Cancel an Affirm order before checkout completes
If you have not yet finished checking out on Affirm, you can walk away from the purchase without any charge. Affirm does not charge you until you complete the final step of the checkout flow and receive a confirmation. Close the browser tab, leave the merchant's website, or refresh the page — none of these actions will create a payment obligation.
Once you have submitted your order and seen a confirmation screen from the merchant (not from Affirm), the purchase is locked in. At that point, you cannot cancel through Affirm itself. Your only option is to contact the merchant directly and request a return or cancellation under their return policy.
The distinction matters because Affirm is the lender, not the seller. Affirm approves the loan and funds it, but the merchant controls whether the order ships and whether you can reverse it. If you cancel with the merchant before they ship, they will typically refund Affirm, and your loan is closed with no payment owed.
Key Takeaways
- You can cancel an Affirm payment at any point before you see a merchant confirmation — simply leave the checkout page with no charge to you.
- Once the merchant confirms your order, Affirm has already funded the loan, and you must contact the merchant to cancel the purchase itself.
- If the merchant refunds the purchase, Affirm will close the loan and you owe nothing; if the merchant keeps the refund, you still owe Affirm.
- Affirm charges you only when the merchant ships the item, not when you place the order, so timing your cancellation before shipment is critical.
- If you want to cancel after the merchant ships, you will need to return the item under the merchant's return policy and wait for the refund to reach Affirm.
What happens to your Affirm loan if the merchant refunds you
When you cancel an order with the merchant and they issue a refund, that refund goes back to Affirm, not to your bank account. Affirm then closes the loan. You owe nothing further, and no payment is due on your Affirm account.
The timing of the refund matters. Affirm charges you in installments according to your payment schedule — typically the first payment is due at checkout, and the rest follow on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. If the merchant refunds before your next payment is due, Affirm will cancel the remaining payments. If the refund arrives after a payment has already posted to your account, Affirm will credit that payment back to you or apply it to any other Affirm loans you have active.
Check your Affirm account a few days after the merchant processes the refund to confirm the loan is closed. If the loan still shows active after a week, contact Affirm support to verify the refund was received and applied.
Canceling after Affirm has already charged you
If Affirm has already charged you (your first payment posted), you cannot reverse that charge through Affirm. Instead, you must return the item to the merchant and request a refund. Once the merchant refunds the purchase, the money goes back to Affirm, and Affirm cancels the remaining loan payments.
Do not dispute the Affirm charge with your bank or credit card company unless the merchant refuses to refund you after you have returned the item. Disputing the charge while the merchant still has the ability to refund creates confusion and can delay your refund by weeks. Contact the merchant first, return the item according to their return policy, and give them 5 to 10 business days to process the refund back to Affirm.
If the merchant confirms they have issued a refund but Affirm has not received it after two weeks, contact Affirm support with the merchant's refund confirmation number. Affirm can follow up with the merchant on your behalf.
Disputing an Affirm charge if the merchant will not refund
If you returned an item and the merchant refuses to refund you, or if you were charged for an order you never placed, you can dispute the charge with Affirm. Open the Affirm app or website, find the transaction, and select "Report a Problem." Describe what happened — that the merchant refused a return, that you did not authorize the purchase, or that the item never arrived.
Affirm will investigate the dispute, which typically takes 5 to 10 business days. During that time, Affirm may pause your payment schedule while they gather information from the merchant. If Affirm determines the merchant is at fault, they will reverse the charge and close the loan. If they determine the purchase was legitimate and the merchant's return policy does not cover your situation, they will deny the dispute and you will owe the remaining balance.
Keep all evidence: photos of the returned item, tracking numbers showing delivery to the merchant, emails from the merchant, and your original order confirmation. Affirm will ask for this when you file the dispute.
How to contact Affirm support about a payment issue
Open the Affirm app, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines), and select "Help." You can browse common issues or tap "Contact Us" to reach a support agent by chat or phone. On the Affirm website, click "Help" in the footer and follow the same path.
Have your order number and the merchant name ready. Affirm support can see your loan details, the payment schedule, and any refunds that have been processed. They can also check whether a refund from the merchant is still in transit to Affirm.
Response times vary: chat support usually replies within a few minutes during business hours, and phone support has wait times that range from immediate to 30 minutes depending on call volume. If you are disputing a charge, email support may be slower but creates a written record of your claim.
Canceling a future Affirm payment without returning the item
You cannot cancel a single payment on an Affirm loan without returning the item. Affirm loans are tied to the purchase itself — if you keep the item, you owe the full loan amount according to the payment schedule.
Your only option to stop payments is to return the item to the merchant and request a refund. Once the refund reaches Affirm, the loan closes and all remaining payments are canceled. If you want to keep the item but cannot afford the remaining payments, contact Affirm support to discuss a hardship option, though these are rare and not may provide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cancel an Affirm payment after I have already been charged?
You cannot reverse a charge that Affirm has already posted, but you can return the item to the merchant and request a refund. Once the merchant refunds the purchase, Affirm will receive the money and cancel your remaining loan payments. The refund process typically takes 5 to 10 business days.
What if I cancel my order but the merchant already shipped it?
Contact the merchant and ask if you can refuse delivery or request a return. If you refuse delivery, the item goes back to the merchant and they will issue a refund. If the item arrives and you return it, the refund timeline is the same. Affirm will not cancel the loan until the refund is actually received.
Will canceling an Affirm payment hurt my credit score?
Canceling before checkout is complete has no impact on your credit. If you cancel after the loan is created but before you miss a payment, there is no credit impact. Missing a payment or defaulting on the loan will show up on your credit report, but a normal cancellation and refund will not.
Can I dispute an Affirm charge with my bank instead of going through Affirm?
You can, but it is slower and more complicated. Disputing with your bank (a chargeback) can take 30 to 60 days and may freeze your Affirm account during the investigation. Contact the merchant first, then Affirm, and only dispute with your bank if both refuse to help and the charge was unauthorized or fraudulent.
What happens if I miss an Affirm payment after canceling my order?
If you canceled the order and the merchant refunded it, the loan should be closed and you owe nothing. Check your Affirm account to confirm the loan status. If the loan still shows active, contact Affirm support immediately — there may be a processing delay or an error.