Refund & Cancellation Policy
Table of Contents
Purpose and Scope
This policy sets out when and how you can cancel a money transfer and how refunds are handled by Africlink Money Transfer. It applies to orders placed in person at our branches and authorised agents, and to orders placed online. Nothing in this policy removes your statutory rights. Because money remittance involves rapid currency conversion and third-party payout networks, some transactions cannot be recalled once they reach a certain stage; we explain those situations below.
Cancelling Before Payout
You may request cancellation at any time before payout has been executed. “Payout executed” means the transfer has been credited to the beneficiary’s bank account or mobile wallet, or has become available for cash collection at the payout location. Suppose we receive your request while the transfer is still pending, for example, awaiting cleared funds, verification, or release to our payout partner. In that case, we will make reasonable efforts to stop it and, if successful, issue a refund in line with Sections 5 and 6. If your order is subject to compliance checks (identity, sanctions, source of funds), the transfer will remain on hold until these checks are completed or the order is declined.
After Payout: Irrevocability
Once the payout has been executed, the transfer is irrevocable. We cannot guarantee recall or reversal after funds have been made available to, or received by, the beneficiary. At your request, we can contact the payout partner on a best-efforts basis to seek a voluntary return; however, this depends entirely on the beneficiary agreeing and the local partner’s rules. Where funds are returned to us, we will refund you promptly in line with Sections 5 and 6.
How to Request a Cancellation or Refund
Email [email protected] with your full name, contact number, the Africlink transaction reference, amount sent, destination country/corridor, beneficiary name, and the reason for cancellation/refund. If your request relates to fraud or a scam, please state this clearly and contact us immediately; time is critical. We may ask for additional information (e.g., a bank statement showing the payment, ID for validation, or evidence to support the claim) before we can process the refund.
Where the Refund is Sent and How Long it Takes
Refunds are returned to the original payment method. Card payments are refunded to the same card; open banking or bank-transfer payments are returned to the same sending account; over-the-counter cash payments are usually refunded by the same branch/agent once we confirm funds are safe to release. For regulatory and fraud-prevention reasons, we cannot refund to a different person or payment method unless we are required to do so by law. Most refunds reach you within 3–10 Business Days after approval; actual timing depends on your bank or card issuer. If funds are still with a payout partner, we must wait for them to return the money to us before we can refund you.
Fees, Exchange Rates and FX Differences
Our service fee covers processing and is non-refundable once we accept your order, except where (a) we decline the transaction or (b) we make an error. If we cancel before any currency conversion or release to our payout partner, we will refund the full principal you paid (less any non-recoverable payment processing costs that we incur, e.g, card scheme fees, where applicable). If foreign currency has already been purchased or allocated, we will convert the funds back at the applicable buy-back rate at the time of reversal; this may be higher or lower than your original rate and can create an FX difference. Where a payout partner returns funds to us in the destination currency, we will convert them back to your funding currency on receipt and refund you the net amount we receive. We do not profit from FX reversals; differences arise from market movements and partner charges.
Failed, Rejected or Expired Transfers
A transfer may fail or be rejected if beneficiary details are incorrect, the receiving account is closed or restricted, the beneficiary does not pass local verification, or the regulator/payout partner blocks the payment. Cash pick-ups have a collection window set by the payout partner; if not collected in time, the transfer is cancelled and funds are returned to us. In all such cases, we will refund you once the funds are safely returned, less any unrecoverable costs and FX differences as described in Section 6.
Delays and When a Refund May Not Be Due
We work to deliver quickly, but delays can occur due to compliance reviews, banking cut-off times, public holidays, time-zone differences, system outages, or queueing at payout locations. A delay alone does not automatically entitle you to a refund if the transfer is ultimately executed. If a transfer cannot be completed within a reasonable time and you ask us to cancel before payout, we will do so and process a refund in line with this policy.
Duplicate Payments and Overpayments
If you accidentally make duplicate payments for the same order, contact us promptly. We will identify duplicates and refund the excess after confirming which transaction(s) should proceed. Overpayments will be handled in the same way. If a duplicate has already been paid out, we will attempt a best-efforts recall as described in Section 3.
Unauthorised or Mistaken Payments
If you believe a payment from your funding account was unauthorised, contact your bank or card issuer immediately and notify us at [email protected]. We will investigate and cooperate with your bank’s process. If you entered incorrect beneficiary details, we will try to amend the order before payout; after payout, we cannot guarantee recovery. For obvious keying errors detected before release (e.g., invalid account format), we will contact you to correct or cancel.
Card Chargebacks
If you funded a transfer by card, you can raise a dispute with your card issuer under their rules. We will cooperate with your issuer’s investigation. Where a chargeback is raised without valid grounds (for example, for an authorised transaction), we may submit evidence to challenge it and recover associated costs. See our Terms and Conditions for more details on chargebacks and disputes.
Fraud and Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams
If you were tricked into authorising a transfer (for example, a fake investment, purchase or impersonation scam), the payment is usually treated as authorised. We will liaise with partners and law enforcement on a best-efforts basis, but a refund is not guaranteed. See our Scam Awareness & Safety Guide and contact us immediately if you suspect a scam.
Our Right to Cancel
We may cancel an order where required by law or regulation, where verification fails, where we suspect misuse, or where a payout partner refuses to process it. If we cancel for these reasons, we will refund you once it is lawful and safe to do so and once any third-party holds are lifted, applying Sections 5 and 6.
Evidence and Cooperation
To process some refunds, we must obtain information from you, our agents, banks, card acquirers or payout partners. Please respond promptly to requests for evidence (e.g, proof of payment, ID, or source-of-funds documents). If you do not provide reasonable information within a reasonable time, we may be unable to complete the refund until the necessary checks are finished.
How to Escalate a Refund Issue
If you are unhappy with a refund decision or timing, contact [email protected] and state that you wish to complain. Our complaints team will review the matter independently and aim to issue a Final Response within 15 Business Days (or 35 in exceptional cases). If you remain dissatisfied and are eligible, you may be able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months of our Final Response (see www.financial- ombudsman.org.uk | 0800 023 4567).
Cooling-off Rights and Financial Services
Cooling-off rules for distance sales do not generally apply to foreign exchange and money remittance, where the price depends on market fluctuations outside our control. This is why once a transfer has moved past certain stages (e.g., funds converted and/or released to a partner), cancellation may involve FX differences or may not be possible at all.
Updates to this policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in law, regulator guidance, partners or processes. The version and effective date appear at the top. Material changes will be highlighted on our website or communicated directly where appropriate.
