28. Account Balances - Cash Outs

Withdraw funds from a customer's account balance back to the original payment method used to purchase top ups.

Cash outs allow customers (or staff on their behalf) to withdraw funds from an account balance back to the original payment method. Unlike a standard refund, a cash out specifically targets the balance that was loaded through top-up purchases - the system traces each top up back to its originating order and processes refunds against those transactions.

This means the refundable amount is not simply the current balance - it is limited to the value of unspent top ups that were paid for through eligible payment methods.

When a cash out is processed, the system:

1. Identifies the customer's top-up order items that are eligible for refund

2. Filters them by payment method type (online or offline - see Online vs Offline below)

3. Allocates the requested cash-out amount across those top-up items

4. Processes a refund for each originating order, returning money to the original payment method

5. Deducts the cashed-out amount from the customer's account balance

The customer's balance decreases and the funds are returned through the same payment channel they originally used to purchase the top ups.

Cash outs are processed as refunds against the original top-up orders. This means the money goes back to the payment method the customer used when buying the top up - not to a bank account or other destination chosen at cash-out time.

Cash outs require two things to be enabled:

1. The Account Balances feature must be active for your company

2. The Enable online cash outs setting must be turned on in Settings > Payment Settings > Balance settings

Once enabled, customers can initiate cash outs from their account page in the ticket shop, and admin staff can process cash outs from a customer's wallet page.

Cash outs distinguish between two types based on how the original top ups were paid for:

The refundable balance shown for each type may differ because each only considers top ups paid through its respective payment method set. A customer who loaded £50 online and £30 via box office would see a different refundable balance for online vs offline cash outs.

When cash outs are enabled, customers can withdraw funds from their account page in the ticket shop:

1. The customer navigates to their account page

2. They click Cash out on their balance card

3. The system calculates the maximum refundable amount based on their online top-up history

4. The refund is processed against the original top-up orders

Customer-initiated cash outs always use the online type, meaning only top ups purchased through online payment methods are eligible.

The Cash out button is disabled when the customer's balance is zero. A tooltip message explains: the balance must be greater than zero to cash out.

Staff can process cash outs on behalf of a customer from the admin panel:

1. Navigate to Customers and find the customer

2. Open their Account Balance page

3. Click Cash Out in the quick actions

4. Select the cash-out type:

• Online - refunds top ups paid via online payment methods

• Offline - refunds top ups paid via any payment method (broader eligibility)

1. Review the refundable balance shown for the selected type

2. Review the current balance and balance after cash out

3. Click Submit to process the cash out

Admin cash outs require the cashout wallet transactions permission. The cash-out panel shows the refundable balance for the selected type - this is the maximum amount that can be cashed out, not the full wallet balance.

Cash outs can also be processed programmatically via the Create Wallet Cashout API endpoint.

The refundable balance is not the same as the current wallet balance. It is calculated as:

The total value of unspent, unexpired top-up order items paid through eligible payment methods - capped at the current wallet balance.

This means:

• Only top-up purchases count - balance added through manual adjustments, complimentary credits, gift vouchers, or transfer-ins is not refundable via cash out

• Already-refunded top ups are excluded - if a top up has already been partially or fully refunded, only the remaining unrefunded portion counts

• Expired top ups are excluded - if a cashout expiry is configured and the top up has passed its expiry window, it is no longer eligible

• The current balance is the ceiling - even if eligible top ups total more than the current balance (because the customer has spent some of it), the refundable amount cannot exceed what is actually in the wallet

You can set an expiry window on top-up cashout eligibility in Settings > Payment Settings > Balance settings under Account balance cashout topup expiry.

• After the configured time has elapsed since purchase, a top up can no longer be cashed out

• If set to zero, top ups remain eligible for cash out indefinitely

• The expiry only applies to top ups purchased after the setting is configured - it is not applied retroactively

The cashout expiry setting only appears when Enable online cash outs is turned on.

Cash outs are rejected if any of the following conditions apply:

Each cash out creates transaction records in the customer's wallet history:

• Online cash out - for cash outs of online top-up purchases

• Offline cash out - for cash outs of offline top-up purchases

The corresponding top-up order items are updated to reflect the refunded amounts, maintaining a full audit trail from purchase through to cash out.

Create and manage the top-up items that customers purchase to load funds onto their balance.

Allow customers to refund orders to their account balance without staff involvement.