Not upheld: chargeback handling and refund claim complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr K purchased a voucher for an experience day using his Revolut debit card for approximately £445 in September 2024. After redeeming the voucher and booking the experience, it was cancelled twice due to weather, and Mr K requested a refund as he was relocating. Revolut raised a chargeback which the merchant defended by stating the voucher had been redeemed and received. The ombudsman found that the merchant's service (issuing the voucher) had been provided and received, the experience was non-refundable under the terms and conditions, and the cancellations did not meet specific refund criteria. Therefore, the ombudsman concluded Revolut acted fairly by not pursuing the chargeback further, as it was unlikely to succeed.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Revolut's role was to handle the chargeback fairly according to card scheme rules, not to apply consumer law. The merchant's primary service was to issue the voucher, which it did successfully. Mr K was able to redeem the voucher and make a booking, meaning the merchant's service was received. The experience itself was operated by a third party, not the merchant. The voucher terms and conditions clearly stated refunds were not available for redeemed vouchers, and the operator's terms did not provide for refunds in Mr K's circumstances (only two cancellations, not the seven required, and no significant operational failures). Therefore, a chargeback was unlikely to succeed, and Revolut acted fairly by not pursuing further representations.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website