are appearing.
• A small transaction is followed by larger attempts.
• The charge repeats even though import duties are normally associated with individual shipments.

Contact the financial institution using the number on the card or its official app. Ask whether the card should be locked or replaced and whether additional authorization attempts are visible.

How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge

1. Call the card issuer promptly.
2. Describe the charge accurately as unrecognized, unauthorized, duplicated, or incorrectly billed.
3. Provide the complete descriptor, date, amount, currency, and any merchant correspondence.
4. Ask whether written notice is required.
5. Send written notice to the billing-inquiries address when instructed.
6. Keep copies of statements, invoices, tracking records, emails, and dispute correspondence.
7. Continue paying the undisputed portion of the bill as required.

The CFPB says written notice for a U.S. credit-card billing error may be required within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on the statement. See the CFPB credit-card dispute guidance.

How to Report an Unauthorized Debit Card Charge

Debit-card transactions can remove funds directly from a bank account, so report a clearly unauthorized transaction immediately.

1. Contact the bank or credit union.
2. Lock the debit card through the official app when appropriate.
3. Identify every transaction that was not authorized.
4. Ask whether the card, PIN, online credentials, or account number should be replaced.
5. Provide written confirmation when requested.
6. Save the case number and any provisional-credit information.
7. Continue monitoring the account for further attempts.

Consumer Reports and Experiences

No visible consumer report on this page currently confirms one specific merchant behind the exact Charge On Imports wording. If you identify the transaction, share the complete descriptor, amount, country, type of order, company that collected the payment, and how the issue was resolved.

Do not post a complete card number, bank-account number, tracking number, transaction reference, address, telephone number, email address, or account login.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Charge On Imports a legitimate merchant?

Charge On Imports has not been confirmed as one specific merchant. It may be incomplete bank wording or relate to an import payment, retailer, courier, broker, processor, or unknown company.

Does it definitely mean I owe customs duty?

No. The description alone does not prove that a customs authority assessed the charge. Request the complete merchant information and match it to an official shipment or customs invoice.

Why am I being charged duties on a small order?

CBP currently states that most shipments valued at $800 or less stopped receiving automatic de minimis duty-free treatment on August 29, 2025. The applicable amount depends on the shipment and current import rules.

Is an import charge the same as a foreign-transaction fee?

No. Import duties concern the goods entering a country. A foreign-transaction fee is generally assessed by the card issuer because of how or where the payment was processed.

Can Charge On Imports be recurring?

A recurring identical transaction is less consistent with a one-time import duty. It could indicate a subscription, repeated merchant billing, separate shipments, or unauthorized use. Ask the bank whether the payment is coded as recurring.

Should I pay a customs fee requested by text?

Do not pay through an unexpected text link. Verify the order through the retailer and check the tracking number directly on the official carrier’s website.

Related Charge Guides

• Global-e Charge on Credit Card or Debit Card
• FOREIGN ATM/POS ISA FEE: International Charge Help
• LIMASSOL CYP International Charge
• Unrecognized Charge on Your Credit Card or Bank Statement: What to Do

Disclaimer

ChargeOnMyCard.com is an independent consumer-information website. It is not affiliated with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, USPS, any courier, retailer, customs broker, payment processor, card network, or financial institution. Information on this page does not establish whether a specific charge is legitimate or authorized. Verify the transaction through the merchant, carrier, government agency, and financial institution involved.