Returns with a discount code: what happens to it

What you get back when a discount code was used

When you return something bought with a discount code, the shop refunds what you actually paid, not the original price before the discount. If a code made an item cheaper, a full return gets you exactly that reduced amount back. The code itself is not reissued or extended. It was meant for that one purchase, and the return closes it out.

Anyone expecting the full original price back after a refund is mixing up two different things: you paid the reduced amount, and that is exactly what comes back, no more and no less.

When a minimum spend comes into play

Things get more complicated when the code was tied to a minimum order value and you only send back part of the order. If the value of what you keep drops below that threshold after the return, shops handle it in different ways. Some spread the discount proportionally across the items you keep and refund a little less than you might expect at first glance. Others deduct the entire discount from the refund, because the partial return means the minimum spend condition is no longer met.

Which approach applies is usually set out in the terms of the specific code or in the shop's general returns policy. A quick look there before a partial return saves you an unpleasant surprise.

A worked example with two pairs of trousers

Say you order two pairs of trousers at 40 euros each, 80 euros in total, and use a code for 20 percent off with a minimum spend of 60 euros. You pay 64 euros. Then one of the pairs does not suit you and you send it back. The pair you keep is worth 40 euros, which is below the code's 60-euro threshold.

A shop that cancels the discount in this situation charges the pair you keep at the full 40 euros after the fact. Of the 64 euros you paid, you then get only 24 euros back. Other shops calculate the discount proportionally and refund exactly the share of the discounted total that belonged to the returned pair, in this case 32 euros. Both approaches are used.

Percentage off or a fixed amount: a difference when you return

Whether a partial return gets complicated also depends on the type of discount. A percentage discount can be broken down onto each item in the order, because it applied proportionally to the total from the start. A proportional refund is simple to work out here. A fixed discount, such as 10 euros off the whole order, cannot be assigned to a single item quite so easily.

Some shops spread a fixed amount across the items according to their value, others deduct it in full from the first return, however many items end up going back. With larger orders containing several items, it is worth checking the rule for the specific code before you buy, not once a return is already on its way.

Second example: a fixed amount instead of a percentage

Take the same order again, this time with a different code: 10 euros off when you spend 60 euros, instead of 20 percent. For the two pairs of trousers at 40 euros each, you pay 70 euros. If you send one pair back, the remaining order is worth 40 euros, again below the 60-euro threshold.

A shop that sticks strictly to the condition now takes the whole discount off the refund and pays you only the 40 euros of the single item's price, minus the 10 euros that really applied to the whole order. In effect you get 30 euros back, not the 35 euros that would match the proportional value of what you returned. It is exactly this gap between proportional and full cancellation of a fixed discount that makes it sensible to know the code's terms before you buy, not only when you send something back.

Store credit instead of money back: what to look out for

Some shops offer credit towards a future purchase instead of a standard refund to your original payment method. That can be handy if you plan to buy from the same shop again anyway, but it limits you if you actually need the money elsewhere. Whether you get credit or a refund to your original payment method is usually offered as a choice during the returns process. It pays to look closely before you confirm, because with some shops that choice is hard to change afterwards.

What a shop can and cannot do

Within the EU, most online purchases come with a 14-day right of withdrawal, regardless of whether a discount code was involved. A shop cannot override that right through the way a voucher is set up. How the shop calculates the refund on a discounted order is set out in its terms. The starting point is always what you actually paid.

Keep in mind that these are EU rules. Outside the EU, for example in the UK, the US, Canada or Switzerland, the rules are set by each country and can differ considerably, and in some places the option to return an online purchase depends much more on the individual shop's own policy, which varies from shop to shop.

What to check before a partial return

• Check whether the code you used was tied to a minimum spend before you send back only part of the order.
• Roughly work out what the remaining order will be worth after the return and compare it with the code's condition.
• Read the shop's returns policy before you take the parcel to the post office, not afterwards.
• If you are unsure, a short message to customer service before sending anything back often helps more than complaining after the refund.

You can read more about the general conditions for returns in our article on returns and return shipping costs, and we explain the right of withdrawal itself in more detail in the article on the right of withdrawal for online purchases. How minimum order values and exclusions work for vouchers is covered in the article minimum spend, exclusions and combining codes. Current codes for many shops can be found on our discount codes page.