Trace a refund with the reference number provided on the Stripe Dashboard under Payment Details > Timeline. It could be an Acquirer Reference Number (ARN), a System Trace Audit Number (STAN), or a Retrieval Reference Number (RRN).

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To help a customer asking for the status of their refund, you can provide the Acquirer Reference Number (ARN) which allows them to work with their bank to trace the refund for all Visa and Mastercard charges. System Trace Audit Numbers (STANs) are sometimes required to track the status of a refund, such as with reversals. Some networks don't support ARN, so you'd provide your customers the Retrieval Reference Number (RRN) if available. You only need one of the above references in order to track your refund.

Where to find references in the Dashboard

On your Dashboard on the Transactions page and Payments tab, select a specific transaction and find its Timeline section to locate the reference number. If it's not there, click View details under the refund entry to open the top-up window that displays the reference number.

If the reference number isn't in either of the above locations, you should see a message that the reference number will be available in 1-3 business days.

What is an Acquirer Reference Number (ARN)?

An ARN is a unique number assigned to a credit card transaction as it moves through the payment flow. It can be used by banks to help trace your refund if it appears to be missing. An ARN will be available only for supported card networks, and marked as unavailable otherwise.

What the different ARN statuses mean

• ARN is available: The ARN will display within the refund
• ARN is processing: The ARN will show as processing when the refund has been created, but we have not finished processing the refund. This is the default status after a refund is created.
• ARN isn’t available for this refund: The ARN will be unavailable when it is not available or supported for the refund.

What is a System Trace Audit Number (STAN)?

A STAN is a number generated by the cardholder bank that can be used to identify a transaction. STAN is a trace ID number most commonly used internally at the cardholders bank. It’s always a six-digit code, and therefore is not truly unique as the code resets after 999,999.

What is a Retrieval Reference Number (RRN)? 

An RRN is a 12-character identifier to a card transaction based on the ISO 8583 standard. The standard format for an RRN includes the date and hour of the authorisation, making it somewhat unique. For some networks that do not support ARN, a RRN will be provided if it is available.

When customers should use ARNs vs. STANs vs. RRNs

In most cases, we recommend customers use an Acquirer Reference Number (ARN) if available.

Because STANs are six digit codes, they aren't truly unique but are useful when ARNs aren't available in cases such as reversals. Depending on network supportability, sometimes an RRN is provided instead of ARN. An RRN is somewhat unique and often useful to track single message network transactions.

Can I get references for non-card refunds? 

Some local payment methods, like SEPA Direct Debit, offer refund references which can also be found on the Dashboard if available.