Void vs refund on a card terminal: which one to use

Use a void when the sale is still in today's open batch and you are cancelling the whole amount: it cancels the sale before it settles, so the customer is not charged. Use a refund (return) when the sale has already settled or you are giving back only part of it: it sends a separate credit to the card.

Before you start

• Visa's dispute guide says to use a reversal (void) for cancellations before settlement and an adjustment or refund after settlement, and to process refunds quickly.
• Visa's authorization guide says a reversal tells the card issuer the sale was cancelled so the hold on the cardholder's funds is removed.
• Adyen uses the same split: cancel when the payment has not been captured, refund when it has.

Steps

1. Find the original sale on the terminal (transaction lookup or open batch report) and check whether it is in the current, unsettled batch. Expected: you know if it is still open or already settled.
2. Open batch and full amount: run a void on that transaction. Expected: the sale is removed from the batch; the customer is not charged.
3. Already settled, or only part of the amount: run a refund (return) to the same card. Expected: a credit goes to the customer's card.
4. Debit sale: use a refund (return) if a void is not allowed on debit. Expected: the debit customer gets their money back.
5. Give the customer the void or refund receipt. Expected: the customer has proof of the correction.
6. Do not fix a mistake with a new opposite sale or a second charge. Void or refund the original. Expected: the correction links to the original sale. Visa lists a new transaction used to fix an error as a common dispute cause.

If that did not work

If the terminal asks for a manager or refund password you do not have, ask your manager or contact Allstar support. If the original sale cannot be found, check with your processor before refunding so the customer is not credited twice.

Sources

• Visa Dispute Management Guide for Merchants (October 2026)
• Estimated and Incremental Authorization and Reversal Processing Requirements for Visa Merchants (2024)
• Adyen Docs: Cancel or refund
• Dejavoo User Manual, All Terminal Products (Instruction Manual V525.15), Returns and Voids