Yes. If you return an item or a merchant refunds you, the money goes back to the same Ben card you paid with. A refund is a new payment the merchant sends to your card — it's separate from the original purchase. When it arrives, it's added to your available balance and the transaction shows as Refunded in the app.

The timing is set by the merchant and the card network — not by Ben — so we can't speed it up. If a refund hasn't arrived after a while, check with the merchant first that they've processed it. If they have and it's still not showing, contact support with the merchant name, amount, and date, and we'll look into it.

This is different from a payment that was cancelled or declined and is showing as pending — in that case the money is a held amount waiting to be released, not a refund. See "My transaction did not go through and now it is 'pending'. When will I get the money back?"

A refund goes back onto the allowance you paid from, so it follows that allowance's normal expiry — the same as the rest of your balance. If your allowance expires (for example at the end of the month or the year), make sure you spend the refunded amount before it expires, or you may lose it.