A shop may give store credit instead of a refund only if the customer says yes. After a withdrawal you have to refund using the same means of payment the customer used for the purchase, unless you expressly agreed otherwise and the customer incurs no fees as a result. That is EU law, in Germany § 357 (3) BGB. So a voucher is always an offer the customer can turn down.
You can still offer it, and it is worth doing. In our own shops we often ask customers who withdraw whether a voucher would work for them instead of the refund. Only about one in five accepts. That sounds low, but it is worth a lot to us, because the money stays in the shop. Further down: how to ask without pushing, and which offer fits which case.
Store credit instead of a refund: what the law says
The rule sits in Article 13 (1) of Directive 2011/83/EU: the trader reimburses “using the same means of payment as the consumer used for the initial transaction”, unless the consumer has expressly agreed otherwise and incurs no fees. Germany implements it in § 357 (3) BGB. If the customer paid with PayPal, the money goes back to PayPal.
The directive even names vouchers. Recital 46 says the reimbursement should not be made by voucher unless the consumer used vouchers for the initial transaction or has expressly accepted them. If someone paid with a voucher, you may refund with one.
A clause like “refunds as store credit only” in your terms therefore does not help you. German law forbids deviating from the withdrawal rules to the consumer’s disadvantage (§ 361 (2) BGB). Silence does not count as express agreement either, and the cleanest record is a clear yes from the customer, in writing, in their reply. The promise is also already in your withdrawal notice: the German statutory model text says you use the same means of payment unless something else was expressly agreed (Annex 1 to Art. 246a EGBGB).
The clock keeps running while you ask. You refund no later than 14 days after receiving the withdrawal (§ 355 (3), § 357 (1) BGB). You may only hold the payment until the goods are back or the customer proves they shipped them (§ 357 (4) BGB). If you ask, wait two days for an answer and then refund, keep an eye on the date. Outbound shipping costs, diminished value and return costs are covered in the right of withdrawal guide.
Return policy and store credit: your voluntary promise
Many shops give more than the law requires: 30 days to return, some 100. Everything beyond the statutory right of withdrawal is a voluntary promise, and you can in principle attach your own conditions to it. The voluntary return policy then has to be clearly separate from the statutory right of withdrawal, and it has to say plainly that the withdrawal right is unaffected (IT-Recht Kanzlei, October 2026, in German).
So you can set up a return policy that switches to store credit only once the withdrawal period is over. Say so clearly before the purchase, on your returns page and in your terms. Call it a voluntary return policy, not an “extended withdrawal period”: an extended withdrawal period is still a withdrawal with a cash refund. The statutory 14 days run from receipt of the goods (§ 356 (2) BGB), and without a correct withdrawal notice up to twelve months longer (§ 356 (3) and (4) BGB).
Also put an expiry date on the voucher. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, vouchers in Germany are usually valid for three years if nothing else was agreed.
A defect is a different matter. That is a legal guarantee case with its own customer rights, see legal guarantee vs. warranty.
Which offer fits which case
A voucher for the refund amount. Works best with a wide range. Someone returning a jacket in the wrong colour is more likely to find something else in a shop with 300 products than in one with three. That matches what we see: the more choice, the more the question pays off.
A voucher with a bonus. Some shops add a few euros on top so the voucher beats the cash. You can test that. We have no reliable number for how many more customers accept. Work out what the bonus costs you if everyone takes it.
A discount to keep the item. What we offer when someone wants to send back one of two items: 50 % off that item if they keep it. If it is already unpacked, repacking, the trip to the post office and return postage often outweigh what is left of the price. Many keep it. Some give it to friends, and now and then someone suddenly wants it after all. We have not measured an acceptance rate. For you the return disappears entirely, with no return shipping and no inspection.
An exchange. If the size is wrong, the customer usually just wants the right size. Offer the exchange first.
Nothing. With bracket orders neither voucher nor discount does much. Someone who ordered a dress in S and M sends one back; that was the plan all along. And a customer who already writes in annoyed is better off simply getting the money quickly. How to make these returns rarer is covered in reduce your return rate.
How to word the offer
The customer has to see right away that they have a choice. That matters legally, and it also builds trust: someone who feels pushed into store credit won’t order again.
- Mention the refund first. The customer reads that their money is coming, and only then your offer.
- One offer per message. Three options at once feel like a negotiation.
- Name the amount and the expiry date, not “a voucher of similar value”.
- No deadline that creates pressure, and never “if we don’t hear from you, we’ll send a voucher”. Without an answer, the refund goes ahead.
- Ask once. If the customer says no, that’s the end of it.
If the customer says no
Then you refund as usual: the purchase price plus outbound shipping up to the cost of your cheapest standard delivery (§ 357 (2) BGB), to the same means of payment, no later than 14 days after receiving the withdrawal. A short confirmation is enough, without a second offer and without a hurt tone. Someone who gets their money back quickly and kindly is more likely to order again than someone who had to say no twice.
Bookkeeping and tax
Issuing a voucher can have VAT and accounting implications, depending on how it is set up and what it can be redeemed for. Check with your tax advisor how to book it before you offer vouchers as standard.
Reply templates
Offer a voucher, refund stays possible:
Hi Lea,
we’ve received your withdrawal for order 10457. As soon as the jacket is back with us, we’ll refund €89.90 to your PayPal account.
If you’d rather pick something else from our shop, we’re happy to send you a €89.90 voucher instead, valid until {date}. This is just an offer. If you don’t reply to it, the refund goes ahead as planned.
Best, {name}
50 % off if the customer keeps the item:
Hi Tobias,
sorry the vase isn’t right. You’re welcome to send it back: {link to returns portal}. We’ll then refund €34.00.
If it’s already unpacked and you’d rather skip the trip to the post office: keep it, and we’ll refund half, €17.00, to your payment method. Just let us know which you prefer.
Best, {name}
The customer says no:
Hi Lea,
no problem, the refund goes ahead. As soon as the jacket is back with us, the €89.90 goes back to your PayPal account, no later than {date}. We’ll send you a short note once the money is on its way.
Best, {name}
What Sondercase takes care of
When a customer writes by email, WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook that they want to send something back, Sondercase recognises the return request, matches it to the order in Shopify or WooCommerce and prepares the return case. The refund comes fully prepared, and you release it with one click. No money moves without your approval. Replies can run fully automatically per category, in your brand’s tone. Whether you offer a voucher stays your call. The whole flow is on the returns management page.
This article is a practical overview for merchants and not legal or tax advice. Have your return policy and withdrawal notice reviewed by a lawyer.