Card Refund Transaction

1. Refund – refund

You can refund a Transaction if it is CLEARED via the Refund service or from the Transaction details in the Merchant Portal. You can initiate a full or partial refund by entering an amount.

Your customer will receive the funds on their card within 3 to 5 business days after the operation. Your payment account is debited immediately, so it must be solvent to perform the operation.

You cannot cancel a refund once it has been processed.

⚠️ If the card to which you are attempting to issue the refund has expired or the account has been closed, CentralPay will not be able to process the refund. In this case, we invite you to contact your customer to request up-to-date bank details and proceed with a SEPA transfer from your bank. 

2. Credit – credit

You can credit a customer’s card without an initial transaction from the Credit service. There are several ways to do this:

• Tokenize a card via the cardToken service and then enter it into the Credit service
• Create or search for a Customer with a valid card, then enter their “customerId” and “cardId” into the Credit service

ℹ️ This service is only available for specific activities; contact CentralPay for more information.

3. Dispute – Dispute

When a cardholder disputes or reports a transaction to their bank, the network (Visa, Mastercard, Carte Bancaire, etc.) may notify CentralPay to initiate a dispute operation (Dispute).
This operation allows you to track the status of the dispute and act according to the type of signal received: fraud alert, information request, or chargeback.

Each dispute is represented in the CentralPay back office by a distinct operation (Dispute), linked to the original transaction. Notifications are also available via the webhook DISPUTE_CREATED.

For any card payment, a customer can dispute a transaction with their bank within the following timeframes:

• 120 days from the transaction for Visa and Mastercard networks;
• 13 months from the operation date for the French Carte Bancaire network.

ℹ️ In France, disputes are generally reserved for cases of fraud (stolen, usurped, or misused card).
In other European countries, they can also be used in the context of a commercial dispute (product not delivered, non-compliant service, etc.).

1. Fraud Alert FRAUD_NOTICED

This status corresponds to a preventive fraud notification transmitted by the network (e.g., TC40 file for Visa).
It is triggered when the issuing bank reports that a cardholder claims not to have originated the transaction (stolen, copied, or usurped card).

➡️ No refund is initiated at this stage.
➡️ This signal allows you to anticipate a potential chargeback and strengthen your anti-fraud controls.

Best practices:

• Identify the transaction concerned (amount, country, card, date).
• Check for similar transactions (same card, same account, same IP).
• Blacklist the card or account to prevent new attempts.
• Retain proof of authenticity (logs, proof of delivery, consent).
• Do not contact the cardholder directly (the signal comes from their bank).

2. Information Request RETRIEVAL_NOTICED

This status corresponds to a documentary request issued by the cardholder’s bank.
It occurs when a customer does not recognize a transaction, without mentioning fraud.

The issuing bank then asks CentralPay to request the merchant to provide evidence (invoice, receipt, proof of delivery, etc.).

➡️ A response is expected within 7 days.
➡️ If the elements are accepted, the dispute is closed (RETRIEVAL_CLOSE).
➡️ If no response is submitted, the cardholder’s bank may trigger a chargeback.

3. Official Dispute CHARGEBACK_NOTICED

A chargeback corresponds to a formal refund request initiated by the issuing bank.
It may result from:

• confirmed fraud (following an FRAUD_NOTICED);
• an unresolved dispute (following an RETRIEVAL_NOTICED);
• or another reason recognized by the networks (product not received, incorrect amount, non-compliant service, etc.).

When a chargeback is issued:

• The transaction amount is debited from your payment account to refund the cardholder.
• Non-refundable fees apply for each dispute received, even if the outcome is favorable.
• You have 20 calendar days to respond to the dispute by providing supporting documents:
  • Proof of delivery or service execution,
  • Proof of cardholder consent (mandatory for non-3D Secure transactions),
  • Other documents demonstrating the legitimacy of the payment.

Failure to respond within the allotted time will result in the dispute being automatically lost.

Once your response is submitted, the issuing bank analyzes the provided elements:

Status	Description
CHARGEBACK_WON	The evidence was deemed sufficient. The transaction amount is re-credited to you.
CHARGEBACK_LOST	The dispute is maintained. The refund to the cardholder becomes final.