What is a Refund?

A refund is the process of returning funds to a customer for an already completed transaction.

A refund occurs when a transaction has already been approved, the payment has been processed, and the funds have been settled into the merchants account. At this stage, the merchant can initiate a refund to return the funds to the customer’s original payment method. Refunds are typically issued when a customer is dissatisfied with a product or service, no longer needs the item, or if there was an issue with the order.

The Companion API enables an MPOS app to initiate full or partial refunds for previous sale transactions directly within the application.

To process a refund, the MPOS App must launch the Ecentric Payment App using an Android Intent call, passing the original transaction UUID to enable full or partial refunds and ensure the card-matching function operates correctly. After initiating the refund, the app should handle the response intent data to determine whether the refund was successful or not.

📘
Note:
Should an Integrator not want the Refund matching functionality, the originalTransactionUuid field can simply be left blank and an Unmatched Refund transaction will be performed.
However, it is highly important to enquire if your Merchant is permitted to process this particular type refund.

How Does a Refund Work?

The below diagram displays an example of how a Refund works by making user of the Companion App (Here after known as MPOS App), Payment App (Here after known as Ecentric's Payment App), Transaction Processor (Here after know as the Ecentric Server) and Acquirer.

Process Description:

Step 1:

A REFUND request is initiated on the MPOS App.

Step 2:

On the MPOS App, the merchant can either select a transaction from the transaction history to refund (Matched Refund), or process a refund which only contains an amount but no original transaction (Unmatched refund).

Step 3:

Once the method of refund has been selected, the merchant must enter either the full amount of the transaction value (Full refund) or a portion of the original transaction value (Partial refund).

Step4:

The MPOS App will check if an auth token is available in the request.

If there is an auth token available then the transaction will continue as per normal.
If there no auth token available, then the MPOS App will need to do a RETAIL_AUTH request in order to obtain a valid auth token, before a refund transaction can be requested.

Step 5:

The Ecentric Payment App will initiate the REFUND request.

Step 6:

The Ecentric Payment App will process the card details and forward the REFUND request to Ecentric's Server.

Step 7:

The Ecentric Server will the validate the Auth token in the request.

NOTE: If the auth token is not validated, the Ecentric Server will return an "invalid auth token" error back to the Ecentric Payment App and the transaction will be aborted.

Step 8:

The Ecentric Server will send a financial message to the Acquirer.

Step 9:

The Acquirer will the perform the necessary checks in order to validate and process the transaction.
Once the validation of the transaction has been performed, the Acquirer will respond with a financial message to the Ecentric Server, which contains the transaction outcome.

Step 10:

The Ecentric server will return the transaction response to the Ecentric Payment App.

Step 11:

The Ecentric Payment App will forward the transaction outcome to the MPOS App.

Step 12:

The MPOS App will be able to display the transaction outcome to the customer.

Request

Sample Bundle

The following is an example of a REFUND request bundle that the MPOS Application will request.

"authenticationKey": "e27b5ce6-8ba6-4746-9453-536728f7cbeb",
"merchantID": "770000000000123",
"launchType": "REFUND",
"transactionAmount": 1000

Parameters

📘
Note
To initiate a tokenized refund request, the original sale transaction UUID must be supplied in the refund request call. If the original sale was successfully tokenized, the Ecentric Server will attempt to process the refund request using the previously tokenized card details.
When making use of the tokenized refund, the requesting MPOS application cannot specify which type of refund to initiate.

The following table describes the parameters of the REFUND request message.

PARAMETER	TYPE	DESCRIPTION	EXAMPLE
REQUIRED
launchType	STRING	Must be “*REFUND*” Used for launching the Ecentric Payment App to process a refund.	REFUND
merchantID	STRING	The merchant ID assigned to the merchant. The merchant ID will always be the same ID for a specific merchant. To be provided by Ecentric.	910100000000001
authenticationKey	STRING	The authentication token that was generated by the server on a successful login to the Ecentric Payment App.	e27b5ce6-8ba6-4746-9453-536728f7cbeb
transactionAmount	LONG	The full transaction amount to be charged in cents (long)	1000
OPTIONAL
merchantName	STRING ALPHANUMERIC WITH SPACES	The name of the merchant that requested the transaction as stored at the bank.	Merchant A
cashAmount	LONG	The amount of cash that was withdrawn.	500
transactionDescription	STRING ALPHANUMERIC WITH SPACES	Reference number for the merchant’s records.	3tf party app desc
transactionReferenceNumber	STRING ALPHANUMERIC	Reference number field that also apperas in a merchant portal when available.	ref#123456
cellNumberToSMSReceipt	STRING NUMERIC	0-digit cell phone number for receipt SMS destination. Can be blank. *NOTE*: If isReceiptRequired is true then this is a mandatory field.	0721234567
emailAddressToSendReceipt	ALPHANUMERIC	Valid email address for receipt email destination. Can be blank. NOTE: If isReceiptRequired is true then this is a mandatory field.	[email protected]
isReceiptRequired	BOOLEAN	If set to true, at least one of the receipt parameters above needs to be set. If set to false the user will not be prompted to send a receipt after payment using the Ecentric Payment App. NOTE: According to VISA and MasterCard requirements, this must always be set to true unless the app developer is providing an alternative means to send a receipt.	true
alwaysShowTransactionStatusScreen	BOOLEAN	Once the Ecentric Payment App has processed a transaction there is a status screen that shows the success/failure of processing. Set this flag to true if you would like this displayed otherwise false to hide it. Default is false.	true
externalSTAN	STRING NUMERIC	An optional systems trace number generated by some 3rd party ERP systems.	123456
externalRRN	STRING ALPHANUMERIC	A RRN generated by some 3rd party ERP systems.	ABCDEF123456
externalTransactionGUID	STRING ALPHANUMERIC	A GUID that identifies a specific transaction generated by 3rd party ERP systems.	2fdca02f-3cbe-4e8c-82ad-86a1a16b72e8
externalInvoiceGUID	STRING ALPHANUMERIC	A GUID that identifies a particular invoice that may appear on more than one transaction.	2fdca02f-3cbe-4e8c-82ad-86a1a16b72e9
externalTransactionDateTime	STRING	An optional date and time the transaction was generated on the 3rd party ERP systems. Has the format of “yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss”	2017-04-28T09:30:00
externalTerminalId	STRING NUMERIC	An optional terminal identifier for device configured on the 3rd party ERP system	98100010
latitude	STRING NUMERIC	An optional geolocation identifier indicating the latitude position of the device	-28.1619942
longitude	STRING NUMERIC	An optional geolocation identifier indicating the longitude position of the device	30.2350981
accuracy	STRING NUMERIC	An optional accuracy indicator of the geolocation
originalTransactionUuid	STRING ALPHANUMERIC	Supplying the original sale UUID will initiate a matched refund. If the original sale was tokenized, the refund will be processed via the previously tokenized card holder details.	bdf9d0af-17b3-48ca-8a0b-37dc52bf49bc

Sample Code

The following code needs to be implemented by the MPOS Application in order to invoke the Ecentric Payment App to initiate a REFUND request message.

*See Sample Code REFUND Response for the intentLauncher function

private void doRefund() {
    Intent intent = new Intent();
   	intent.setClassName("com.ecentric.ecentricpay", "com.ecentric.ecentricpay.MainActivity");
    Bundle dataBundle = new Bundle();
    dataBundle.putString("launchType", "REFUND");
  	dataBundle.putString("merchantID", "910100000000001");
  	dataBundle.putString("authenticationKey", "received_authenticationKey");
    dataBundle.putLong("transactionAmount", 1000); // amount in cents

    intent.putExtra("ecentricBundle", dataBundle);
    try {
        intentLauncher.launch(intent);
    } catch (Exception e) {
        Log.e(TAG, "Error launching intent: " + e);
    }
}

🚧
It is important to note that when processing a Matched Refund:

The "originalTransactionUuid" in the Refund request code matches the "originalTransactionUuid" of the transaction you are processing a refund on.

Response

Sample Bundle

📘
Note
The originalTransactionUuid field will be blank if no originalTransactionUuid was in the Refund request.
This however does not mean that you as the merchant will be able to process the refund transaction if you as the Merchant are not enabled for processing Unmatched Refunds on the payment device.

The following is an example of a REFUND response bundle that the MPOS Application will receive.

"resultDescription": "APPROVED",
"buildInfo": "Ecentric",
"isReceiptDataAvailable": true,
"resultCode": "01",
"receiptBundle": {
    "MERCHANT_REGION_CODE": "09",
    "RC_ALT": "00",
    "CASH_AMOUNT_CENTS": "0",
    "SEQ_NO": "000",
    "STATUS": "APPROVED",
    "BUDGET_PERIOD": "0",
    "CARD_TYPE": "",
    "PAN_WITH_BIN": "445143******2309",
    "MERCHANT_ID": "770000000000123",
    "TIMESTAMP": "1745489204493",
    "EXTERNAL_TRANSACTION_DATETIME": "",
    "PROCESSING_CODE": "0",
    "RC_DESCRIPTION": "Approved",
    "EXTERNAL_INVOICE_GUID": "",
    "REPLACEMENT_MERCHANT_ID": "",
    "BATCH_NO": "000",
    "AUTH_PROFILE": "0",
    "INTERCHANGE": "null",
    "ESC_BY_AUTH_CODE": "226 20 IH* 657404",
    "TX_TYPE": "20",
    "ACC_TYPE_DESC": "Default",
    "TIP_AMOUNT": "",
    "CURRENCY_CODE": "0710",
    "AUTH_CODE": "657404",
    "RC": "00",
    "AID": "A0000000031010",
    "ATC": "055E",
    "CRY": "B6C45455ADCB3607",
    "CVM": "none",
    "IAD": "06010A03804000",
    "PAN": "************2309",
    "RRN": "511406490032",
    "TSI": "0000",
    "TVR": "0000000000",
    "APSN": "",
    "DATE": "2025-04-24T10:06:49.559+0000",
    "STAN": "",
    "NAME_ON_CARD": "UnknownCardholderName",
    "AMOUNT_CENTS": "1000",
    "ABS_AMOUNT": "10.00",
    "TOKEN": "",
    "RECEIPT_NUMBER": "",
    "EXTENDED_TRX_TYPE": "",
    "TERMINAL_ID": "77012398",
    "TX_TYPE_DESCRIPTION": "REFUND",
    "EXTERNAL_TERMINAL_ID": "",
    "FORMATTED_AMOUNT": "R 10.00",
    "DESCRIPTION": "511406490032",
    "BATCH_NUMBER": "0",
    "SETTLEMENT_DATE": "",
    "SURCHARGE_AMOUNT": "0.00",
    "EXTERNAL_TRANSACTION_GUID": "",
    "CARD_BIN": "445143",
    "TRANSACTION_INFO": "22620IH*657404",
    "REPLACEMENT_TERMINAL_ID": "",
    "POS_ENTRY": "701",
    "RC_ISO_DESCRIPTION": "Approved or completed successfully",
    "APPLICATION_LABEL": "VISA SAVINGS",
    "MERCHANT_CITY": "Cape Town",
    "MERCHANT_NAME": "Istore",
    "CUSTOMER_NAME": "",
    "APP_VERSION": "",
    "CARD_SEQ_NO": "0",
    "APP_LABEL": "VISA SAVINGS",
    "INVOICE_NUM": "",
    "MESSAGE_1": "",
    "MESSAGE_2": "",
    "CARD_TRANSACTION_TYPE": "CONTACTLESS",
    "FORMATTED_CASH_AMOUNT": "R 0.00",
    "CASH_AMOUNT": "0.00",
    "RESULT_CODE": "00",
    "MERCHANT_COUNTRY_CODE": "ZA",
    "REPRINT": "false",
    "PAN_HASH": "3f5c9f528a4bfa5d5e4137824d0b08491b5bc30b062ad778a818770f10771019",
    "AMOUNT": "10.00",
    "TIP_LABEL": "",
    "DIGITS": "2309",
    "CVM_ABSA": ""
  },
"merchantID": "770000000000123",
"serialNumber": "PC05P2CG10036",
"launchType": "REFUND",
"cashAmount": "0",
"transactionUuid": "f3c345be-68c9-427c-9f5c-e4e7861ce127",
"appVersion": "1.9.2",
"transactionAmount": "1000"

Parameters

The following table describes the parameters of the REFUND response message.

PARAMETERS	TYPE	DESCRIPTION	EXAMPLE
launchType	STRING	Echo of the launchType used to launch the Ecentric Payment App.	REFUND
resultCode	STRING	Represents the result status of the intent call to the Ecentric Payment App. ● 01: SUCCESSFUL ● 02: DECLINED ● 03: ABORTED ● 04: ERROR	01
resultDescription	STRING	A user readable representation of the above resultCode i.e. Approved for 01 resultCode. If the bank or switch approves or declines the transaction, the response description is included in this field.	APPROVED
merchantID	STRING	Echo of the merchantID used in the request.	910100000000001
merchantName	STRING	The name of the merchant that requested the transaction as stored at the bank.	Merchant A
transactionAmount	STRING	Approved total transactionAmount.	1000
cashAmount	STRING	Approved cashAmount.	500
transactionDescription	STRING	Echo of the transactionDescription used to launch the Ecentric Payment App.	3rd party app desc
transactionUuid	STRING	Unique ID provided from 3rd party integrators. Format: UUID version 4 *Note: If the field was not populated by the 3rd party integrator a system generated transaction UUID will be assign for every new transaction.*	bdf9d0af-17b3-48ca-8a0b-37dc52bf49bc
cellNumberToSMSReceipt	STRING	Masked out value of the cell number used to send the receipt to.	* * * **657
emailAddressToSendReceipt	STRING	Masked out value of the email address used to send the receipt to.	* * * * *@ecentric.com
isReceiptRequired	STRING	Echo of the isReceiptRequired used to launch the Ecentric Payment App.	true
isReceiptDataAvailable	STRING	A boolean indicating whether a receiptBundle parameter is available. Will always be there for accepted or declined transactions.	true
receiptBundle	STRING	Consists of a sub-bundle of server parameters that can be used by the partner application.	See Sample ecentricBundle REFUND Response.
appVersion	STRING	The software version currently running on the Ecentric Payment App.	1.9.2
externalSTAN	STRING	Echo of the systems trace number generated by some 3rd party ERP systems.	123456
externalRRN	STRING	Echo of the RRN generated by some 3rd party ERP systems.	ABCDEF123456
externalTransactionGUID	STRING	Echo of the GUID that identifies a specific transaction generated by 3rd party ERP systems.	2fdca02f-3cbe-4e8c-82ad-86a1a16b72e8
externalInvoiceGUID	STRING	Echo of the GUID that identifies a particular invoice that may appear on more than one transaction.	2fdca02f-3cbe-4e8c-82ad-86a1a16b72e9
externalTransactionDateTime	STRING	Echo of the date and time the transaction was generated on the 3rd party ERP systems. Has the format of “yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss”	2017-04-28T09:30:00
externalTerminalId	STRING	Echo of the terminal identifier for device configured on the 3rd party ERP system.	98100010
terminalId	STRING	This is an automatically system-assigned terminalID of the payment terminal’s identity number, which can be used to assist with settlement information and is returned in BASE36 format.	77012398
latitude	STRING	Echo of geolocation identifier indicating the latitude position of the device.	-28.1619942
longitude	STRING	Echo of geolocation identifier indicating the longitude position of the device.	30.2350981
accuracy	STRING	Echo of accuracy indicator of the geolocation.
serialNumber	STRING	The serial number for the device that was used for the REFUND intent call.	PC05P2CG10036

Sample Code

The following code needs to be implemented by the MPOS Application to recover the REFUND transaction outcome and resume the MPOS App flow accordingly.

private final ActivityResultLauncher<Intent> intentLauncher = registerForActivityResult(
       new ActivityResultContracts.StartActivityForResult(),
       result -> {
           if (result.getResultCode() == Activity.RESULT_OK) {
               Intent data = result.getData();
               if (data != null) {
                   Bundle responseBundle = new Bundle(data.getBundleExtra("ecentricApplicationResponse"));
                   String launchType = responseBundle.getString("launchType");
                   String resultCode = responseBundle.getString("resultCode");
                 		// Determine if the transaction was successfully executed using returned resultCode
										// 00 = Completed
										// 01 = Transaction successful
                   Boolean success = false;
                   if (resultCode != null && (resultCode.matches("00") || resultCode.matches("01"))) {
                       success = true;
                   }

                   if (responseBundle.get("errorBundle") != null) {
                       Bundle errorBundle = new Bundle(responseBundle.getBundle("errorBundle"));
                   }
               }
           } else {
               Log.e(TAG, "Received error resultCode: " + result.getResultCode());
           }
       }
);

Error Handling

The following table contains typical errors that might occur and how to handle these errors:

ERROR MESSAGE	SOLUTION
Incorrect merchantID	Ensure that you have entered the correct merchantID.
authenticationKey is invalid	When your authenticationKey is invalid, you will receive an error message indicating that the authenticationKey is invalid, a RETAIL_AUTH request needs to be done to obtain a valid authenticationKey.
transactionAmount not present	Ensure that you are sending through a valid transactionAmount.

Sample Bundle

The following is an example of a REFUND ERROR response bundle that the MPOS Application will receive.

"resultDescription": "ABORTED",
"errorBundle": {
    "description": "ERROR",
    "reference": "",
    "errorType": "TRANSACTION",
    "message": "Transaction cancelled by user"
  },
"buildInfo": "Ecentric_DEBUG_Ecentric_INT",
"isReceiptDataAvailable": false,
"resultCode": "03",
"merchantID": "910100000000001",
"serialNumber": "PC05P2CG10036",
"launchType": "REFUND",
"cashAmount": "0",
"appVersion": "1.9.8",
"transactionAmount": "1000"

Refund Transaction

What is a Refund?

📘
Note:

How Does a Refund Work?

The below diagram displays an example of how a Refund works by making user of the Companion App (Here after known as MPOS App), Payment App (Here after known as Ecentric's Payment App), Transaction Processor (Here after know as the Ecentric Server) and Acquirer.

Request

Sample Bundle

Parameters

📘
Note

Sample Code

🚧
It is important to note that when processing a Matched Refund:

Response

Sample Bundle

📘
Note

Parameters

Sample Code

Error Handling

Sample Bundle

What is a Refund?

📘Note:

How Does a Refund Work?

The below diagram displays an example of how a Refund works by making user of the Companion App (Here after known as MPOS App), Payment App (Here after known as Ecentric's Payment App), Transaction Processor (Here after know as the Ecentric Server) and Acquirer.

Request

Sample Bundle

Parameters

📘Note

Sample Code

🚧It is important to note that when processing a Matched Refund:

Response

Sample Bundle

📘Note

Parameters

Sample Code

Error Handling

Sample Bundle

📘
Note:

📘
Note

🚧
It is important to note that when processing a Matched Refund:

📘
Note