Chinese supplier card refund not received?
Ask the supplier for its processor's refund confirmation and a traceable refund reference, then give these and the original payment details to your card issuer. Explain any card replacement or account closure and ask both sides to investigate before arranging another refund. For supplier-side coordination, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Establish what ‘issued’ means
Ask whether the supplier has merely approved the refund internally, submitted it to its payment processor, or received confirmation that processing succeeded. Request the processor's confirmation showing the refund amount, currency, submission date, current status and masked destination card details. Keep the supplier's written refund agreement alongside it.
Treat an order marked ‘refunded’ or a credit note as something to investigate, rather than proof of receipt. This guide covers tracing an agreed card refund; our supplier payment guide covers choosing and structuring payments before ordering.
Request a reference the issuer can investigate
Ask the supplier to request the refund's Acquirer Reference Number, often called an ARN, from its processor, if available. Ask your card issuer which reference it needs to investigate. If the supplier gives an order number or internal refund identifier, ask whether that is suitable for the issuer's search.
If no trace reference is available, ask the supplier's processor to confirm why, whether the refund remains pending and what evidence it can provide instead. Agree when the supplier will update you. Avoid repeatedly forwarding the same screenshot without resolving what it actually confirms.
Match the refund to the original payment
Prepare the original statement entry, payment date, amount, currency, merchant description, order reference and masked card details. Match the promised refund to the particular payment being refunded, especially if you paid a deposit and balance separately. Ask whether it is a full or partial refund.
Ask the issuer to check for a separate credit and whether the original payment was reversed or never completed. If a platform or payment intermediary took the payment, include its receipt and contact that payment route too. Use our credit-note reconciliation guide to match the commercial adjustment with the money actually received.
Explain a cancelled card or closed account
Tell the issuer that the card used for the purchase has expired, been cancelled or been replaced. Distinguish a changed card from a closed underlying account. Ask it to investigate using the original payment details and refund reference, and confirm whether the refund was credited, is awaiting allocation, was rejected or was returned.
Do not assume either that a replacement card prevents receipt or that the refund will automatically reach it. For a closed account, contact the original issuer and ask how it handles any funds it locates. Share sensitive account information only through the issuer's verified secure channel; do not send complete card details or security codes to the supplier.
Keep the supplier and issuer working together
Give the issuer the supplier's evidence and ask for a case reference, its findings and the next action. Send the relevant findings back to the supplier, asking its processor to investigate any missing, rejected or returned refund. Keep a shared chronology with a named contact and agreed follow-up date on each side.
Before agreeing another refund route, establish what happened to the existing refund and document how duplicate repayment will be avoided. Ask the issuer promptly what dispute options and deadlines apply to your business card and transaction while tracing continues. Record any eventual credit and tell both sides. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help coordinate supplier evidence; ask your issuer to investigate its own account records.
Frequently asked questions
What refund reference should I ask my Chinese supplier for?
Ask for the processor's refund confirmation and the refund's Acquirer Reference Number, if available. Check with your issuer which reference it needs; do not assume an order number is sufficient.
Can I receive a refund after my card was replaced?
Tell the original issuer about the replacement and ask it to trace the refund against the original payment. Ask where any located credit has gone; distinguish a replaced card from a closed account.
My supplier says refunded but my bank cannot find it. What next?
Ask the issuer what details it searched and what is missing. Send that finding to the supplier and request a processor investigation, current refund status and a usable trace reference.
Should I ask the supplier to refund a different account?
First establish whether the existing refund succeeded, failed or was returned. Agree an alternative only after documenting the outcome and how you will avoid duplicate repayment.