In 2024, 57% of Spaniards who purchased products online processed at least one return, according to a study by CTT Express. It is natural to assume that many of those returns did not contain all of the items bought, and therefore, the companies had to issue partial refunds. Although this is probably the most common scenario where proportional reimbursements are made, there are other situations in which a company must send back part of the purchase amount to its customers.

In this guide, we analyze cases where your business could need to process this type of refund, as well as the steps to carry it out while complying with Spanish regulations governing reimbursements.

What’s in this article?

• What is a partial refund?
  
• What regulations govern partial refunds in Spain?
  
• What reasons can lead to a partial refund?
  
• How to make a partial refund in Spain
  
• FAQs about partial refunds in Spain
  

What is a partial refund?

A partial refund is the return of a portion of the sum paid by a customer. It applies in specific circumstances, such as when the buyer does not receive all purchased products or cannot fully access the contracted service.

When the company encounters this type of incident or receives a complaint, it generates a prorated invoice to calculate the reimbursement owed to the buyer. You must issue the partial refund through the same payment method the customer used for their order.

What regulations govern partial refunds in Spain?

In Spain, several laws establish the regulatory framework for partial refunds:

• General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users
  Article 119 of Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007 stipulates that, to issue a proportional reimbursement, the company has 14 days from the date it receives the buyer’s communication. The law requires sending back the corresponding amount through the same pay option the customer used for the order, unless they explicitly agree with the company to use a different process. The seller cannot, under any circumstances, charge the customer any extra fees for choosing a payment method to receive their refund. This regulation also prohibits the application of additional charges solely for requesting a partial refund.

• Right of withdrawal
  The General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users, as well as the updates to the law introduced by Law 3/2014, govern the right of withdrawal, which allows shoppers to cancel all or part of a contract or purchase within at least 14 calendar days after confirmation of the transaction.

• European directive on the sale and purchase of goods
  Article 16(2) of Directive (EU) 2019/771 acknowledges the possibility that a customer might not be satisfied with some of the items received (i.e., they have the right to withdraw only part of their purchase). Consideration 47 of this directive grants European shoppers the right to receive a partial refund of the amount paid.

What reasons can lead to a partial refund?

After analyzing how a partial refund works and the regulations that govern it, it is important to understand the factors that might lead an individual to ask for one. The following are some of the most common situations:

• Returning only part of the order
  When one or more of the products a shopper has purchased do not meet their expectations (but they still want to keep the remaining items), they can request a return for a partial reimbursement. This is especially common in clothing stores; in fact, the fashion industry generates by far the most returns in Spain, primarily due to sizing issues, dissatisfaction with garment fit, or other reasons.

• Receiving a defective product
  Manufacturing defects or damage during transport can result in the item arriving with imperfections. If the flaw is only aesthetic, the item is in normal working order, and the customer decides to keep it, the business can grant a partial refund to compensate them. Per a survey by the Spanish Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), 8% of products purchased between 2023 and 2024 arrived damaged or broken.

• Receiving an incomplete order
  Stockouts and logistics problems could also lead to claims. If an order arrives incomplete, the buyer can ask for shipment of the remaining items or, instead, a partial refund. Per the third edition of “The Digital Consumer in Spain” study (which covers data from 2020 to 2024), almost 17% of complaints in 2024 were due to incomplete or incorrect shipments.

• Having incomplete access to a service
  Suppose a company sells an online service in Spain, but an outage prevents full access to the solution (e.g., a technical issue that temporarily blocks access to the platform). In such cases, the customer becomes entitled to a partial refund. According to a report from the Telecommunications and Digital Services User Support Office published by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, in 2024, 24.1% of complaints were about malfunctions and disruptions in services.

• Not applying a promotion correctly
  A technical fault or misconfiguration in the ecommerce platform used by a business to create its online store in Spain might cause a promotion to be misapplied (e.g., if a purchase reaches the minimum threshold for free shipping but shipping costs are still added at checkout). In these cases, the company returns the additional amount in part.

• Compensating for weight differences
  In online supermarkets, it is typical to sell goods whose price can vary based on weight. To avoid undercharging before the order’s actual weight becomes clear at preparation, a higher charge is commonly applied. If it’s ultimately lower, the difference is adjusted, and the partial refund is processed. Although organizations such as FACUA criticize this practice, which they consider abusive, it is part of the sales policy of many chain stores.

How to make a partial refund in Spain

If the customer finds themselves in one of the situations described above, the company will be required to issue a partial refund. The following are the steps it must follow to process the claim:

• Verifying the legitimacy of the partial refund
  After receiving communication from the buyer, the seller needs to verify whether they are entitled to it. To do so, it is important to ask for the reasons behind their dissatisfaction and, if necessary, request photographs that demonstrate the product defect.

• Calculating the reimbursement sum
  Article 119 bis of the General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users outlines the approach for calculating the refund amount. We have prepared a simple formula for each of the three most common cases in Spain:

  • Partial refund for missing or returned products
    Amount of the products not delivered or returned + Proportional part of the shipping costs
    
  • Partial refund for defective or broken products
    Amount of the product - Real value of the product in its received condition
    
  • Partial refund for services not provided
    Total amount paid ÷ Days of contract term × Days without access
    

• Selecting the payment method
  Although the law requires you to use the same payment method used by the customer, there are options that, for technical or other reasons, are not compatible with partial refunds, such as cash on delivery and Bizum. In these cases, it is fundamental that the buyer authorizes you to use an alternative method that accepts these proportional returns, such as credit or debit cards, as well as some non-card payments, including e-wallets and SEPA transfers.

• Making the partial refund
  The processing of the partial refund can be done through your bank or, if you work in a digital environment, your payment processor. For example, Stripe Payments is a modern platform that allows you to partially refund a customer and apply prorated charges. Furthermore, your clients will enjoy an enhanced purchase experience, as they can choose their preferred pay option from the more than 100 supported by Stripe.

• Issuing a corrective invoice
  Article 15 of Royal Decree 1619/2012, which regulates billing obligations, specifies that a corrective invoice is required whenever the tax base is modified. Here, you must indicate that the invoice is corrective, state the reason for using it, provide details to identify the original, and indicate the correction being made.

FAQs about partial refunds in Spain

Are companies required to issue partial refunds in Spain?

Yes, as specified by the General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users. Additionally, Article 27(4) of the Law on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce (LSSI) requires businesses to describe their return policies clearly. If these policies are transparent and beneficial to customers, you will reduce the number of disputes involving individuals requesting partial refunds.

What is the term for issuing a partial refund in Spain?

Companies have 14 days from the moment the customer reports their dissatisfaction with the product or service to issue a partial or full refund.

Can a partial refund be processed using a payment method other than the one the customer originally used to pay for the order?

Yes, partial refunds can be processed using a different payment method if the customer explicitly authorizes it, and no additional fees apply for selecting that option.