Tesco has clarified their refund policy following a customer query about the timeframe for receiving their money back. The customer reached out on X: “I got a refund onto my card in store on Friday but it’s not in my bank yet. Do you know how long it will take?”

Responding to the customer, Tesco first offered their apologies for any inconvenience. The shop chain then explained: “It can take 3-5 working days for the funds to appear back in your account, so you should see the refund by Friday.”

The process for getting your refund varies depending on the original payment method, as per Tesco’s guidelines. For payments made with credit or debit cards, the shop’s website outlines that “your money will go back onto the same card. Please allow 3-5 working days for the refund to show in your account.”

Clubcard users will receive points equal to the value of their purchase if they shopped online, while those who used a gift card or money card will have the amount refunded onto a Tesco gift or money card. While a week may feel like a lengthy wait for a refund, other big name supermarkets have similar policies.

Morrisons informs its customers that they could wait between 7 and 10 days “from the date we have processed the refund” before seeing their money returned. Sainsbury’s warns it customers that refunds for purchases made with a debit card “may take 5-7 days (including weekends and bank holidays)”.

Meanwhile, Asda has a policy that refund times “can vary depending on how you chose to return your items to us”, with the group suggesting you should contact the store if the refund hasn’t appeared after 14 days.