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Voids & POS Refunds

Voids & POS Refunds

Sometimes you need to cancel a payment or process a return at the register. This page explains the difference between voids and refunds, and how to handle returns through the POS.

Void vs Refund — What's the Difference?

Both voids and refunds give the customer their money back, but they work differently behind the scenes:

  • Void — Cancels a transaction before it settles (usually same-day). The charge is simply erased — it never posts to the customer's statement. Voids are faster because the money was never actually moved.
  • Refund — Reverses a transaction after it has settled (usually next business day or later). The original charge stays on the statement and a separate refund credit appears. Refunds take 5–10 business days to show up.

In most cases, CloudFFL handles this automatically. When you process a return, NMI first tries to void the transaction. If the transaction has already settled, it automatically falls back to a refund. You don't need to decide which one to use.

POS Returns — Step by Step

When a customer brings an item back to the counter and wants their money back on their card:

  1. Open a new POS session (or use your current one).
  2. Click Refund (or look up the original order using the order history).
  3. Select the items being returned and confirm the quantities.
  4. Click Payment to process the return.
  5. Select the NMI Reader or NMI Key-in payment method (the same method used for the original sale, if possible).
  6. If the original transaction was today and hasn't settled, NMI will attempt a void first. If it has already settled, NMI will process a refund.
  7. The return is completed and the customer's card is credited.

You may be asked for a Transaction ID. For some POS refunds, the system may prompt you to enter the original Transaction ID. This is a reference number from the original payment. You can find it in the original POS order details or in your NMI dashboard under Transactions.

Common POS Return Scenarios

Customer Returns an Item Same Day

If the customer paid by card earlier today, the void will likely succeed — the charge disappears from their account as if it never happened. This is the simplest case.

Customer Returns an Item Days Later

The transaction has already settled with the bank. NMI will process a refund instead of a void. The customer will see the refund as a separate credit on their statement within 5–10 business days.

Partial Return (Some Items Kept)

If the customer is returning only some items from an order (for example, returning two boxes of ammunition but keeping the holster):

  1. In the POS refund screen, select only the items being returned.
  2. The refund amount will be calculated automatically based on those items.
  3. Process the refund as normal — NMI supports partial refunds.

POS refunds use NMI only. Since Authorize.net does not support POS payments, all POS returns and refunds go through NMI. If the original payment was made via Authorize.net (e.g., on a website order), you will need to process the refund from the invoice in the back office, not from the POS. See the Issuing a Refund to a Card page for those steps.

Troubleshooting POS Refunds

  • "Transaction not found" error: The Transaction ID may be incorrect or the original transaction may have been processed on a different NMI account. Double-check the ID in the original order details.
  • Refund amount exceeds original: You cannot refund more than the original transaction amount. Verify the return quantities are correct.
  • Void fails, refund succeeds: This is normal. It means the original transaction already settled. The refund will process normally.
  • Customer paid cash originally: If the original payment was cash, do a cash refund from the POS — no card transaction is needed.

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