- Short answer
- Yes, if the return starts and ends in POS: refund to a new emailed gift card, or reload an existing one when the sale ran on Shopify Payments.
- New gift card
- The return needs at least one fulfilled item; tips or shipping alone can go to an eligible existing card
- Existing gift card
- Only for Shopify Payments transactions; cash or another financial institution deactivates the option
- Paid by gift card
- Can refund to that same card; its balance updates automatically
- Not eligible
- Subscription products, and split refunds that include an Interac transaction
- Store credit instead
- Turn on the Point of Sale setting; the order needs a customer profile
When can a Shopify POS refund go to a gift card?
As of October 31, 2026, Shopify's POS help documents refunds to a gift card. First, activate gift cards as a payment method in the POS app.
Reloading an Existing gift card needs a Shopify Payments transaction; for a sale paid in cash or through another financial institution, refund to a new card. A sale paid by gift card can be refunded to that same card, and its balance updates automatically.
- A return started in the Shopify admin can't go to a gift card from POS.
- A new card needs at least one fulfilled return item; tips or shipping alone need an eligible existing card.
- The amount must be within the gift card purchase limit for the local currency.
- Subscription products, and split refunds that include an Interac transaction, are excluded.
Shopify's POS pages differ: its POS refunds page asks for Return and exchange orders, its POS store credit page for Refund orders (both read October 31, 2026). The Point of Sale permissions list has a Return and exchange orders row and no Refund orders row, so on POS Pro locations, check the cashier's POS role for Return and exchange orders.
Can you email the refund gift card to someone else?
Yes — the refund gift card is emailed automatically, to the original customer or a different one. For someone else, turn on Return balance to gift card, remove the current customer and add the new one; the order stays with the original customer. Or remove the customer and refund to a physical card.
Gift card or store credit: which refund should you give?
- Pick it to send the balance to someone else or onto a physical card
- Needs a customer profile on the order
- The customer gets the Order refund email, not Store credit issued
To offer store credit, turn on Allow orders to be refunded to store credit:
- Point of Sale
- Settings
That refund reaches the customer as an Order refund email — when Shopify sends it.
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