Klarna Docs - Manage refunds

Manage refunds

Learn how to process refunds for in-store purchases.

Klarna returns an order identifier (order_id) as part of the distribution results. You’ll need order_id to refund the purchase using the Order management API.

Best practices

  • Use the Klarna-Idempotency-Key HTTP header when implementing refunds through the API, in order to prevent duplicate refund requests at the point of sale from happening in case of network issues.
  • Include the order_lines[] for the items to be refunded if included in the payment session initially.

We recommend you store the Klarna order_id and link it to the transaction reference number generated by the point of sale and stored as the merchant_reference1 parameter. You can also print the transaction reference number on the customer’s receipt.

Customers who want to get a refund for an in-store purchase have to present the receipt. The store associate can retrieve the transaction reference and enter it on the point of sale device, which can then derive the Klarna order_id and the order amount required to submit a refund using the Order management API.

An example of a customer receipt showing merchant's and Klarna's reference numbers.

An example of a customer receipt showing merchant's and Klarna's reference numbers.

Another element to add to the receipt is the shorter Klarna reference value (klarna_reference) returned in the distribution results. The store associate can use this value to find the corresponding transaction directly in Orders in the Merchant portal.

A screenshot of the Klarna Merchant portal Orders menu.

The Klarna reference value helps the store staff identify orders in Merchant portal.