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AIBU?

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Original poster

Shop would give me a refund …Aibu ?

87 replies

lulu55xxx · 25/02/2026 12:03

I had bought a item from H&M.
I bought it on Saturday and had my receipt.
I paid contactless.
Today on my break I nipped out (work in town )Took my bank card and left my phone on charge (didn’t think I needed it )
Went in and she asked for card I paid with…showed her.
She said numbers didn’t match …I explained I paid contactless.
She refused refund as she said I had no proof that was card used.
I had to go back to work and get my phone.
Show her my card on my Apple wallet ..click the dots to show contactless card details.
Then it was refunded
Is this normal ?
Aibu to be annoyed

OP posts:
nomas · 25/02/2026 15:45

lulu55xxx · 25/02/2026 15:39

I didn’t pay with my card on my Apple wallet
i used my physical card and tapped
this created a different number on receipt than my last 4 digits on card
my Apple Pay wasn’t the same digits

Did you pay by contactless using your phone? Or did you tap your debit card?

Billybob10 · 25/02/2026 15:44

Greenwriter76 · 25/02/2026 14:15

Scan your card into your phone wallet so you are using the same card to pay with, whether you are using your phone or your physical card to pay

Doesn’t work like that Apple Pay and google pay use your card but give it a different number. Stops cards being cloned

Original poster
lulu55xxx · 25/02/2026 15:39

I didn’t pay with my card on my Apple wallet
i used my physical card and tapped
this created a different number on receipt than my last 4 digits on card
my Apple Pay wasn’t the same digits

OP posts:
Jillwiththefrill · 25/02/2026 15:25

If it's two different card numbers, which it would be as apple pay generates a unique card number to the physical one, how would the shop assistant know it was the same account? She wouldn't. For all she knows, you're claiming a refund to your card that was paid for on someone else's card.

And now you know, it won't have to be a problem in the future.

ToKittyornottoKitty · 25/02/2026 15:02

YABU, staff followed policy, you hadn’t realised you’d need the phone. Not a big deal is it

Floundering66 · 25/02/2026 15:00

Normal.

DeadshotVenom · 25/02/2026 14:51

Apple Pay generates a different card number it’s happened to me before. My DH returned something to Argos with my physical card and they said the last 4 digits weren’t the same, I didn’t realise at the time and when he rang me I went to my purchase email and gave him the 4 digits shown there and the refund was sorted. Shop assistants need the correct information as anyone could claim a refund fraudulently if they didn’t need the actual card details.

nomas · 25/02/2026 14:39

ColdAsAWitches · 25/02/2026 14:32

They must have. Otherwise how would they know the numbers are different!

Show quote history

They check the last 4 digits of the card, which are on the receipt.

stargirl27 · 25/02/2026 14:38

ColdAsAWitches · 25/02/2026 14:32

They must have. Otherwise how would they know the numbers are different!

Show quote history

Because at the end of the receipt it shows the last 4 digits of the card that was used to pay. They don't have the full card number though.

stargirl27 · 25/02/2026 14:37

lulu55xxx · 25/02/2026 14:22

@marcoprontits not a different card tho is it.
It’s the same card,with the same bank account sort code etc ..only difference is I paid contactless with it …rather than chip and pin

you didn't pay contactless with the card, you used apple/google pay which is completely different. if you had paid contactless with the physical card and did the refund by chip and pin with that same card that would have been fine.

LayaM · 25/02/2026 14:36

You are conflating Tap-and-Go with Contactless Mobile Payment. These are two different types of contactless payment methods, you can't use them interchangeably.

stargirl27 · 25/02/2026 14:35

ColdAsAWitches · 25/02/2026 14:25

Why didn't you ask her to return it to whatever number they had on record? That would have got it back to you.

Retailers don't store card numbers on record.

Some do allow automatic refunds, for others it has to be done manually. It is just a matter of whatever system that specific retailer is using.

stargirl27 · 25/02/2026 14:33

lulu55xxx · 25/02/2026 14:22

@marcoprontits not a different card tho is it.
It’s the same card,with the same bank account sort code etc ..only difference is I paid contactless with it …rather than chip and pin

Even though it is the same account, the 'virtual' card on apple/google pay has a different device no. to the physical card, which is why she asked you to show her the info in your wallet.

We had to do this when I worked in retail, it's to avoid money laundering. You have to ensure refunds are paid back into the same account used for the purchase. The cashier had no way of knowing this due to the different account numbers.

Frustrating but now you know for next time!

ColdAsAWitches · 25/02/2026 14:32

nomas · 25/02/2026 14:27

They don't have the card number on record, that would be against GDPR.

Show quote history

They must have. Otherwise how would they know the numbers are different!

disappearingfish · 25/02/2026 14:27

The card number that is generated from the Apple wallet is different from the actual card number. Look at your contactless receipts and compare it to your card. The shop assistant can’t tell if the contactless payment matches your card or not.

nomas · 25/02/2026 14:27

ColdAsAWitches · 25/02/2026 14:25

Why didn't you ask her to return it to whatever number they had on record? That would have got it back to you.

They don't have the card number on record, that would be against GDPR.

ColdAsAWitches · 25/02/2026 14:25

Why didn't you ask her to return it to whatever number they had on record? That would have got it back to you.

nomas · 25/02/2026 14:25

lulu55xxx · 25/02/2026 14:22

@marcoprontits not a different card tho is it.
It’s the same card,with the same bank account sort code etc ..only difference is I paid contactless with it …rather than chip and pin

The card number is different in your Apple Wallet. How are they supposed to check the card number without seeing the card in your Apple Wallet?

marcopront · 25/02/2026 14:25

lulu55xxx · 25/02/2026 14:22

@marcoprontits not a different card tho is it.
It’s the same card,with the same bank account sort code etc ..only difference is I paid contactless with it …rather than chip and pin

If you had paid attention to detail you would have seen I said a different card number.
It was a different card number.

How are they supposed to know it was the same card?

willitevergetwarm · 25/02/2026 14:23

After decorating I had returns to B&Q and we had to have them all refunded to what we paid on.
so we had 1 on my card
1 on my DH card
and 1 on google pay - the lady explained that google pay shows a different card number as it's a google card that my card is linked to or something like that

Original poster
lulu55xxx · 25/02/2026 14:22

@marcoprontits not a different card tho is it.
It’s the same card,with the same bank account sort code etc ..only difference is I paid contactless with it …rather than chip and pin

OP posts:
MidWayThruJanuary · 25/02/2026 14:17

Yes it's normal.

ThePoshUns · 25/02/2026 14:17

Apple Pay generates a different card number to your physical card , so yes you are being unreasonable

Greenwriter76 · 25/02/2026 14:15

Scan your card into your phone wallet so you are using the same card to pay with, whether you are using your phone or your physical card to pay

Mh67 · 25/02/2026 14:14

That's correct it's classed as a different pay method. They can't refund a different way