ASDA advises customers to contact its customer service team if a refund has not arrived after 14 working days. This does not mean every refund will take the full 14 working days, as the money may appear sooner depending on the type of refund and how quickly the bank processes it.
A released payment authorisation is different from a refund. ASDA says money held after an unsuccessful or cancelled payment is usually returned by the bank within 24 hours, although this can vary.
Check the refund confirmation, final order receipt and bank transaction before deciding that the money is overdue.
What is ASDA’s stated refund timescale?
ASDA’s Help Centre says that customers who have not received a refund after 14 working days should contact customer services.
You can check ASDA’s current advice on its official ASDA refund timescale page.
The 14-working-day point is best treated as the stage at which ASDA recommends making further contact. It is not a guarantee that every grocery refund will take exactly that long.
Some refunds or payment adjustments may appear much sooner.
What counts as a working day?
Working days normally exclude Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.
For example, 14 working days can cover almost three calendar weeks when weekends fall within the period. A bank holiday can extend the calendar time further.
Start counting from the date ASDA says the refund was processed, not necessarily:
- The date you received the delivery
- The date you first reported the problem
- The date you spoke to customer services
- The date ASDA agreed to review the request
An accepted refund request may still need to be approved and processed before the banking timescale begins.
ASDA refund times can depend on the type of payment
Not every amount returned by ASDA follows exactly the same process.
Refund after a completed card payment
When ASDA has already completed the original debit or credit card charge, it may need to send a separate refund to the payment provider.
The refund may appear:
- As a separate credit
- Under the original transaction
- As an adjusted card balance
- With a different processing date from the request date
ASDA may process the refund promptly, but the bank or card provider controls when it becomes visible and available.
Released payment authorisation
When you place an online grocery order, ASDA may request a payment authorisation so your bank can reserve the expected amount.
The final order value can then change because of:
- Unavailable products
- Substitutions
- Rejected items
- Weighed groceries
- A cancelled order
If ASDA does not take all or part of the reserved amount, it releases the authorisation. This may not appear as a separate refund.
ASDA says the bank will usually return money from a released hold within 24 hours, but the timing can vary. Its official explanation of an ASDA payment held in a bank account can help you identify this situation.
Refund for rejected substitutions
When you reject a substitute during delivery, ASDA may adjust the final amount before taking payment.
ASDA states that if returned items are removed before the full payment is collected, you may not see a separate refund because you were not charged for those products.
Compare the final receipt with the completed bank transaction rather than looking only for a new credit.
Refund after a cancelled order
ASDA states that customers are not charged when ASDA cancels an online grocery order.
However, a pending payment authorisation may remain visible temporarily. The bank must release the reserved money after ASDA removes the hold.
This can look like a delayed refund even though no completed payment was taken.
Refund for a missing, damaged or incorrect item
When you report a problem with an individual product after payment has been completed, ASDA may issue a partial refund.
The time it takes can depend on:
- When the request was submitted
- Whether ASDA needs more information
- When the request was approved
- The original payment method
- The bank’s processing time
Missing products, damaged groceries and unsuitable substitutions are dealt with through the ASDA returns, refunds and substitutions process.
When does the refund period begin?
The relevant period normally begins when ASDA processes the refund, not simply when you report the problem.
These dates can be different:
- The date the order was delivered or collected.
- The date you submitted the refund request.
- The date ASDA approved the request.
- The date ASDA processed the payment.
- The date the bank added the money to your account.
Find the refund confirmation email or customer service message and check which date it gives.
When the message only confirms that your request was received, the refund may still be under review.
How to tell whether ASDA has processed the refund
Look for an email or account notification confirming:
- The approved amount
- The affected order
- The products or charges refunded
- The date the refund was processed
- The payment method receiving the money
- Any expected processing period
You can also sign in and open Your Orders to check the completed grocery order.
Managing the order through ASDA online shopping should allow you to review the final receipt and any available refund information.
If there is no confirmation, contact ASDA before assuming the delay is being caused by the bank.
Why might an ASDA refund take longer?
ASDA is still reviewing the request
ASDA may need to compare your claim with its picking, substitution, delivery and payment records.
A review may take longer when:
- Several products are involved
- A complete bag is missing
- A high-value product is affected
- The order records show the item as supplied
- The whole delivery is disputed
- Photographs or packaging details are required
- A previous request exists for the same item
Check whether ASDA has asked you for more information.
The bank is still processing the refund
Once ASDA sends a completed-payment refund, the bank or card provider must process it.
Timing can vary according to:
- The bank
- The type of card
- The day the refund was sent
- Weekends or bank holidays
- The way the bank displays card refunds
- Whether the card has been replaced
ASDA cannot directly control when the bank updates your available balance.
The transaction was only pending
A pending card authorisation is not always a completed charge.
When ASDA releases the hold, the transaction may:
- Disappear
- Change to a lower completed amount
- Move from pending to reversed
- Restore your available balance without a separate credit
This is one of the most common reasons customers cannot find an expected refund entry.
ASDA adjusted the final charge
If an unavailable or rejected product was removed before ASDA completed the payment, the final card charge may already be lower.
For example, an order originally estimated at £80 could produce a completed payment of £74 after unavailable products were removed. In that situation, you would not normally receive another £6 refund because the £6 was never included in the completed charge.
Check the final receipt before contacting ASDA.
The refund was sent to another payment method
The money will normally be returned through the payment route used for the order.
Check whether you paid with:
- A debit card
- A credit card
- A digital wallet
- An expired or replaced card
- An ASDA gift card
- An ASDA Rewards voucher
- A combination of payment methods
Your bank can explain what happens when a refund is sent to an expired or replaced card.
The request was rejected
ASDA may reject a request if its records indicate that:
- The item was not charged
- A substitute was supplied
- The product was rejected at the door
- The same item was already refunded
- The wrong order was selected
- Further evidence is needed
Read the response carefully before sending another request.
How to check whether your ASDA refund has arrived
1. Compare the estimated and final totals
Find:
- The estimated checkout total
- The final ASDA receipt
- The pending card amount
- The completed transaction
- Any separate refund
The estimated checkout total is not always the amount ASDA ultimately charges.
2. Search around the original payment date
Some banking apps display refunds alongside the original transaction rather than on the date the refund was issued.
Open the ASDA card payment and check whether its details have changed.
3. Check your available balance
A released authorisation may restore the available balance without creating a separate refund entry.
Compare the available balance as well as the list of transactions.
4. Check every relevant payment account
Make sure you are checking the card, bank account, wallet or voucher used for the original purchase.
5. Look for partial refunds
ASDA may issue separate refunds when more than one problem was reported.
The amounts may not appear together or on the same day.
What should you do during the first 14 working days?
Keep the refund confirmation and monitor the original payment method.
You should also:
- Check whether the transaction is pending or completed
- Review the final ASDA receipt
- Check for requests for more information
- Keep photographs and packaging where relevant
- Record any customer service reference
- Avoid submitting duplicate requests
Contact ASDA earlier when the amount is incorrect, the refund was rejected unexpectedly or the confirmation contains the wrong payment details.
What should you do after 14 working days?
If an approved ASDA refund has not arrived after 14 working days, contact ASDA customer services.
Provide:
- Your order number
- The refund amount
- The date it was approved
- The date it was processed
- The products or charge involved
- The original payment method
- The customer service reference
- A screenshot showing the relevant transaction
Ask ASDA to confirm whether the refund was successfully sent.
It may also be useful to request a payment or refund reference that the bank can use to trace the money.
When should you contact your bank?
Contact the bank after ASDA confirms that the refund was processed but the money remains unavailable.
Ask the bank to look for:
- An incoming card refund
- A reversed authorisation
- A payment attached to the original transaction
- A credit sent to a replaced card
- A rejected or returned refund
Give the bank the processing date, amount and any reference supplied by ASDA.
The bank cannot issue an ASDA refund that ASDA has not processed. ASDA cannot force a bank to display an already issued refund immediately.
How long does a cancelled ASDA order take to clear?
When an order is cancelled before ASDA completes the charge, the amount visible in your account may be a payment hold.
ASDA says banks usually return money from a released hold within 24 hours, although this varies.
Contact your bank when:
- ASDA confirms the hold was released
- The payment remains pending beyond the bank’s expected period
- The amount is still reducing your available balance
- You cannot tell whether the payment is pending or completed
Contact ASDA when the transaction has been completed rather than merely held.
How long does a missing-item refund take?
ASDA’s general advice is to make contact if a refund has not arrived after 14 working days.
The actual process may include:
- You report the item.
- ASDA reviews the order.
- ASDA approves or rejects the request.
- ASDA processes the refund.
- The bank credits the payment method.
The 14-working-day check should be based on the information in ASDA’s refund confirmation where possible.
How long does a refund for a rejected substitute take?
You may not receive a separate refund when a substitute is rejected before ASDA completes the final payment.
ASDA says returned items may simply be removed from the charge.
Check whether:
- The substitute appears on the final receipt
- Its cost was included in the completed payment
- The final charge is lower than the original authorisation
- A separate refund was actually promised
Report the issue if the final receipt still shows the rejected product as charged.
How long does an in-store ASDA refund take?
An in-store return is different from an online grocery refund.
The store may approve the return immediately, but a card refund can still take time to appear through the bank.
Keep:
- The return receipt
- The original receipt or proof of payment
- The date of the return
- The refund amount
- The card used
Return to the store or contact ASDA if the refund does not arrive within the period stated on the return receipt or by the colleague processing it.
Does ASDA refund delivery charges?
A grocery product refund does not automatically include the delivery charge.
ASDA may consider refunding the delivery fee when the service itself failed, such as when:
- The complete order did not arrive
- ASDA cancelled the delivery
- Customer services agreed to refund the charge
- A serious delivery problem occurred
Check whether the delivery fee is included in the approved refund amount.
The booking and charging arrangements are explained as part of the ASDA grocery delivery service.
What happens to ASDA Rewards after a refund?
A refund may result in related Cashpot earnings being removed or adjusted.
This could affect rewards earned through:
- Star Products
- Missions
- Spending promotions
- Product-specific offers
The refund and Rewards adjustment may not appear at the same time.
Check the Rewards app after the financial refund has been processed. Contact ASDA Rewards support if the final Cashpot activity does not match the qualifying products you kept.
What happens if you paid with a voucher?
A refund involving a voucher may not be paid entirely into your bank account.
The result depends on whether you used:
- An ASDA Rewards voucher
- An ASDA gift card
- A promotional code
- A third-party voucher
- A combination of a voucher and card payment
The value may be restored to the original voucher balance, reissued or handled according to the promotion’s conditions.
Check the refund confirmation and the relevant voucher account before reporting the money as missing.
Should you submit another refund request?
Do not submit repeated requests for the same order unless ASDA tells you the first one was unsuccessful.
Duplicate requests can create confusion and are unlikely to make the refund arrive sooner.
Instead:
- Find the original request confirmation.
- Check whether it was approved.
- Wait for the stated processing period.
- Contact ASDA using the original reference.
- Ask for the request to be reviewed or escalated.
Submit a new request only when ASDA confirms that the original claim was not received or cannot be processed.
When should you make a complaint?
Consider making a formal complaint when:
- More than 14 working days have passed since the refund was processed
- ASDA cannot confirm whether it sent the money
- Customer services provide conflicting information
- The refund amount is incorrect
- A promised refund has repeatedly failed
- The case is closed without a resolution
- ASDA cannot provide a usable payment reference
Include a clear timeline, the order and refund references, the expected amount and copies of relevant confirmations.
State whether you want ASDA to issue the missing refund, correct the amount or provide evidence that it sent the payment.
Frequently asked questions
Does every ASDA refund take 14 working days?
No. Some refunds appear sooner. ASDA advises customers to make contact when the money has not arrived after 14 working days.
Why did my pending ASDA payment disappear?
The transaction may have been a temporary payment authorisation. When ASDA releases it, the bank may remove the pending entry and restore your available balance instead of displaying a refund.
Does ASDA issue refunds at weekends?
ASDA may process account actions at different times, but banking working-day calculations generally exclude weekends and bank holidays. Use the processing date and timeframe shown in your confirmation.
Why is my ASDA refund less than expected?
The amount may reflect the final product price, a promotion, a multibuy discount, a weighed quantity, a voucher or a partial refund. Compare it with the final receipt.
Who should I contact first about an overdue refund?
Contact ASDA first when you cannot confirm that the refund was issued. Contact your bank when ASDA confirms it sent the money but the credit is not visible after the expected period.