How to Process a Partial Refund Through Stripe

When you need to refund only part of a customer’s payment, process it through the Stripe dashboard directly.

Before You Begin

• Be logged into https://dashboard.stripe.com with admin or owner access
• Confirm the payment is completed (not pending)

Steps

Step 1: Find the payment

1. Click Payments in the Stripe sidebar
2. Search by customer name, email, amount, date, or Stripe payment ID (starts with pi_ or ch_, available in Zipper)
3. Click the payment to open its details

Step 2: Start the refund

On the payment details page, click Refund in the top right corner.

Step 3: Enter partial refund amount

1. Select Refund a different amount
2. Enter the partial amount in dollars (e.g., 25.00 to refund $25 of a $100 payment)

Step 4: Add a refund reason (recommended)

Select or enter a reason — this helps with record-keeping and dispute prevention.

Step 5: Confirm

Review the original charge, refund amount, and remaining balance, then click Refund.

What Happens Next

• Immediately: Stripe processes the refund; it appears in your Stripe dashboard
• Within minutes: Zipper detects the refund and updates the customer’s account ledger and purchase history
• Within 5–10 business days: Customer sees the refund on their card or bank statement (timeline depends on their bank)

Important Notes

Stripe fees are not refunded on partial refunds — the original 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee is not returned.

Booking credits are not automatically restored. If the customer used booking credits for the booking, manually restore them:

1. Go to Contacts > Customers → find the customer → Booking Credits section
2. Click Manage Credits on the relevant credits
3. Click Issue Credits, add a note (e.g., “Restored credit from refunded booking [date]”), and save

Troubleshooting

“This payment cannot be refunded”? The payment may still be processing, already fully refunded, disputed, or outside Stripe’s 120-day refund window. Contact Stripe support for payments older than 120 days.

Refund not showing in Zipper? Refunds typically sync within 5–10 minutes. If not showing after 30 minutes, confirm the refund completed in Stripe, check the customer’s ledger transactions (not just purchase history), and contact support@joinzipper.com with the Stripe transaction ID.

Customer hasn’t received refund? Credit cards and bank accounts typically take 5–10 business days. If the Stripe refund shows “Succeeded,” the delay is on the customer’s bank side. Provide them with the Stripe transaction ID for their bank.

Alternative: Issue Credits Instead

To give the customer credit toward a future purchase instead of refunding to their payment method, see: How to Add Package Credits Without Charging the Customer.

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Need a hand?

Email our team at support@joinzipper.com and we'll usually reply within a few hours.

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