How to confirm if a refund was processed to the guest’s card

Mariia Korostashevych

Updated August 26, 2026 08:09

Purpose	Identify whether a refund was recorded on the folio or processed through a payment gateway.
Best for	Cloudbeds PMS users reviewing or issuing guest refunds.
Use this when	You need to confirm whether funds were returned to the guest's card or only documented on the folio.
Requirements	Access to the reservation folio and its payment details.
Expected result	You can confirm the refund type and take the appropriate next action.

Introduction

Recording a refund and processing a refund are different actions in Cloudbeds PMS. A recorded refund documents money returned outside the payment gateway, such as by cash, bank transfer, or check. It does not return funds to the guest's card.

A processed refund sends funds through the payment gateway to the card used for the original payment. Use this article to confirm which action occurred and to find the correct refund workflow.

Recorded and processed refunds
Confirm the refund type
Refund timing
Record a refund
Process a refund
When a gateway refund is unavailable
Chargebacks after a recorded refund

Recorded and processed refunds

Review these requirements before processing or recording a refund:

A refund can be processed through a payment gateway only when the original payment was processed through the same gateway while it was connected to Cloudbeds PMS.
The payment gateway must be active in Cloudbeds PMS to process a refund.
Recorded and processed refunds cannot be voided from the folio.
Some payment gateways limit how long after settlement a refund can be processed. For example, Authorize.net allows a transaction to be refunded within 180 days of settlement. Contact your payment gateway's support team for gateway-specific requirements.

Important: A recorded refund documents a refund made by cash, bank transfer, check, or another method outside the gateway. A processed refund returns funds through the payment gateway to the guest's previously charged card.

Confirm the refund type

Check the reservation folio and saved card details to determine whether funds were returned to the guest's card or the refund was recorded only as a folio entry.

Open the reservation and go to the Folio tab.
Locate the refund entry and review its label.
If the folio shows a recorded refund, the transaction was not made through the payment gateway. Treat the entry as documentation only.
If the folio shows that the refund was processed, the cardholder can expect the refund on the card used for the original payment.
Review the Credit Cards tab in the reservation. If the refund is attached to a card saved on the reservation, the refund was processed through the payment gateway.

Refund timing

Credit card refunds take an average of 3 to 7 business days from the issue date to reach the cardholder's account. This timeframe does not include weekends or federal bank holidays. Some issuing banks can take up to 30 days to provide a refund.

Record a refund

Use a recorded refund when the funds were returned outside the payment gateway and you need to document the refund on the reservation folio.

Important: Do not select Capture/Note existing refund when the goal is to return funds through the payment gateway. This option only records the refund on the folio.

Follow How to add or post a refund to a reservation as a record without using payment gateway processing to record the transaction correctly.

Process a refund

Use a processed refund when the funds must be returned through the payment gateway to the card used for the original transaction. Follow the guide that applies to your payment setup:

When a gateway refund is unavailable

The gateway refund option is unavailable when Cloudbeds PMS cannot identify an eligible gateway transaction. Common reasons include:

The original payment was added as a record only.
The payment has no gateway transaction associated with it.
The payment was processed outside Cloudbeds PMS.
The payment gateway is not currently active in Cloudbeds PMS.

Chargebacks after a recorded refund

A recorded refund does not confirm that the cardholder received funds on the card previously charged. The guest may still dispute the original transaction with their bank.

Cloudbeds Payments accounts: If the refund is due, open the Disputes Portal and select Accept Dispute to return the disputed amount to the guest's card. If no refund is due, contest the chargeback through the Disputes Portal before the response deadline.
Other payment gateways: Contact the payment gateway's support team for guidance about its dispute process.

Now that you can distinguish recorded and processed refunds, review these resources for the corresponding refund workflows: