No, not usually. If you are cancelling because you changed your mind within the EU cooling-off period and the withdrawal right applies to your purchase, the seller normally has to refund you in money, not force store credit. Store credit is only acceptable if you agree to it, or if your item falls into a valid exception.
What to do now:
- Send a written withdrawal notice if you have not done so yet. Use the order number, the date, and a clear sentence such as “I withdraw from this purchase and request a refund to my original payment method.”
- Keep proof of the exact time you sent it. The withdrawal deadline matters, so save the email, chat message, or marketplace message with the timestamp.
- Ask the seller to confirm in writing why they think credit is enough. If they refuse a cash refund, ask them to point to the specific exception or rule they rely on.
The key question is whether your purchase is actually covered by the EU withdrawal right. Store credit may be lawful only in limited cases, for example if the item is excluded from withdrawal rules or if you agreed to a different remedy. Common exceptions can include personalised goods, sealed items that were unsealed and cannot be returned for hygiene reasons, perishable goods, or digital content that started after you agreed to lose the withdrawal right. If the seller says “no refund, only credit,” check whether they are talking about a store policy or a legal exception. A store policy cannot cancel a valid EU withdrawal right on its own.
Check these details on the order page and in the seller’s terms:
- whether the item is marked as excluded from returns or withdrawal
- whether the seller’s return policy mentions refund method
- whether you received any confirmation that the item was custom-made, sealed, or digital content started with consent
If the seller still insists on credit, escalate with the evidence:
- order confirmation
- withdrawal notice with date and time
- seller’s refusal message
- screenshots of the return terms and the product description
If you bought through a marketplace, contact the marketplace support as well, because they can often review whether the seller is following the platform’s own rules. If you paid by card or PayPal, keep the seller’s refusal and your withdrawal notice ready in case you need to open a payment dispute about the missing refund.
Practical tip: ask for the refund method in the same message where you withdraw, so the seller’s reply shows whether they are refusing cash refund or only offering credit as a voluntary option.
