I recently had an issue trying to return items at Home Depot that I had purchased using Apple Pay. When I returned them, the cashier insisted that I needed to insert my card with the chip, even though I had originally paid with Apple Pay. She then claimed it was an invalid account when I tried to explain. Ultimately, I ended up getting a cash refund. I'm curious about the proper process for future returns when I use Apple Pay. Can anyone shed some light on what I should expect or do next time?
5 Answers
In my experience, Apple Pay acts just like your physical card behind the scenes. If for some reason it won't process for the return, you might have to pull out the actual card. Just a safer bet in case they struggle with Apple Pay!
Honestly, take the cash if they offer it! You can still earn your cash back or rewards from your credit card if you do that.
I've had similar experiences at Home Depot where the return system didn't recognize Apple Pay properly. The first time, the register just froze when I tried to swipe/tap again. Cash refunds seem to be the fallback in those cases, unfortunately. Just be prepared for that possibility if you use Apple Pay again!
Apple Pay should function the same way for both purchases and returns. It sounds like the cashier wasn't fully aware of how it works. Generally, you should be able to tap your device to initiate the refund, just like you would for a purchase. If you're having trouble with this, it might help to ask someone more experienced or a manager next time!
Totally! It's still relatively new at places like Home Depot, so some employees might not be trained on it yet.
There's a specific support page about getting refunds for purchases made with Apple Pay. Definitely worth checking out to understand your rights when using it!
Yep, I switched to a different card for a return once and it worked fine. Seems like that sometimes does the trick!