Transactions & Refunds

For: operations managers processing payments and refunds day-to-day
What you'll learn: how to read payment status on an order, capture authorized payments, issue full and partial refunds, and understand how refunds affect order totals.

This is a how-to guide for the dashboard, not the API. If you're building an automated payment system instead, see the Admin API reference or the Usage Guide.

Before you start#

You'll need an admin login for your store and the Orders section visible in the left navigation. Every action in this guide starts from an order's detail page — open the order first by clicking it in the Orders list (see Order Processing for how to find an order).

Throughout this guide, screenshots use a demo store — the names, orders, and amounts shown are fake. All prices are decimals: $32,200.00 shows as 32200.00.

1. Understanding payment status#

When you open an order detail page, the Summary section at the top shows the financial breakdown. Four key fields tell you the payment picture:

Example: An order has Order Total $32,200.00, Paid Total $0.00, Outstanding $32,200.00, and a "Not paid" badge. This order is waiting for payment capture.

The Payments section below the Summary shows a "Total paid by customer" line and any payment method details.

2. Capturing a payment#

When a customer's credit card payment is authorized but not yet captured, the funds are held but not moved. You must capture the payment to complete the transaction.

When to capture#

• Customer paid at checkout but the payment shows as "Pending" or "Authorized"
• You're ready to fulfill the order and need confirmed funds
• The authorization window is closing (many cards auto-expire after 7 days)

How to capture#

1. Open the order detail page
2. Scroll to the Payments section
3. Click Capture Payment (or the payment capture button in the order actions menu)
4. Confirm the amount — it should match the Order Total
5. Click Confirm to process

What changes after capture#

• Paid Total updates to match Order Total
• Outstanding becomes $0.00
• Payment Status changes from "Not paid" to "Paid"
• The Activity Timeline logs the capture event
• Customer receives a payment confirmation email (if automated emails are enabled)

Tip: If capture fails, the customer's card may have expired, been declined, or the authorization may have lapsed. Have the customer retry payment with a fresh card or contact your payment processor for details.

3. Issuing a full refund#

A full refund returns the entire Order Total to the customer's original payment method. Use this when a customer cancels before shipment or requests a refund for the whole order.

Caution: Refunds are difficult to reverse. Always double-check the order number and refund amount before confirming. If you refund the wrong amount or order, contact your administrator immediately.

How to issue a full refund#

1. Open the order detail page
2. Click Refund Payment in the Payments section (or use the order actions menu)
3. The refund dialog shows the full Order Total — verify it's correct
4. Click Confirm Refund to process
5. The refund is sent immediately to the customer's payment method

What the customer sees#

• Their payment method shows a refund transaction (may appear within minutes or up to 2 business days depending on their bank)
• The customer receives a refund confirmation email (if automated emails are enabled)
• The funds appear back in their account within 3–5 business days (bank-dependent)

What changes on the order#

• Paid Total remains unchanged (it was $X, now still shows $X as a historical record)
• Payment Status changes from "Paid" to "Refunded"
• The Activity Timeline logs the refund with date, amount, and refund method
• A red refund badge appears in the Payments section

4. Issuing a partial refund#

A partial refund returns only part of the Order Total — useful for refunding a single item, a discount, or a specific amount the customer disputes.

How to issue a partial refund#

1. Open the order detail page
2. Click Refund Payment in the Payments section
3. In the refund dialog, you'll see the full Order Total
4. Change the refund amount to the amount you want to refund (use decimals: enter 100.00 for $100.00)
5. Optionally, add a note explaining which item(s) or why (e.g., "Refund for damaged item - Modern Coffee Table")
6. Click Confirm Refund

What changes on the order#

• Paid Total decreases by the refund amount
• Outstanding increases to show the new unpaid balance
• If the refund amount equals the Order Total, the Payment Status becomes "Refunded"; if less, it becomes "Partially Refunded"
• The refund appears in the Activity Timeline with the exact amount

Example: Order Total $100.00, customer paid in full. You issue a $40.00 refund for one damaged item. Now Paid Total is $60.00, Outstanding is $40.00, and the status is "Partially Refunded."

5. Reading a refunded order#

Once a refund is issued, the order tells a clear financial story through the Summary totals and payment timeline.

What you'll see#

• Order Total — unchanged (still shows the original total)
• Paid Total — reduced by the refund amount (or zero if fully refunded)
• Outstanding — shows any remaining balance
• Payment Status — "Refunded" (full refund) or "Partially Refunded" (partial refund)
• Refund badge — red badge in the Payments section showing refund amount and date

Activity Timeline entries#

The timeline shows:

• "Payment captured" — when the customer's payment cleared
• "Refund issued" — when you refunded money, with the exact amount
• "Refund applied" — confirmation the refund reached the customer's payment method

This record is useful for support follow-ups — if a customer says they didn't see a refund, you can check the exact date it was processed.

6. When NOT to refund#

Do NOT use the refund tool if items are coming back to the warehouse. When a customer is returning or exchanging items, use the Return or Exchange tools instead (see Returns, Exchanges & Claims).

The difference:

• Refund = just money back, no items expected to return
• Return = customer sends items back, then receives refund (warehouse tracks inbound stock)
• Exchange = customer sends items back, receives different ones in exchange

If you refund before items are received back, you lose track of inventory and customer accountability. Use Returns/Exchanges to keep the warehouse synchronized.

Quick reference#

• Read payment status: check Order Total, Paid Total, Outstanding, and the payment badge
• Capture a payment: when authorization is pending, click Capture Payment to move funds
• Full refund: verify the order number and amount, click Refund Payment, confirm
• Partial refund: change the refund amount in the dialog to the specific amount you want to refund
• Refunds are hard to reverse: double-check before confirming; contact admin if you refund the wrong amount
• Read refunded orders: Paid Total decreases; status shows "Refunded" or "Partially Refunded"; timeline logs the refund
• Items coming back: use Returns or Exchanges, not Refund (see Returns, Exchanges & Claims)
• Refunds take 3–5 days: the money goes back to the customer's card/bank; confirm via timeline, not customer email