AI-generated Key Takeaways
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The refund flow returns funds to users after a capture, initiated by the Payment Integrator and finalized through a result notification to Google.
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Refunds can be full or partial, supporting multiple partial refunds for a single capture.
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Payment Integrators must provide the Acquirer Reference Number (ARN) to Google once available, which is crucial for dispute and fraud management.
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Refunds can be reversed under certain circumstances, requiring a separate notification to Google.
Overview
The refund flow is used to return funds to a user after funds have been
captured through the reserve funds flow or the
funds transfer flow. The Payment Integrator
implements the
asynchronousRefund
method which is used to initiate the refund. The final result of the refund is
returned to Google with a call to
refundResultNotification.
A refund can be for an amount equal to or less than the original capture amount. Multiple partial refunds must be supported.
Acquirer reference number
The ARN (Acquirer Reference Number) is usually not known to the Payment
Integrator until a few days after the refund is initiated. Once the value is
known, the Payment Integrator must call the Google hosted
setAcquirerReferenceNumberForRefundNotification
to provide the ARN to Google. Associating the ARN with this transaction allows
for Google to handle disputes and fraud related to this transaction.
This ARN is separate and different than the ARN that represents a capture. If multiple refunds are issued they will each have a unique ARN.
Subsequent operations
A refund can sometimes fail after the funds have been returned to the issuing
bank. For example, this can occur if the customer's account is closed before the
funds are deposited. In this case the refund can be reversed, and the funds
returned to Google through the
reverseRefundNotification.