--- title: Understand how refunds work description: Find out what happens when you refund a customer, how long refunds take, and how refunds are deducted from your eola payouts. --- [Skip to content](https://help.eola.co/understand-how-refunds-work#main-content) English Show submenu for translations ![eola](https://help.eola.co/hs-fs/hubfs/eola-logo-web.png?width=109&height=40&name=eola-logo-web.png) Open main navigation Close main navigation - English Show submenu for translations - [Contact us](mailto:help@eola.co) [Contact us](mailto:help@eola.co) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Help Centre](https://help.eola.co/?hsLang=en) 2. [Account & billing](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en) 3. [Your Payouts](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en#your-payouts) # Understand how refunds work ## Find out what happens when you refund a customer, how long refunds take, and how refunds are deducted from your eola payouts. When you refund a customer, it helps to know where the money goes and how it affects your payouts. Refunds are handled securely by Stripe, eola's payment provider, so your bank details are never shared with eola or your customers. **What happens when you issue a refund?** 1. eola refunds the customer from our Stripe balance, so the money starts its way back to them straight away 2. The refund usually takes 5 to 10 working days to reach the customer, depending on their bank or card provider 3. The refund amount is deducted from your available balance before your next payout **Can a customer track their refund?** Yes. From 3 days after the refund is issued, our team can provide an ARN (Acquirer Reference Number). The customer can give this to their bank to track the refund. Contact us at [**help@eola.co**](mailto:help@eola.co) with the customer's name, email address and the amount refunded, and we'll send it to you. **What if my available balance goes below zero?** If you issue refunds that are larger than your available balance, the balance shown in Reports -\> Payouts can go into a negative amount. When your next customer payment comes in, it's used to clear the negative balance first, then your payouts carry on as normal. If your balance stays negative for more than 30 days, our team will be in touch to talk through the options with you. **Card refund or credit voucher?** A credit voucher keeps the booking value with your business and gives the customer an easy way to book again when it suits them. Where it's practical, offering to reschedule or refunding to a credit voucher is often the best option for both you and your customer. A clear cancellation policy helps customers know what to expect before they book. **Good to know** - If a booking was paid for with a voucher, the refund is automatically issued as a new voucher - If you choose to refund a customer outside eola, for example by bank transfer, still cancel the booking in eola without a refund. This frees up the space on the session and keeps your records accurate - If you refund a voucher outside eola, deduct the funds from the voucher in eola so it can't be used online **Helpful tips:** - Offer to reschedule before refunding. Customers are often happy to move to another date - Keep your cancellation policy up to date so customers know where they stand - Check your payout report regularly so you can see any refunds that have been deducted **Related guides** - [Cancel and refund a booking](https://help.eola.co/cancel-and-refund-a-booking?hsLang=en) - [A customer has not received their refund](https://help.eola.co/a-customer-has-not-received-their-refund?hsLang=en) - [Your eola payouts](https://help.eola.co/how-eola-payouts-work?hsLang=en) - [Getting started](https://help.eola.co/getting-started?hsLang=en) - [Activities & features](https://help.eola.co/activities-features?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Activities](https://help.eola.co/activities-features?hsLang=en#activities) - [Rentals](https://help.eola.co/activities-features?hsLang=en#rentals) - [Bookings & availability](https://help.eola.co/bookings-availability?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Your calendar](https://help.eola.co/bookings-availability?hsLang=en#your-calendar) - [eola Marketplace](https://help.eola.co/eola-marketplace?hsLang=en) - [Memberships](https://help.eola.co/memberships?hsLang=en) - [Vouchers, passes & discount codes](https://help.eola.co/vouchers-passes-discount-codes?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Credit vouchers](https://help.eola.co/vouchers-passes-discount-codes?hsLang=en#credit-vouchers) - [Class passes](https://help.eola.co/vouchers-passes-discount-codes?hsLang=en#class-passes) - [Discount codes](https://help.eola.co/vouchers-passes-discount-codes?hsLang=en#discount-codes) - [Account & billing](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Your Payouts](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en#your-payouts) - [Your Widget](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en#your-widget) - [Centre Settings](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en#centre-settings) - [Your Policies](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en#your-policies) - [Team & Permission Sets](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en#team-permission-sets) - [Leaving eola](https://help.eola.co/account-billing?hsLang=en#leaving-eola) - [Troubleshooting](https://help.eola.co/troubleshooting?hsLang=en#main-content) - [I am having a problem](https://help.eola.co/troubleshooting?hsLang=en#i-am-having-a-problem) - [A customer is having a problem](https://help.eola.co/troubleshooting?hsLang=en#a-customer-is-having-a-problem) [![eola](https://help.eola.co/hs-fs/hubfs/eola-logo-web-1.png?width=87&height=32&name=eola-logo-web-1.png "eola")](https://help.eola.co/?hsLang=en) [mailto:help@eola.co](mailto:help@eola.co) Copyright © 2026, eola