Emails for Refunds

Throughout the refund process, there are multiple emails that have to be sent to your payer to inform them about the progress of their refund. You can decide whether you want to send the emails yourself or if Flywire sends the emails automatically for you.

To keep yourself updated about the refund progress use callback notifications - they are your real-time indicators for when it is time to send which email to your payer.

Even if you chose to send the emails to your payer yourself, there is one type of email that will always be sent by Flywire: If Flywire has to do a KYC check before returning the funds, Flywire will ask for the required information via email.

When processing a refund for payments made by bank transfer, Flywire needs to conduct KYC (Know Your Customer) checks before returning the money to your payer. This is necessary to ensure compliance with Anti-Money Laundering regulations.

If KYC checks are necessary, the payer needs to provide information regarding the original account used to make their payment to Flywire. Sometimes, additional checks are needed

Defining who sends the emails

When you are Creating a Refund for a Payment, the enable_payer_email_notifications parameter defines who sends the emails.

With this parameter you can decide if you want to send the emails to your payer yourself or if you want Flywire to automatically send the emails for you:

  • true: Flywire sends the emails for you

  • false: You send the emails yourself

Default: false

If you let Flywire sent the emails

Flywire will send the regular Emails to the Payer and - if necessary - the KYC emails.

Flywire sends the automatic emails to the payer's default email address.

The payer's default email address is the email address saved in the Flywire system.

Even if you pre-filled the payer information with an email address, your payer might have changed it when filling out the form.

This means that the default email address in the Flywire system might be different from the one you have in your system.

  1. You can look it up by Getting Details about a Payment.

  2. If you are using callbacks, you can also find the email address in the callbacks for the payment, see Payment Status Notifications.

    Note for callbacks:

    The payer information is not automatically included. Returning payer information is disabled by default and needs to be enabled by Flywire.

    Please contact the Solutions team if you require payer information to be returned.

If you send the emails yourself

You have to ensure that you will send the Emails to the Payer yourself. Note that some of them are mandatory. If KYC emails should be necessary, Flywire will send them - you cannot disable those emails and you cannot send them yourself.

Even if you pre-filled the payer information with an email address, your payer might have changed it when filling out the form.

If you are handling emails yourself, you need to ensure you have the correct email address for the payer.

There are different ways to check if you have the correct email address for the payer:

  1. You get the email address returned in the response after confirming a Checkout Session.

  2. You can look the email address up via the API by Getting Details about a Payment

  3. If you are using callbacks, you can also find the email address in the callbacks for the payment, see Payment Status Notifications.

    Note for callbacks:

    The payer information is not automatically included. Returning payer information is disabled by default and needs to be enabled by Flywire.

    Please contact the Solutions team if you require payer information to be returned.

Emails to the Payer

These emails are sent to the payer of the original payment - either by Flywire or by you, depending on what you chose.

Mandatory emails are marked with this icon image.
  • imageRefund initiated
  • image Refund received
  • image MandatoryEmail Refund finished

Subject: Refund initiated

 

Hi {name},

Your refund for payment {payment_reference} has been initiated.

What’s next?

We will let you know when the refund has been processed. This can take up to {number} days.

 

Thank you!
Mandatory? Optional, but highly recommended
Description

It is recommended that you inform your payer that you have started a refund for them. Useful information to include is:

  • Let your payer know that Flywire manages the refund and that you will let them know when Flywire has received the funds from you.

  • Give your payer an expected timeframe for the refund process to manage their expectations.
Sent when?

You send this to your payer when the refund is Initiated, see Refund Status Notifications.

Subject: Refund received

 

Hi {name},

Flywire has received the funds from {recipient} for the payment {payment_reference}.

What’s next?

We will let you know when the refund has been processed.

 

Thank you!
Mandatory? Optional, but highly recommended
Description

An email informing the payer that Flywire received the money for the refund from the recipient.

At this point the refund is still being processed, make sure to include this information in the email to manage expectations.
Sent when?

You need to send this to your payer when the refund went into status Received, see Refund Status Notifications.

Subject: Refund completed

 

Hi {name},

The refund for the payment {payment_reference} is now completed.

 

Most refunds can be expected to be reflected in the account from which the payment was made within 5 business days, but the process might take up to 10 business days.

 

Thank you!
Mandatory? imageyes
Description

An email informing the payer that Flywire transferred the money for the refund to the payer. Note that it can take some time until the money appears in the payer's bank account. Make sure to make your payer aware of this in your email.
Sent when?

You need to send this to your payer when the refund went into status finished, see Refund Status Notifications.

Emails always sent by Flywire

Even if you chose to send the emails to your payer yourself, there is one type of email that will always be sent by Flywire: If Flywire has to do a KYC check before returning the funds, Flywire will ask for the required information via email.

When processing a refund for payments made by bank transfer, Flywire needs to conduct KYC (Know Your Customer) checks before returning the money to your payer. This is necessary to ensure compliance with Anti-Money Laundering regulations.

If KYC checks are necessary, the payer needs to provide information regarding the original account used to make their payment to Flywire. Sometimes, additional checks are needed

 

Subject: Your refund from {client_name} - Next steps

 

Hi {name},

We're getting ready to complete your refund, but we still need you to provide the details of the bank account originally used to make the payment to Flywire.

Link to providing account information

Thank you!
Description

This is a simplified example of an email that Flywire will send if KYC information is required to process the refund.

Other possible KYC emails are:

  • Reminder the provide KYC information

  • KYC information was invalid

  • Reminder that KYC information was invalid

  • KYC information has been provided
Sent by? Flywire
Sent when?

Only if KYC is needed.