Refund sent to a cancelled or expired card
Merchants often disburse refunds back to an original payment method even when customers provide alternative bank details or no longer have the card. This traps funds with the bank or issuer, which usually refuses to help or payout without the full card details that customers no longer possess.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Contacting the credit card issuer's credit balance department to request a check or SEPA transfer
- 2Filing formal written demands or contacting consumer protection and alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
- 3Using the saved card details on Amazon to buy Amazon gift balance or items needed
- 4Keeping a shoebox full of spent gift cards indefinitely
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“A couple months ago, I made a pre-order on something. The product I ordered later changed, and the merchant offered people a chance to cancel. I took them up on that, but requested my refund be sent another way (like a check) because I no longer had my original payment method, a prepaid gift card given to me for my birthday. I used it and discarded it, never thinking to need it again.”source ↗
“The merchant replied, saying they could only refund the original method. Given that I no longer had that, I retracted my cancellation request, but I didn't hear anything and a day later they cancelled the order anyway, sending $70 to a card I can no longer access.”source ↗
“I called who I believe was the card issuer, but because I didn't have the full number or 3 digit code, they offered no help.”source ↗
“That prepaid card is still saved in my Amazon account, but it only lets me see the last 4 digits and the expiration date, which doesn't help when I need the full number and the 3 digit code.”source ↗
“I contacted American Express and they have confirmed to me in writing that the Qatar Airways credit was posted to the old card account but was not paid out to me.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Bank closed my account and kept my money
- 2Merchant says refund went to a closed card but bank has no record
- 3How to get a refund when an online seller won't ship or reply
- 4How to get a refund from a third-party booking site for a canceled hotel
- 6Account deactivated for security reasons and stuck in ID verification loop
- 2Accidentally used HSA card for an ineligible expense what do I do?