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The short answer
The cleanest refund goes back the way you paid: to your foreign card if you paid by card, or to a naira account if you paid by transfer. If the seller will not refund, your card issuer may be able to raise a chargeback, and the FCCPC takes complaints online. Without a naira account, a transfer refund has to go to someone else's account unless you open one.
Start with how you paid
| You paid by | Refund normally goes to | Your fallback |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign debit or credit card | The same card | Chargeback through your card issuer |
| Transfer from a relative's account | That relative's account | FCCPC complaint, or a written agreement with the seller |
| Transfer from your own naira account | Your naira account | Bank dispute, FCCPC complaint |
| Cash | Cash or a transfer | Receipt and FCCPC complaint |
Paid by foreign card
Most Nigerian online checkouts use a payment gateway. Paystack's pricing page says international cards are "charged and settled in Naira by default", which means your bank converted a naira amount when you paid. A refund comes back in naira and is converted again, at the rate on the refund day, so the amount in your currency may differ slightly from what left your account. Ask the seller to refund to the card rather than offering to take a transfer, which you cannot receive without a naira account.
If the seller will not refund
Your card issuer may be able to help. MoneyHelper says debit card payments are covered by chargeback, that you should ask the company first, and that your bank can usually claim within 120 days. For UK credit cards, Experian's guide explains that Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can cover items over £100 and up to £30,000, can apply to purchases abroad, and does not cover debit or prepaid cards. Card schemes and consumer laws differ in the US, Canada and elsewhere; check your issuer's dispute process.
Paid by transfer
A transfer refund has to land in a Nigerian account. If a relative paid for you, the simplest route is for the refund to go back to them, but agree it in writing with the seller: the seller's records show the relative as the payer. If you want the money in your own name, you need a naira account; see paying in naira without a Nigerian account for how to open one from abroad. Avoid asking a seller to refund to a third party they have never dealt with; legitimate businesses are wary of that and fraudsters exploit it.
A worked example of the conversion gap
Example: Tolu in Leeds pays ₦200,000 for an online order by UK debit card. Her bank converts it on the day she pays. Two weeks later the seller refunds ₦200,000 to her card. The refund is converted at that day's rate, so if the naira has weakened slightly she receives a little less in pounds than she paid, and if it has strengthened she receives a little more. Any foreign transaction fee her bank charged on the payment may not be returned. The seller has refunded in full; the difference arises from conversion, not from the seller. Asking her bank how it treats fees on refunds avoids a dispute that the seller cannot resolve.
Your rights and the FCCPC
Nigeria's consumer protection regulator, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, runs an online complaint portal and a mobile app. Its complaint handling page says you sign up, submit the complaint with supporting documents such as receipts, agreements and correspondence, and receive a tracking code by email. It says redress can take "anything between one (1) day and forty five days (45)", and longer where sector regulators are involved. The page also accepts complaints by email, letter or walk-in, which helps when you are abroad.
On the underlying rights, Germany's trade agency GTAI, in a November 2023 summary of Nigerian warranty law, says the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act lets consumers return defective goods within three months at the seller's cost. Our Nigeria library covers the rules in refunds in Nigeria: what the law expects of businesses.
Steps
- Write to the seller with your order details, what went wrong and what you want: a refund to the original card, or to a named account.
- Keep everything: receipts, chats, delivery notes, photographs.
- Set a reasonable deadline in writing.
- If paid by card and there is no response, raise a dispute with your card issuer within its time limit.
- File a complaint with the FCCPC online, attaching your evidence.
- If a relative paid, give them a short signed note authorising them to receive the refund on your behalf, and send it to the seller.
For more on card payments in Nigeria, see using a foreign card in Nigeria; for the risks of money in someone else's name, see money in a relative's name.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme Personal Account can be opened from abroad and gives you a naira account number in your own name, so a seller can refund you by transfer. The money stays in naira until you choose to convert. See the multicurrency account or open an account.
Questions people ask
How do I get a refund from a Nigerian online store if I live abroad?
Ask for the refund to the card you paid with. If the seller refuses, raise a chargeback with your card issuer and file a complaint with the FCCPC.
Can a Nigerian business refund me to a foreign account?
A transfer refund normally goes to a Nigerian account. A card payment is refunded to the card.
How long does an FCCPC complaint take?
The FCCPC says redress can take between one and 45 days, longer where other regulators are involved.
Can I use a chargeback for a Nigerian purchase?
Usually, if you paid by card. MoneyHelper says UK banks can generally claim within 120 days; check your own issuer's rules.
Sources
- Paystack: Pricing (Nigeria) · accessed Oct 2026
- MoneyHelper: Using and paying with debit cards · accessed Oct 2026
- Experian: Section 75 protection guide · accessed Oct 2026
- FCCPC: Complaint handling · accessed Oct 2026
- GTAI: Nigeria, Gewährleistungsrecht (warranty law), 10 Nov 2023 · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.