Buy online, return in store

BORIS (Buy Online, Return In Store) lets a customer complete a purchase on your website or app and then walk into any physical location to return it. VINR links the original online payment to your in-store POS via shopperReference or order ID — so the refund credits the original payment method (card, wallet, or bank account) without the customer needing to produce the physical card. No duplicate customer records, no manual cross-referencing: one lookup surfaces the order and one API call closes it.

Look up the original paymentAskCopy

Staff begin a return by searching for the order at the POS counter. You can locate the original payment by shopperReference (your customer's stable ID) or by the VINR payment ID directly.

import { Vinr } from '@vinr/sdk';

const vinr = new Vinr({ secretKey: process.env.VINR_SECRET_KEY });

const payments = await vinr.payments.list({
  shopperReference: 'shopper_ada_lovelace',
  limit: 10,
});

const original = payments.data.find(
  (p) => p.metadata?.orderId === 'ORD-8821',
);

// original.id     → "pay_3Nf8x2a..."
// original.amount → 4900
// original.status → "captured"

import { Vinr } from '@vinr/sdk';

const vinr = new Vinr({ secretKey: process.env.VINR_SECRET_KEY });

const payment = await vinr.payments.retrieve('pay_3Nf8x2a');

// payment.shopperReference → "shopper_ada_lovelace"
// payment.amount           → 4900
// payment.status           → "captured"

Issue the refundAskCopy

Once the original payment is confirmed, create the refund against its pay_ ID. VINR routes the credit back to the payment method on file — card, digital wallet, or bank account — without requiring the customer to present the original card at the terminal.

import { Vinr } from '@vinr/sdk';

const vinr = new Vinr({ secretKey: process.env.VINR_SECRET_KEY });

const refund = await vinr.refunds.create({
  payment: 'pay_3Nf8x2a',
  amount: 4900,
  reason: 'requested_by_customer',
  metadata: {
    shopperReference: 'shopper_ada_lovelace',
    originalOrderId: 'ORD-8821',
    returnLocationId: 'store_london_oxford_st',
  },
});

// refund.id     → "re_7Qp2m1c..."
// refund.status → "pending"

Refund to a different methodAskCopy

If the customer prefers store credit or a gift card instead of a refund to their original payment method, pass refundMethod: 'store_credit' in the request. VINR records the refund disposition and marks the original payment as refunded in reconciliation, but the credit is disbursed by your own gift-card or loyalty system.

import { Vinr } from '@vinr/sdk';

const vinr = new Vinr({ secretKey: process.env.VINR_SECRET_KEY });

const refund = await vinr.refunds.create({
  payment: 'pay_3Nf8x2a',
  amount: 4900,
  refundMethod: 'store_credit',
  reason: 'requested_by_customer',
  metadata: {
    shopperReference: 'shopper_ada_lovelace',
    originalOrderId: 'ORD-8821',
  },
});

// refund.refundMethod → "store_credit"
// refund.status       → "succeeded"

ReceiptAskCopy

Issue a return receipt at the counter — on paper from a receipt printer or digitally by email or SMS — using the VINR terminal or your own POS printer. Configure delivery channels per location under Settings → Receipts in the VINR Dashboard, or see Receipts and engagement for the full configuration reference.

The refund receipt automatically includes:

• The original order reference (metadata.originalOrderId)
• The original transaction date and payment method
• The refund amount and the re_ refund ID
• The store location and staff identifier if passed in metadata

Customers can match the re_ ID against their bank or wallet statement to confirm the credit has been applied.

Exchange flowAskCopy

An exchange — where the customer returns one item and immediately purchases a replacement — requires two operations: a refund on the original payment and a new payment for the replacement item. Link them with metadata.originalOrderId so both transactions appear together in reconciliation and reporting.

import { Vinr } from '@vinr/sdk';

const vinr = new Vinr({ secretKey: process.env.VINR_SECRET_KEY });

const refund = await vinr.refunds.create({
  payment: 'pay_3Nf8x2a',
  amount: 4900,
  reason: 'requested_by_customer',
  metadata: {
    shopperReference: 'shopper_ada_lovelace',
    originalOrderId: 'ORD-8821',
  },
});

const replacement = await vinr.payments.create({
  amount: 5500,
  currency: 'gbp',
  shopperReference: 'shopper_ada_lovelace',
  metadata: {
    originalOrderId: 'ORD-8821',
    exchangeRefundId: refund.id,
  },
});

Refund field referenceAskCopy

Next stepsAskCopy