What is it?
Centra refunds is the part of the Centra integration that handles outbound refund transactions in your Centra backend. When a return is confirmed at the warehouse, Ingrid Returns calculates the refund amount and issues it in Centra automatically — no manual step required.
The integration supports both cash refunds (payment reversal) and gift card refunds (top-up). If the original order was paid with a split of both methods, Centra refunds issues both transactions in a single operation.
Key benefits
Automated refund processing — refunds are triggered the moment a return is confirmed at the warehouse. No backend action needed in Centra.
Native support for split payments — orders paid partly by card and partly by gift card are refunded through both channels in one operation.
Customer-currency accuracy — refund amounts are calculated from the original customer-currency price fields, ensuring customers receive exactly what they paid.
Predictable retry behavior — if a refund call fails temporarily, the integration retries automatically before moving to an error state.
How refunds work
When refunds are triggered
A refund is triggered the moment a return is confirmed at the warehouse — through the Ingrid Quality Check system, a connected WMS, or the Public API.
How the refund amount is calculated
Refund amounts are calculated from the customer-currency price fields on each line item of the original order. The customer is always refunded in the currency they paid in.
How the refund method is selected
The integration reads the payment method on the original Centra order and routes the refund accordingly:
Original payment | Refund method | Where the money goes |
Cash or card | Payment reversal | Back to the original payment method |
Gift card | Gift card top-up | Back onto the customer's gift card |
Split (both) | Both | Proportional refunds to each method |
Partial refunds
Refund amounts are calculated per approved item. If only some items in a return are approved at the warehouse, only those items are included in the refund.
Use cases
Cash or card refund — Customer paid by card. After warehouse approval, the refund is reversed via the Centra Order API. The customer receives the money back on the card they used.
Gift card refund — Customer paid using a Centra gift card. After warehouse approval, the gift card is topped up via the Centra GraphQL API. The customer's gift card balance is restored.
Split-payment refund — Customer paid with both a card and a gift card. After warehouse approval, both transactions are issued in a single refund operation. Each payment method is refunded proportionally.
FAQ
Q: Can refunds be partial?
A: Yes. Refunds are calculated per approved item. Items that aren't approved at the warehouse aren't refunded.
Q: Where can I see the refund status?
A: In the Returns Back-office under Refunds. You can filter by status to see completed refunds and any that need attention.
Q: What happens if the Centra API is temporarily unavailable?
A: The integration retries automatically. If retries are exhausted, the refund moves to an error state and becomes visible in the back-office. No duplicate refunds are issued on retry.
Q: Can a refund be issued without warehouse confirmation?
A: No. The standard flow requires the return to be confirmed at the warehouse before a refund is triggered. This protects against refunding items that haven't actually been returned.
Q: Is inventory restocked in Centra when a return is confirmed?
A: No. Inventory restock back to Centra is not supported through this integration.
Q: How does this work with the Miinto market?
A: Orders placed through the Miinto market can't be refunded automatically through this integration. They move to an error state and need to be processed manually in Centra. Exchanges for Miinto orders are not affected — those proceed normally.
Getting started
To enable automated refunds for your Centra integration, ensure all three Centra API credential pairs (GraphQL, Order, Checkout) are configured at:
Returns Back-office → Settings → Admin → Edit ecom integration
For the broader Centra integration overview, see Centra integration.
Related articles:
Centra exchanges — replacement order creation
Centra payments — full payment flow reference