Refund Taking Too Long? Normal Timelines and How to Chase It

Refunds are slow for a reason: the money passes from the store to its payment processor, through the card network, and on to your bank, and each step adds days.

How long refunds usually take

Timings start after the store issues the refund, not when you hand over or mail the item.

Payment method	Typical time to appear after the store issues it
Cash (in store)	Immediately
Store gift card or store credit	Same day, often within hours
Credit card	3–5 business days to post; may not show on a statement until the next billing cycle
Debit card	Up to 10 business days
PayPal	Balance refunds are quick; refunds to a linked card or bank follow that bank’s timing
Buy now, pay later (Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm)	The plan is adjusted once the store processes the refund; remaining installments shrink or are canceled

Published timelines at major retailers

Retailer	What the retailer says
Amazon	Credit cards 3–5 business days, debit cards and checking accounts up to 10 business days after the refund is processed; the whole return-to-refund process can take up to 30 days
Walmart	Debit and credit cards up to 10 business days; Walmart gift card, EBT, and Walmart Cash within about 3 hours
Apple	Within 10 business days after an inspected return; cash or check purchases over $750 returned in store are refunded by mailed check within 10 business days
IKEA	To the original payment method, typically within 5–7 business days
Zara	Within 14 days, depending on your bank
Wayfair	Up to 14 business days to process

For store-specific details, see our Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy guides.

Where refunds get stuck

A mailed return goes through five stages. Find out which one yours is in before you chase anyone:

1. In transit. Check the return tracking number. If it hasn’t been delivered, the refund hasn’t started.
2. Received and inspected. Warehouses can take a week or two after delivery to check an item, especially in January.
3. Refund issued. The store sends a confirmation email or updates the order status. This is the moment the bank timeline starts.
4. Pending. The credit is on its way through the card network and may show as pending on your account.
5. Posted. The money is available. On a credit card, it reduces your balance; it may appear on the next statement.

Common reasons for delays: the return was logged as damaged or incomplete, the refund went to a different card than you expected, a gift return was refunded to the original buyer, or the store issued store credit instead.

What to do when a refund is overdue

1. Check the paperwork

Find the refund confirmation, the order or return number, the return tracking number, and the amount. Search your email for the store name and “refund”.

2. Wait out the stated period

If the store issued the refund less than 10 business days ago, it’s usually still in the banking system. Check your account for a credit in a slightly different amount or under a slightly different merchant name.

3. Contact the retailer

Give the order number, return date, tracking proof, and refund confirmation. Ask:

• the exact date the refund was issued and the amount,
• which card or account it went to, and
• the refund reference number. For card refunds this is often the Acquirer Reference Number (ARN), a 23-digit number your bank can use to trace the credit.

4. Contact your bank or card issuer

With the date, amount, and reference, the bank can usually find the credit. If the store says it issued a refund your bank can’t find, ask the bank to trace it.

5. Dispute the charge

If the store agreed to a refund and never paid it, you can dispute the original charge:

• Credit cards: under the Fair Credit Billing Act, a credit that wasn’t properly applied is a billing error. Send a written dispute to the issuer within 60 days of the statement on which the refund should have appeared. The issuer must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles (no more than 90 days), and you don’t have to pay the disputed amount while it investigates. The CFPB explains how to dispute a credit card charge.
• Debit cards: banks generally offer chargebacks through card network rules, but the deadlines and protections are set by the bank and network, not the Fair Credit Billing Act. Ask your bank how to file a “credit not processed” dispute as soon as possible.
• PayPal: open a dispute in the Resolution Center within 180 days of the payment.
• Buy now, pay later: report the problem through the lender’s app; most pause payments on the disputed amount while they investigate.

Include your evidence: order confirmation, return tracking showing delivery, the store’s refund confirmation, and your messages with the store.

6. File a complaint

• Problems with a bank or card issuer: submit a complaint to the CFPB.
• Problems with a store: your state attorney general’s consumer protection office, and the FTC.

If an online order never arrived

If an order didn’t ship, the FTC’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule applies. A seller that can’t ship on time must tell you and give you the option to cancel for a full refund. Once an order is canceled, the refund is due within 7 working days for payments by cash, check, money order, or a third-party credit card, or within one billing cycle when the store itself extended the credit.

If the order shows as delivered but never arrived, report it to the seller first; if that fails, a card dispute or PayPal claim is the next step.

Keep a paper trail

• Save the return shipping receipt and tracking number until the refund posts.
• Screenshot the order status that shows “refund issued”, with the date.
• Keep emails and chat transcripts; note the date and name for phone calls.

For the whole process, from deciding to return something to getting the money back, see how returns and refunds work.