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Cross-border refunds: check both amounts

Record purchases and refunds separately in BRL so exchange-rate differences and fees are easier to trace.

Merchandise displayed on shelves in a store
Illustrative photographPhoto: Kouji Tsuru · Unsplash License

The essentials

  • Identify a hold versus a settled purchase first.
  • Use each card’s own business-day timeline.
  • Separate BRL principal, returned currency, fees and rewards.

For a cross-border return, keep both the merchant receipt and the settled card charge. Record when the merchant confirms the refund and when it appears in the card account; these are separate events.

Log the purchase currency, original amount, assets deducted, BRL-equivalent cost and settled refund. Check the card’s own refund conversion policy: purchase and refund exchange rates can differ. If amounts do not match, first verify the merchant’s refund, then the issuer’s policy and any reward adjustment. Send transaction references through official support and remove personal information before sharing evidence publicly.

Sample refund ledger: a BRL 15 difference

Suppose a USD 100 purchase settles at BRL 520 and the same USD 100 refund credits BRL 505: the difference is BRL 15. Record purchase, settlement, refund approval and credit dates alongside both currencies. Separately check FX, fees and reward reversal. These hypothetical amounts do not establish that the merchant issued a partial refund.

Cancellation, released holds and refunds differ

If a payment failed but available balance fell, first check whether the original transaction is an authorization hold or a settled purchase. A hold awaiting completion and a merchant-issued refund follow different processes. “The merchant cancelled it” does not necessarily mean the spendable balance returns immediately.

KAST describes refunds as typically taking 10–15 business days after merchant approval, with some cases reaching 30 business days. RedotPay also distinguishes merchant refunds from the return of a failed-payment hold. Do not combine timelines from different products into one universal refund deadline.

a street with cars and buildings on the side
Illustrative photographPhoto: Lucas Moraes · Unsplash License

Check four things when the returned amount differs

Separate the original BRL amount the merchant refunded, the card-currency credit, excluded original fees and any reversed rewards. RedotPay explains that original transaction fees can be excluded from the returned amount. KAST’s public guidance does not specify a BRL refund rate, so do not promise that an identical quantity of crypto will return.

For tracing, prepare the original transaction reference, merchant processing date and refund reference, receipt and app status. Give support the merchant’s dated confirmation and the current status together; this is more actionable than reporting only that a refund is missing.

Compare the cards in this story

CARD PROFILERewards · first bandForeign-currency feeMaintenance / subscription
ether.fi Cash Core3% on first $2,000/month eligible spendBase FX ~1% + 0–0.5% marginMembership $0/year; issuance, shipping and usage costs separate
ether.fi Cash Core · Core entry tier. Standard monthly spend earns 1% after $2,000 and 0.5% after $3,000; EUR bands differ.
RedotPay VirtualStandard cashback unspecified; Pro separateCheck purchase FX in app; ATM rate is separateCard $0/year; optional Pro and personal funding-account fees separate
RedotPay Virtual · Issuance payment is not spending balance. Purchase FX could not be reverified from the readable public fee page.
Fee and reward sourcesCore · Membership ↗
Cashback bands ↗
FX fees ↗
EUR purchases ↗
Virtual-card exceptions ↗
Membership benefits ↗
Official terms · 2026-09-08 ↗
Virtual issuance ↗
Physical issuance ↗
Card overview ↗
Current fee schedule ↗
Pro / normal card costs ↗
Currency and conversion fees ↗
Official terms · 2026-09-08 ↗
RedotPay — explicitly no card management, monthly or annual fees ↗
Personal funding account — separate annual maintenance conditions ↗

Published terms for these plans. Read the card profiles for caps, reward forms and other costs.

Compare cards ↗

Official sources

An editorial guide based on official materials, not a report of a payment test or an individual approval.

Official sources · 5ether.fi — Personal Cash card fees and refunds ↗
Visa — Exchange-rate calculator ↗
KAST: refund timing ↗
RedotPay: card refunds ↗
RedotPay: a refund lower than the purchase ↗