Stripe API errorStripe: charge_already_refunded

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Why the refund ran twice, and the fix

1. 01

   Someone refunded it in the Dashboard first

   “Sent when a charge is refunded, including partial refunds.” Stripe, Refunds (charge.refunded event)

   A refund made by hand in the Dashboard doesn’t update your database unless you listen for it. Your code then tries again. Handle refund.created or charge.refunded so both paths agree, and remember charge.refunded also fires for partial refunds.

2. 02

   The refund request was sent twice

   “The charge you’re attempting to refund has already been refunded.” Stripe, Error codes (charge_already_refunded)

   A double click, a retry after a timeout, or a webhook delivered twice sends the same refund again. Pass an idempotency key for each refund attempt, such as the order ID plus a refund request ID, so a repeat returns the first result. Keys expire after 24 hours.

   await stripe.refunds.create(
     { payment_intent: order.paymentIntentId },
     { idempotencyKey: `refund-${order.id}-${refundRequest.id}` },
   );

3. 03

   The code refunds the wrong charge

   “Use a different charge ID only if you selected the wrong charge and intended to refund another charge.” Stripe, Error codes (charge_already_refunded)

   A stored charge ID that points at an older payment refunds the wrong one, or one that was already refunded. Look up the charge from the order’s PaymentIntent before refunding.

4. 04

   Partial refunds add up

   Several partial refunds can reach the full amount. Check amount_refunded on the charge before you refund more, and show staff what is left.

Checked against the vendor’s docs on November 9, 2026: Stripe docs: Error codes; Stripe docs: Refunds; Stripe API reference: Idempotent requests.

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Related: Stripe idempotency key in use · Stripe webhook 200 but database not updated · Stripe PaymentIntent already succeeded · Stripe card_not_supported