---
id: help.refunds.cancel
title: "Cancel instead of refunding"
canonical: https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/refunds/cancel-instead-of-refunding
description: "If you have only held the money, release the hold instead of refunding. And a whole refund made before the bank has settled the payment cancels the charge, which may never appear on your customer’s statement."
last_verified: 2026-11-02
---

# Cancel instead of refunding

If you have only held the money, release the hold instead of refunding. And a whole refund made before the bank has settled the payment cancels the charge, which may never appear on your customer’s statement.

Who can: Owner, Administrator, Support can refund or release in [Payments](https://dashboard.secureprocessing.app/payments).

## A hold you have not charged

A payment that says **Held** has not taken any money yet, so there is nothing to refund. On its page, tick **I’m sure** and press **Release the hold**. Nothing is charged, and your customer’s bank lets the money go.

## A whole refund before the bank settles

If you refund the whole of a payment before the bank has settled it, we cancel the charge instead of sending money back. You do it the same way as any refund: press **Refund this payment** on the payment’s page.

Your customer may then never see the charge on their statement at all, or see it disappear. Both are normal.

## A part refund before the bank settles

The bank can only refund part of a payment once it has settled. Until then, a part refund is refused with a message that says so. Try again later, or refund the whole payment.

For developers: [Refunds](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/refunds.md)

## Related

- [Hold now, charge later](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/hold-now-charge-later.md)
- [When will my customer see the refund?](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/refunds/when-will-my-customer-see-it.md)
- [Why was my refund refused?](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/refunds/why-was-my-refund-refused.md)

Still stuck? Write to [admin@secureprocessing.app](mailto:admin@secureprocessing.app) with the payment’s id.