FAQ
Refunds That Do Not Match the Original Charge
The short answer
Trust the posted refund, not a pending one. A refund can show up under a different name, with no link to the original swipe, or after the card has been canceled. A pending return does not put money back on the card until it posts. A duplicate refund can also be taken back.
The credit and the original swipe are not always paired
When a store refunds a card, Dolly tries to line that credit up with the original purchase. Sometimes that link is obvious. Sometimes the refund comes through under a different store name, or with no purchase attached at all. A credit issued by the merchant, rather than a refund of one specific swipe, often has nothing to point back to.
That does not mean the money is missing. It means you match it yourself: same card, similar amount, and a date that makes sense for the return. The posted credit is the number that belongs in the books.
Ways a refund looks wrong
- The name does not match. The refund can come from a parent company, a processor, or a different location than the receipt.
- It is still pending. A pending return is a promise. It does not restore the card until it posts, and it should not be entered as a finished credit.
- The card was already canceled. Refunds still post to a canceled card. The money comes back to the production.
- There are two credits. If the merchant refunded twice by mistake, one of them can be reversed. That reversal looks like a new charge for the same amount.
- There was never a pending charge. Purchases made offline, including on a plane, can post later with no pending line at all. A refund of one of those can look just as disconnected.
What to do when you cannot find a match
Compare the credit to returns the crew remember, and to receipts, before you assume it is an error. If nothing lines up, contact Dolly at support@dollycard.com or 1 (508) 203-6861 with the date and the amount. If the original purchase itself is wrong, that is a dispute, and it starts from the posted charge, not from the refund.
Frequently asked questions
- The refund name is not the store I went to. Is it real?
- Often yes. Refunds frequently show a parent company or a different location. Match the amount, the card, and the timing before you treat it as a stranger’s credit.
- Why did a refund show up as a charge?
- A duplicate refund is sometimes reversed. That reversal is a debit for the extra credit. It is not a second purchase.
- The card is canceled. Can the refund still arrive?
- Yes. Canceling a card stops new spending. It does not stop a refund from posting.
- Should I code a pending refund?
- No. Code the posted credit. A pending return can change, duplicate, or never settle.
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