This guide explains how to issue full or partial refunds to your customers using your Card Machine, Teya App or Business Portal. It covers refund requirements, processing times, and how to check the status of a refunded transaction.
Before you start
- You must issue the refund to the exact same card used for the original purchase. Refunds cannot be processed to a different card.
- Customers do not need to be physically present. You can process refunds remotely via the app or Card Machine.
- You will need your Manager PIN (for Card Machines) or your app passcode/biometric login (for the Teya App) to authorise the refund.
How to refund transactions
- Tap the Menu icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Select Transactions and Refunds.
- Find the transaction you want to refund by browsing the list or using the available filters.
- Select the transaction, then Issue Refund.
- Enter your Manager PIN to authorise the action.
- Choose the refund type:
- Full refund: Refund the entire original transaction amount.
- Partial refund: Enter the specific amount you want to return.
- Tap Confirm to complete the process.
- Print the receipt if required.
- Log in to the Teya App.
- Go to Sales or Last Transactions, then select View All.
- Find the transaction you want to refund by browsing the list or using the available filters.
- Select the transaction, then Issue Refund.
- Choose the refund type:
- Full refund: Refund the entire original transaction amount.
- Partial refund: Enter the specific amount you want to return.
- Tap Issue Refund to proceed.
- Confirm the action using your passcode or biometric authentication.
- Log in to the Business Portal.
- From the left-hand menu, go to Transactions.
- Find the transaction you want to refund by browsing the list or using the available filters.
- Select the transaction, then Refund.
- Choose the refund type:
- Full refund: Refund the entire original transaction amount.
- Partial refund: Enter the specific amount you want to return.
- Confirm the refund.
If you process a partial refund, the remaining amount of the original transaction stays available for future refunds if needed.
Checking refund status and timelines
Refunds generally take between 7 to 10 business days to appear in your customer’s bank account. This timeline depends entirely on the processing speeds of the customer's bank.
You can verify the status of a refund in three ways:
- On the Card Machine: Go to Menu > Transactions and Refunds
- In the Teya App: Go to Sales and review the transaction list.
- On the Business Portal: Go to Sales and open the Transactions section.
Understanding refund statuses
| Payment/Refund Approved | The transaction was successful. |
| Payment/Refund Void | The transaction was cancelled, either by the merchant or automatically by the system. |
| Payment/Refund Pending | The transaction has been created but hasn't yet been processed by the banking system. It can still be cancelled. |
| Payment/Refund Declined | The transaction was not successful. |
Why can’t I process a refund?
You may see this error on your Card Machine: “Your balance has reached its negative limit.”
This means your Account Balance is negative, so there are not enough settled funds available to process the refund.
To resume issuing refunds, your Account Balance must return to a positive balance. You can do this by:
- Accepting more payments: New settled transactions will reduce the negative balance.
- Contacting Support: If you are not currently taking payments, our Support team can help clear the balance.
Learn more about negative balances here.