When a card purchase is cancelled, adjusted, or returned by the merchant, the money comes back to your wallet as either a refund or a reversal. They look similar on the surface but happen for different reasons.
Refund vs Reversal
| Refund | Reversal |
What it is | The merchant deliberately sends money back for a purchase that already fully went through | The original authorization gets cancelled or adjusted — a hold, not a completed charge |
When it happens | After the purchase already settled | Before or during settlement |
Typical cause | Returned item, cancelled booking, dispute resolved in your favor | Merchant voided the hold, final amount was lower than what was held, or the hold expired unused |
Why a purchase can look like it was "refunded and charged again"
Card payments happen in two steps:
Authorization — when you pay, an estimated amount is held on your card to confirm funds are available
Settlement — the merchant finalizes the transaction, and the actual final amount is charged
Because of this two-step process, you may see the original hold get reversed and a separate, final settled amount appear — this can look like "refunded, then charged again" in your history, but it's usually the same purchase being finalized, not a double charge. This is common with merchants where the final amount isn't known upfront — fuel stations, hotels, or anywhere a tip gets added afterward.
Where the money comes back
Plumex cards are backed by crypto — there's no separate fiat balance sitting behind your card. When a refund or reversal comes in, it's credited straight to your wallet in the same crypto asset that backed your card originally (usually USDC or USDT, depending on your card setup).
Important: the refund goes through its own currency conversion at the time it's processed — using the exchange rate at that moment, not the rate from your original purchase. So even if the merchant refunds the exact same amount in their currency, the crypto amount credited back to you can come out slightly different from what was originally debited. This is normal — it's the same mechanism that converts your crypto to cover a purchase in the first place, just running in reverse.
How long a refund takes
Once the merchant initiates a refund, it can take up to 32 calendar days to land in your wallet. This isn't a Plumex delay — it's how long the card network and the merchant's bank can take to actually push the funds through before they reach us and get credited to your balance.
Reversals are generally faster, since they're usually just releasing a hold rather than moving settled funds — but there's no fixed guarantee on timing there either, it depends on the merchant/card network.
Common reversal scenarios
Authorization voided — the merchant cancelled the hold before it settled
Amount correction — the final charge came in lower than the original hold (common with fuel pumps, hotel deposits, restaurant tips)
Hold expired — the authorization was never finalized by the merchant and released automatically
Failed transaction — the payment didn't go through, and the held amount is released
None of these necessarily need any action from you — they typically resolve on their own once the merchant/card network processes them.
Common refund scenarios
Returned item — you sent something back and the merchant refunded you
Cancelled booking/subscription
Dispute resolved in your favor
Partial refund — the merchant only returned part of the original amount
What to do if the money hasn't come back
Check your transaction history in the app — look for the credit entry tied to the original purchase
If the original purchase is still showing as authorized/held, it may still be waiting to release automatically
If it's been under 32 calendar days since the merchant confirmed the refund, this is still within the normal window — no need to worry yet
If it's been a while and nothing has changed, contact the merchant first — refund timing is largely on their end, not ours
If it's past 32 calendar days since the merchant confirmed the refund and still nothing, contact Plumex Support with the transaction details
Note: the transaction reference shown in the Plumex app is for our own internal tracking — the merchant may not recognize it as their own payment reference, so when contacting a merchant directly, use the purchase date/amount instead.
FAQ
Why did I see a reversal AND a refund for the same purchase? These are two different mechanisms (see the table above) — occasionally both can appear for the same purchase if the merchant both adjusted the original hold and later issued a separate refund.
I only got part of the amount back — is that normal? Yes, if the merchant issued a partial refund (e.g. returning one item from a multi-item order) or the reversal was only correcting the difference between the hold and the final charge.
Can I speed up a refund? Refund timing depends on the merchant and their bank, not on Plumex — contacting the merchant directly is usually the fastest way to move things along.
My card is frozen/closed — can I still get a refund? Yes — a refund or reversal is credited to your crypto balance regardless of your card's current status.
Still have questions? Chat with us — we're here 24/7.