Tide Refunds of Fees Explained: When Charges Are Reversed vs Kept

• A reversal usually means the original fee is undone as if it never properly applied (for example, a duplicate or an incorrect charge that is cancelled out). On statements, this can look like the original fee plus a matching opposite entry.
• A refund is more often a deliberate return of a fee after review, where the fee did apply under normal posting logic but is being returned under an exception or policy (for example, certain product return situations).
• An adjustment can be broader: it may correct net billing across periods, offset multiple entries, or reconcile fees against entitlements.

In most subscription models, cancelling changes future renewal rather than rewriting the charges for a period that has already started. In other words, cancellation is commonly about stopping the next charge, not reversing the current one. That distinction matters if the plan fee is billed in advance for the upcoming period.

On Tide specifically, plan and add-on billing is split across separate features, which is why it can help to map a fee to the exact product line item first. Our separate guides on billing timing and cancellation mechanics explain how billing can continue to the end of the paid period even after cancellation is initiated: Tide membership billing, monthly fees and invoices and Cancelling a Tide paid plan: when billing stops and what access remains.

Customer refunds reverse the customer payment. Fees can be a separate commercial element that paid for processing, platform access, or a service already delivered. That’s why “customer refund” and “fee refund” can be two different decisions.

For example, Tide states that when you refund a Payment Links payment, Tide does not refund the fees charged on the original transaction. That is set out in Can I refund a payment that’s been paid using Tide Payment Links?, so the expected net effect can be: customer refunded, fee retained.

Tide’s Payment Links support guidance says refunds to the customer can be made, but the fees Tide charged on the original transaction are not refunded. This is clearly stated in Can I refund a payment that’s been paid using Tide Payment Links?.

This is a common pattern across payment acceptance products: the refund resolves the customer payment, while the processing fee is treated as a cost of providing the acceptance service.

Where a business is reconciling profitability, this can make “refunded sales” look more expensive than expected because the processing fee remains in the cost base.

Chargebacks have two layers: the dispute outcome (who ultimately bears the transaction loss) and any administrative or network-related fees defined in the terms. Those fees may be treated independently from the dispute result.

Tide’s February 2025 terms document states that a chargeback fee is non-refundable even if the chargeback is successfully disputed. That point appears in Tide Terms of Use (February 2025), which means “winning” can resolve the transaction liability without reversing the separate fee.

Foreign currency refunds can produce a “same currency, different GBP amount” effect because the exchange rate used on the refund date can differ from the rate on the purchase date. So even a full refund in the original currency may translate into a different GBP figure.

Tide also states that currency exchange fees are not refunded for non-GBP card transactions, which can further widen the difference between the original GBP debit and the later GBP credit. See How do refunds work for non-GBP transactions?.

Closure adds an operational layer: the refund may still be attempted by the scheme/merchant, but where funds land and how they are credited can depend on the receiving account setup and the provider’s process for handling refunds routed to closed accounts.

It’s also important to separate the refund of the purchase amount from any fees already charged. If a fee is defined as non-refundable (such as certain payment acceptance fees), the closure of the account doesn’t change the underlying “kept vs reversed” rule – though it can affect the timing and routing of the customer refund itself.

Tide’s card reader policy is explicitly framed as B2B and states that refunds are generally not offered simply because you no longer require the product, while also describing limited return conditions (for example, unused condition and time limits). That position is stated in Cancellations, Return & Refund Policy.

The same policy also describes other paths where refunds can be approved (for example, delivery failure or incorrect items). The practical impact is that the “reason for return” can matter as much as the timing, because different conditions attach to each route.

Timing depends on the mechanism. A true reversal can appear quickly because it is an accounting correction, whereas a refund can depend on investigation, approvals, and the settlement timelines of the underlying rail (card schemes, merchant acquiring, or internal billing).

For physical goods, Tide’s card reader policy describes that approved refunds are processed after confirmation steps (for example, confirming defect or unused condition), and it references a processing window. See Cancellations, Return & Refund Policy. That kind of staged process typically produces longer timelines than a straightforward billing reversal.

Fee disputes often turn on categorisation: whether the charge is a subscription fee, a processing fee, a return-related fee, or a dispute-related fee. Each category tends to have different rules and evidence expectations, which is why outcomes can differ even when the amounts are similar.

For eligible businesses, escalation can include ombudsman review routes depending on the firm and complaint type.

The Financial Ombudsman Service explains the types of businesses it can help (including microenterprises) and how its complaint process works at Financial Ombudsman Service complaints for businesses. Eligibility and jurisdiction can matter, so “complaint route” and “refund policy” are not the same question.