What happens to a refund after your card is replaced or expires

Reviewed October 7, 2026

You booked a hotel months ago, then your card expired or was replaced. Now the hotel says it has refunded the old card. Has the money gone to the wrong place? A changed card number does not automatically mean a lost refund.

The important questions are whether the underlying account is still open and how your provider handles the credit.

Start with the account behind the card

Wise says refunds to canceled or expired Wise cards are credited to the Wise account as normal. Stripe, a payment processor used by merchants, says issuers handle refunds to expired or canceled cards and usually credit the replacement card. These are useful explanations, not a promise that every issuer follows an identical process. [1, 2]

First check your current account activity, rather than looking only for the old card in your app. Keep the booking confirmation and refund receipt together. If the credit is missing, tell your provider that the payment card changed after the original purchase. That detail can make your question more specific than simply asking where the refund is.

The merchant may still use the original payment

A refund receipt showing the old card’s last four digits is not, by itself, evidence of an error. Visa’s public rules generally direct merchants to use the original payment credential where possible. The rules also allow defined alternatives when that route cannot be used, subject to conditions and exceptions. They do not give every customer an unrestricted choice of refund destination. [3]

For a travel cancellation, ask the hotel, airline or booking service handling your payment to confirm which transaction it refunded. Keep your request focused: the original booking, the card’s last four digits, the refund amount and currency, and the date it was sent. Use the company’s official contact route.

A closed account needs a separate check

Replacing the physical card and closing the entire account are different situations. Stripe says an issuer may use another delivery method when there is no replacement card; a refund can also fail if the bank cannot process it.

Contact your former issuer and the merchant for the route applicable to your account rather than assuming an automatic transfer to a different bank. [2]

Practical questions before you chase the refund

Do I need to reactivate the old card

Do not reactivate a lost or compromised card just to experiment. Ask your provider whether anything is required to receive the credit. Wise’s guidance expressly allows refunds to canceled cards. Protecting the account and resolving the refund should be handled through the provider’s official support process. [1]

What if I used a single use virtual card

Check the provider’s own instructions. Revolut’s UK help page says refunds can still reach the Revolut account after a single-use card number becomes inactive. That is a product-specific example, not a rule for every virtual or prepaid card. [4]

Should I ask the merchant to refund a different card

Ask what its payment system supports before proposing a new destination. Visa’s rules include conditional alternatives, while Stripe’s ordinary refund flow returns funds to the original payment method. A merchant’s available process can therefore be narrower than a broad network rule. [2, 3]

Who should I contact about my account

Your issuer is the right place for account-specific information. Visa directs cardholders to the issuer for account and transaction questions. Use the contact details in your banking app or statement, and keep a record of the answer. [5]

What should I write down now

Make a short checklist: merchant or booking reference; purchase date; amount and currency; refund confirmation; old card’s last four digits; replacement date; and whether the account remains open.

Ask one clear question: “Can you confirm how a refund to my previous card will reach this account?” Keep full card details, security codes and passwords out of ordinary email.

General educational information. Refund eligibility, delivery and timing depend on the merchant, issuer, product and circumstances. Check the guidance that applies to your own account. No fixed arrival time is promised.

Official sources

1. Wise — How long does a refund to my Wise card take
2. Stripe — Refund and cancel payments
3. Visa — Core Rules and Product and Service Rules
4. Revolut UK — My single use virtual card is not working
5. Visa UK — Contact Visa