[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"questions:item:en:cancellation-vs-refund":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"answer":6,"body":7,"category":136,"description":137,"extension":138,"meta":139,"modifiedAt":140,"navigation":141,"pairId":142,"path":143,"publishedAt":144,"question":145,"relatedPath":125,"seo":146,"seoTitle":147,"sitemap":148,"slug":149,"stem":150,"translationSlug":151,"__hash__":152},"questions_en\u002Fen\u002Fquestions\u002Fcancellation-vs-refund.md","Cancellation Vs Refund","A cancellation applies to a transaction that has not completed its financial cycle: the funds were held on the card but never captured. A refund applies to a completed payment: the money was taken and has to be sent back. For the customer the difference shows in timing — a cancellation releases funds faster.",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":128},"minimark",[10,13,18,26,29,33,36,40,92,96,115],[11,12,6],"p",{},[14,15,17],"h2",{"id":16},"what-a-cancellation-does","What a cancellation does",[11,19,20,21,25],{},"When a customer pays by card, the bank first checks the card and ",[22,23,24],"strong",{},"holds"," the amount — that is a block on the funds, not a capture. Until the merchant confirms the transaction, the money stays in the customer's account but cannot be spent.",[11,27,28],{},"Cancelling removes that hold. The money never reached the merchant, so there is nothing to send back — the bank simply releases it.",[14,30,32],{"id":31},"what-a-refund-does","What a refund does",[11,34,35],{},"A refund is a separate financial operation in the opposite direction. The merchant starts it after the payment has been confirmed and counted towards their turnover. It can be full or partial — for example, when the customer keeps one item out of three.",[14,37,39],{"id":38},"choosing-the-right-operation","Choosing the right operation",[41,42,43,56],"table",{},[44,45,46],"thead",{},[47,48,49,53],"tr",{},[50,51,52],"th",{},"Situation",[50,54,55],{},"What to do",[57,58,59,68,76,84],"tbody",{},[47,60,61,65],{},[62,63,64],"td",{},"Customer changed their mind right after paying, status not final",[62,66,67],{},"Cancel",[47,69,70,73],{},[62,71,72],{},"Order confirmed, money captured, item did not fit",[62,74,75],{},"Refund",[47,77,78,81],{},[62,79,80],{},"Item out of stock before shipping",[62,82,83],{},"Cancel if the payment is not settled, otherwise refund",[47,85,86,89],{},[62,87,88],{},"Customer returned part of the order",[62,90,91],{},"Partial refund",[14,93,95],{"id":94},"what-matters-for-the-business","What matters for the business",[97,98,99,103,106],"ul",{},[100,101,102],"li",{},"Treat the server-side payment status as the source of truth, not the \"payment successful\" screen.",[100,104,105],{},"Publish refund terms and timelines before checkout — it reduces disputes.",[100,107,108,109,114],{},"Do not stall: a refusal or silence usually ends in a ",[110,111,113],"a",{"href":112},"\u002Fen\u002Fquestions\u002Fwhat-is-a-chargeback","chargeback",", where the bank decides instead of you.",[11,116,117,118,122,123,127],{},"How refunds work at MulenPay is described in the ",[110,119,121],{"href":120},"\u002Frefund-policy","refund and chargeback policy","; the operations themselves are visible in the dashboard — see ",[110,124,126],{"href":125},"\u002Fgetpayments","accepting payments",".",{"title":129,"searchDepth":130,"depth":130,"links":131},"",2,[132,133,134,135],{"id":16,"depth":130,"text":17},{"id":31,"depth":130,"text":32},{"id":38,"depth":130,"text":39},{"id":94,"depth":130,"text":95},"operations","A cancellation releases a hold before capture; a refund sends back an amount already captured. When each applies and how it looks to the customer.","md",{},null,true,"question-02","\u002Fen\u002Fquestions\u002Fcancellation-vs-refund","2026-08-11","How does cancelling a payment differ from refunding it?",{"description":137},"Cancellation vs refund: what is the difference",{"loc":143},"cancellation-vs-refund","en\u002Fquestions\u002Fcancellation-vs-refund","chem-otlichaetsya-otmena-ot-vozvrata","ZOSsmWlbyE-TFUENtn-r7ZLDQlMDVp3XBRiOcz8W8Uk"]