Refund Transactions in Lighthouse Transaction Manager

Description: Review how to refund transactions in Lighthouse Transaction Manager (LTM) below. 

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Note: If you cannot perform the required function, you need to speak to your user issuer or Account Administrator about adding this privilege to your user credentials. 

For more information, please reference Adjust Transactions, Void Transactions, or Duplicate or Reprocess Transactions. 

• Quick Search Versus Advanced Search
• Issue a Full Refund
• Issuing a Partial Refund
• Issuing a Refund for Debit

WARNING: Transactions that are adjusted, voided, or processed in LTM directly do not report back to the interface system that processed the original authorization or sale request. This means there could be a discrepancy between the system reports if changes are made directly as the interface reporting is bypassed.

You need to note adjustments made in your reporting documentation for the batch settlement. If an adjustment that reports in both systems is needed, speak to your interface provider as to how to perform this adjustment in your software.

When issuing a full refund, first consider the archived state of the transaction you wish to refund. If the transaction has not been closed in a previous batch, you can void or delete the original sale, which will save on processing fees for your location. Processors charge per transaction request, preventing a second request from being processed. Refer to the Deleting/Voiding a Transaction article for additional information.

Quick Search Versus Advanced Search

Important: Only the previous seven days are searched when using Quick Search.

If the transaction is found with the entered search criteria, one of the following reminders should appear within LTM.

You may get more results if you use Advanced Search, which is accessible through the LTM reminder, or by selecting the magnifying glass and configuring a date range.

Issue A Full Refund

If the transaction was already closed on a previous date, then a full refund can be performed by:

1. Log in to LTM.
2. Navigate to the Transactions menu and select Current Transactions.
3. Use the search box on this page to search for the transaction invoice number or the card's last four digits (*XXXX).

Note: For additional information, see the Quick Search Versus Advanced Search section.

Once the transaction is located:

1. Select the invoice to edit it, then at the top right, select Edit, then Clone. 
2. In the Primary Amount field, place a minus [ - ] sign in front of the amount.
3. Select anywhere outside of this field and the amount is placed in brackets.
4. Select Submit. You will receive a Refund Voucher that can be printed if needed. 
   

To view the refund transaction:

1. Navigate to the Transactions menu.
2. Select Current Transactions and use the search box on this page to search for the transaction with the card's last four digits (*XXXX). 
3. Once entered, select the magnifying glass and select either Quick Search or Advanced Search.
   
   The refunded amount will appear within brackets.

When issuing a partial refund, first consider the archived state of the transaction you wish to refund. If the transaction has not been closed in a previous batch, you can adjust the transaction, saving on processing fees for your location. Processors charge per transaction request, preventing a second request from being processed.

Issuing A Partial Refund

If the transaction was already closed on a previous date, a partial refund can be performed by:

1. Log into LTM.
2. Navigate to the Transactions menu and select Current Transactions.
3. Use the search box on this page to search for the transaction invoice number or the card's last four digits (*XXXX).

Note: For additional information, see the Quick Search Versus Advanced Search section.

Once the transaction is located:

1. Select the invoice to edit it, then at the top right select Edit, then Clone.
2. In the Primary Amount field, adjust this to the needed refund amount and then place a minus [ - ] sign in front of this adjusted amount.
3. Select anywhere outside of this field. The amount is placed in brackets.
4. Select Submit. You will receive a Refund Voucher that can be printed if needed.
   

Issuing A Refund For Debit

Note: It is important to find out the type of Debit card that was used.

There are a few possible ways to reverse or refund a Debit transaction which may vary depending on how the transaction was run, the type of Debit card, and your configuration. You can do a reversal if the PIN Pad and POS software support it.

Debit transactions, unlike other card types, cannot be manually refunded. To validate the return of funds to the customer's debit account:

• The customer must be present to authenticate the transaction by entering their Personal Identification Number (PIN) at the time of the transaction. 
• PIN Pad is required to process the refunded transaction. This must be completed via the interface with the customer present to refund the transaction.

However, debit cards that are also branded with credit brands like Visa or Mastercard can have a refund placed manually on them if they are re-entered into the system as a new credit transaction, which means the transaction cannot be cloned or duplicated from the original invoice in any way. You need the full card number to re-enter into LTM via Online Entry.

If the transaction has been batched and is a true Debit card (i.e., not associated with Visa or Mastercard and must have a PIN to be used), the simplest option is generally to issue a cash refund or giftcard\in-store credit. If your MSP or Processor supports it, you can be set up to allow refunds to true Debit cards. This will require a PIN pad and the PIN number of the card. This is a setting that you will have to confirm; we cannot confirm this.

If the card is associated with Visa (VS) or Mastercard (MC), the refund can be done via cash/store credit or by issuing a credit back to the cardholder's account as a VS or MC transaction. Check the first four (or six, if available) digits of the card to see if it falls within an accepted card range for Visa or Mastercard to see if this is a viable option.

If the transaction has not yet been batched out, it may be possible to perform a Void in LTM; however, you cannot "refund" or reverse a PIN debit transaction if it is done under an End-to-End (E2E) account. You have to let it batch out, or the item gets processed via debit reconciliation which typically takes 7-10 business days.