Can you refund payments made outside of Onespot Payments (Stripe)

💸 Can I Refund a Payment Made Outside of Stripe?

Short Answer: No—Stripe can only process refunds for payments that were made through Stripe.

🔍 Why Can’t I Refund Non-Stripe Payments Through Stripe?

Stripe only has the ability to refund payments that were originally processed through Stripe (like ACH, credit card, Apple Pay, etc.).

If a payment was made by cash, check, Zelle, Venmo, or any other outside method, Stripe has no record of it—so it can’t issue a refund.

It’s just like a credit card machine at a store: if someone pays in cash, you can’t refund it to their card. You have to give them cash back.

✅ How to Refund Payments Made Outside of Stripe

If someone paid outside of Stripe, you’ll need to refund them manually using the same method they paid:

• Cash payment? Return cash.
• Check? Write and issue a new check.
• Zelle, Venmo, etc.? Initiate a refund through the same app.

You can optionally record the refund in your internal system or Stripe notes, but the refund will not be reflected in Stripe reports.

🧾 Pro Tip: Keep Payment Methods Consistent

To make refunds, reports, and audits easier, we recommend encouraging families to pay through your Onespot app using Stripe whenever possible. This keeps everything in one place and makes managing your finances smoother.