When you need to issue a refund to your customers, Uscreen provides straightforward options to process these transactions. This guide covers everything you need to know about the refund process, including important limitations, timelines, and special considerations for different payment methods.
⚠️ WARNING: Before confirming a Refund, please double-check that you are refunding the correct account and invoice, as this process is irreversible.
Ensure you are certain about this action before proceeding, as it can affect your revenue reporting and the member's access status, especially if the revoke user access option is selected.
Refund through the People page
Navigate to People
Search for the member you need to refund and Edit
Under the Invoices section, click on the specific invoice you intend to refund
Click Refund
Confirm the refund in the pop-up box by clicking Refund
ℹ️ INFO: After processing the refund, the Refund button will disappear, and a gray Refunded label will appear on the status.
Refund through the Sales page
Navigate to Sales (Invoices)
Search for the member using their name, email, or invoice number
Click the Invoice Number that needs to be refunded
Click the Refund button located in the top right corner
Confirm the refund in the pop-up box by clicking Refund
📝 NOTE: The Refund button will no longer be available if the user account has been deleted. You may still process the refund through the payment provider.
Partial Refunds
Uscreen does not directly support partial refunds within the platform. However, there are workarounds depending on the payment processor.
For Stripe Payments
If your customer paid with a card processed by Stripe, you can provide a partial refund through Stripe directly.
Locate the transaction in your Stripe dashboard
Follow Stripe's process to issue a partial refund for the desired amount
🔗 Learn more about Stripe's Partial Refund process
⚠️ WARNING: If you process a refund through your payment processor, this transaction lives completely outside of Uscreen. The invoiced amount, your MRR, and your user's transaction history in Uscreen will not reflect the refund. Anything that references that invoice amount will be slightly off in its total.
For PayPal Payments
Partial refunds are not supported for PayPal transactions through Uscreen. If it was processed using the Native PayPal integration, you may process the refund by logging into your PayPal account.
Locate the transaction in your PayPal > Activity
Follow PayPal's process to issue a partial refund for the desired amount
🔗 Learn more about PayPal's Refund process
📝 NOTE: PayPal refunds may have a 180-day limit. After this period, refunds cannot be processed.
In-App Purchase Refunds
For subscriptions purchased through app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon, Roku), refunds must be requested directly from the respective app marketplace.
Apple App Store
Google Play Store
Amazon Appstore
Roku
📝 NOTE: In-app purchases cannot be refunded through Uscreen's admin area. You must direct customers to the appropriate app store for refund requests.
Refund Timeline
Your customer may receive their refund within 10 to 30 days, depending on the payment provider's refund policy.
Uscreen cannot expedite, track, or guarantee when a refund will be completed
Refund timelines depend on the payment provider and the originating payment institution, such as a bank or credit card
For converted currencies, the refunded amount may differ from the original payment amount due to currency exchange rate fluctuations between the time of purchase and refund
Calculating Refunds for Annual Subscriptions
For annual subscribers, refunds can be calculated by reviewing the original transaction details via the Stripe dashboard.
These details include payment amounts, dates, and other relevant information necessary to determine the unused portion of the subscription period.
📝 NOTE: Uscreen does not control the timing of the refund process. Refunds are processed entirely by the payment processor (Stripe, PayPal, etc.).
Tracking Refunds & Reversals in Stripe
When a refund is processed, it may appear in different ways:
Refund
The standard method is where funds are returned to the customer's original payment method.
Reversal
In some cases, instead of issuing a separate credit, the original charge is reversed.
This means the charge drops off the customer's statement entirely, rather than showing as a separate refund transaction.
📝 NOTE: Refunds and reversals can only be processed to the original payment method used for the transaction. It is not possible to refund to a different payment method or card.
For tracking purposes, you may receive a reference number:
Acquirer Reference Number (ARN): A unique identifier for the transaction that can be provided to the customer's bank to trace the refund.
System Trace Audit Number (STAN): Another tracking number that can be used to locate the refund transaction.
💡 TIP: The System Trace Audit Number (STAN) includes information indicating whether the amount was processed in the form of a refund or a reversal, the date the funds will be made available, and the tracking number, which you can share with the user, to allow them to track the status of their request.
Disputes and Chargebacks
When a customer initiates a dispute (also known as a chargeback) with their payment provider, it creates a specific process that differs from standard refunds.
You cannot issue a refund while a dispute is open
If a dispute is lost, the payment is automatically reversed in favor of the customer
Disputes may include additional fees charged by the payment processor
The system will automatically revoke the user's access when a dispute is lost
ℹ️ INFO: The Activity Log in the user's account will indicate that access was revoked due to a lost dispute.
Handling Disputes
For Stripe users: Respond to disputes through your Stripe dashboard by providing evidence
Set up email alerts for dispute notifications in your Stripe dashboard to ensure timely responses
Disputes that aren't responded to within the timeframe set by the payment processor are typically lost by default
💡 TIP: When possible, it's better to work with customers directly to issue refunds rather than letting issues escalate to disputes, as disputes often include additional fees, take a longer time to process, and can negatively impact your merchant account.