REFUNDS
Refund timeline · who is slow and why
3 MIN · UPDATED 2026-05-09
The two-checkpoint timeline
Every refund passes through three stages, displayed on the contract page:
| Stage | Owner | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| MPBxChange processed | MPBxChange | < 1 second |
| Your bank | Rail (Stripe / bank wire / etc.) | 3–10 business days, rail-dependent |
| Funds available | Buyer's bank | Variable (sometimes 1–2 extra days for posting) |
Per-rail SLA
| Rail | MPBxChange side | Bank side | Typical reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe (card / PromptPay) | instant | 5–10 business days | Card-issuer settlement timing |
| Bank wire reversal | instant | 3–7 business days | Receiving bank's reconciliation cycle |
| USDC on-chain return | instant | < 1 business day | Block confirmation |
| Letter of credit reversal | instant | 5–21 business days | Paper-heavy, multi-bank |
Why the bank, not us
Once we submit the refund instruction, the bank owns the wait. Their reasons are real (fraud-screening, settlement netting, regulatory hold periods, public-holiday calendars) but they're not ours. The UI makes this visible so you know what to do:
- If you're under the SLA window → wait
- If you're over the SLA window → contact your bank with the rail reference shown on the page (we never need to be in the loop)
Holiday note
Bank settlement is slower around Thai public holidays, Chinese New Year, and the EU/US winter holiday window. We don't auto-pause the timer for these — your bank's calendar is theirs to manage. The page shows an explicit holiday-note when applicable.