How long does it take for a credit or refund to appear on my credit card?

Once a refund is approved and released back to your card, how quickly it appears depends almost entirely on your bank or card issuer rather than on the merchant. The money is usually returned within a few business days, but posting times differ from one institution to the next.

• Processing side: the refund is submitted to the card network the day it is approved, but the funds still have to clear through your issuing bank.
• Credit cards: the credit typically appears within a few business days and lowers your outstanding balance.
• Debit cards: refunds can take a little longer because the money is returning to a checking account.
• Weekends and holidays: these are not counted as banking days, so a refund issued on a Friday may not post until the following week.

If the expected window has passed and you still do not see the credit, contact your bank directly and ask them to trace the refund using the transaction reference from your receipt.