Handling Refunds for Online Orders

A refund process should be fast enough to treat the customer fairly and controlled enough to prevent duplicates, fraud and accounting gaps. The restaurant needs one workflow across website, app, marketplace and telephone-supported orders.

Identify the order and payment route

Before promising a refund, confirm:

• order number;
• channel;
• payment method;
• payment provider or marketplace;
• order status;
• items affected;
• customer’s requested outcome;
• whether any refund, credit or redelivery already exists.

A direct card refund cannot always be processed through the restaurant system if the marketplace took the payment. Route the case through the correct provider.

Choose the remedy

Problem	Possible remedy	Control
One missing side or drink	Partial refund, credit or replacement	Do not refund unaffected items automatically
Wrong main item	Replacement or appropriate refund	Consider time, customer need and food-safety implications
Entire order unusable or not delivered	Redelivery or full refund	Verify the cause and avoid duplicate compensation
Duplicate payment	Refund the extra transaction	Confirm two successful payments and one intended order
Customer cancellation	Apply the stage-based policy fairly	Record whether preparation started and any unavoidable loss
Payment succeeded but order failed	Recreate the order safely or refund	Check for duplicate kitchen tickets before acting

Use a stage-based cancellation policy

A practical policy can distinguish:

• Before acceptance: cancellation may be straightforward if the payment and platform permit it.
• Accepted but not started: the restaurant may still be able to stop the order.
• Preparation started: the business may have incurred real loss, but the response must remain fair and legally compliant.
• Dispatched: cancellation becomes a delivery and customer-service decision.
• Business failure: where the restaurant cannot supply what was agreed, a suitable remedy is required.

Do not publish a blanket no-refund statement. Prepared food is perishable, but customers still have rights where the order is faulty, not as described or not supplied as agreed.

Process direct refunds

1. Open the original transaction through an authorised account.
2. Confirm the refundable amount available.
3. Select full or partial refund.
4. Record the reason and affected items.
5. Submit the refund through the original payment route where possible.
6. Update the restaurant order record.
7. Send written confirmation to the customer.
8. Reconcile the refund in the provider statement and accounts.

Do not refund to an unrelated card or bank account without a provider-approved process.

Process marketplace refunds

Confirm:

• whether the restaurant or platform opens the case;
• what evidence is required;
• who decides the remedy;
• who funds it;
• whether commission and delivery charges are adjusted;
• where the deduction appears;
• how the restaurant can challenge an incorrect decision.

Record any replacement sent directly by the restaurant so customer service and finance can see the full remedy.

Communicate accurately

Tell the customer:

• what amount has been submitted;
• which order it relates to;
• the date of submission;
• that the card provider or bank controls when it appears;
• how to contact the restaurant if it does not appear after the provider’s stated period.

Do not state that the money is already back in the account when the refund is only submitted.

Failed or delayed refund

If a refund cannot be processed:

• capture the provider error;
• confirm the original transaction status;
• check the available refundable amount;
• check whether another refund already exists;
• raise a provider case;
• give the customer a realistic update;
• assign an owner and follow-up date.

Permissions and fraud control

• Use individual staff accounts.
• Limit high-value refunds to authorised managers.
• Require a reason and audit record.
• Review repeated refunds by staff member, customer, address and channel.
• Do not publicly accuse customers of fraud.
• Escalate unusual patterns privately.

Reconciliation

Match:

• order value;
• refund amount;
• provider transaction reference;
• refund status;
• fee treatment;
• marketplace adjustment where applicable;
• accounting entry;
• bank or settlement effect.

Refund log

Record:

• date;
• order and channel;
• reason;
• root cause;
• amount;
• replacement or credit;
• staff owner;
• provider status;
• customer notified;
• preventive action.

Related guides

• Payments — the main guide for the wider topic.
• Refunds and Chargebacks — the broader guide that frames this implementation.
• Chargeback Management for Restaurants — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.
• When to Refund vs When to Redeliver — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.

Official guidance checked

• GOV.UK: accepting returns and giving refunds
• GOV.UK Pay: an official example of payment-refund states and failures

Guidance checked: 24 July 2026. Follow the restaurant’s provider and marketplace procedures and obtain qualified advice for disputed legal obligations.