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Is it correct to say "I prefer to get refunded on my original account" while a store asks me what refund option I would choose?

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    Not really relevant to the question, but it's interesting you would be given the choice. In the UK any refund is to the method/card/account used to pay initially, & nowhere else. It prevents fraud & money laundering.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Apr 24, 2022 at 8:10
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    @gonefishin'again. many UK sellers will prefer to credit store account rather than incur fees repaying to card; almost every refund I've had from Amazon.co.uk worked like that.
    – Pete Kirkham
    Apr 24, 2022 at 12:11
  • My experience with Amazon UK is that I get the choice (gift card or original payment method) as in OP. Indeed I used Amazon as an example in my answer because it's so familiar.
    – OJFord
    Apr 24, 2022 at 15:09
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    @PeteKirkham - I've never had anyone, including Amazon, ask me to make a choice. Of course, the last thing you ever want is 'store credit' - it means they've still got your money & there's nothing more you can do about it. I would never accept that even back in the days we wrote cheques for things ;)
    – DoneWithThis.
    Apr 24, 2022 at 15:17

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To answer your actual question, prefer 'to be refunded' rather than 'get refunded'.

The result will be that you 'got a refund', but 'get' with the verb 'refunded' sounds odd to me.

Some other points:

  1. 'I would prefer' - if you just say 'I prefer' it sounds habitual, a general preference for all refunds in your life;

  2. 'to the original account' is better than 'on my' I think, but then you need to say something like 'I would prefer the refund be to...' too;

  3. 'when a store', not 'while', as DS said;

  4. 'a store' doesn't really 'ask' you anything, the employee does, but it's OK colloquially I suppose, particularly assuming in your real sentence it would be a specific company name ('Amazon asked me ...' sounds much more natural than 'a store asked me' to me, not that it's actually any more correct);

  5. 'which refund option' - that's routinely messed up by some native speakers, so don't worry much, but in general think 'which from a list' & 'what free-form text';

  6. 'I would like', or 'asks me to choose a refund option' - 'which I would choose' as you wrote sounds like it was a hypothetical: 'if we were to refund you which would you want'.

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  • I do not think "'I would prefer to be refunded" is natural or indeed correct. A person is not refunded, money is refunded. A person gets or receives a refund.
    – David Siegel
    Apr 24, 2022 at 15:16
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    @DavidSiegel A person absolutely is refunded. The money is the refund (noun). ("Don't argue with the customer, just refund them.", "I only received half, please refund me the difference.", etc.)
    – OJFord
    Apr 24, 2022 at 17:16
  • @OJFord Your second example is not good here, since it has "(the) difference" as the direct object.
    – Edward
    Apr 24, 2022 at 17:52
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That would not be a usual way of expressing that idea, and might confuse a fluent speaker, it would surely sound odd to many native speakers.

We do not usually speak of a person "getting refunded" but rather of a person "getting a refund".

We do not usually say "on my account" to indicate where a refund will go, but rather "into my account", or often there is an indication of which of several possible accounts will be credited.

Thus instead of:

I prefer to get refunded on my original account Red X, indicting incorrect or disfavored form

one might say

  • I prefer to have the refund go to the account I used to make the purchase. Green check mark, indicting an acceptable form
  • Please send the refund to the account I used to make the purchase. Green check mark, indicting an acceptable form
  • I would like the refund put on to my Visa card ending in 1827 Green check mark, indicting an acceptable form
  • Please credit this card [showing the other person the card] with the refund Green check mark, indicting an acceptable form
  • Please credit my account with the store. Green check mark, indicting an acceptable form
  • I want you to apply the refund to the same account I used to buy it. Green check mark, indicting an acceptable form
  • I want to get the refund in cash.Green check mark, indicting an acceptable form

Another answer suggest (indirectly):

I would prefer to be refunded in X way. Red X, indicting incorrect or disfavored form

I do not think this is natural or indeed correct. A person is not refunded, money is refunded. A person gets or receives a refund.

By the way, the form

while a store asks me what refund option I would choose? Red X, indicting incorrect or disfavored form

is incorrect. You very likely mean "when a store..." as "while" would suggest that you talked over the clerk's question.

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    I disagree that "getting refunded" is incorrect or even unnatural. See these example sentences- From Cambridge dictionary: "The customer will be refunded in full up to $50,000." From Google card (retrieved from Oxford Languages): "I'll refund you for the apples and any other damage"
    – Edward
    Apr 24, 2022 at 15:39
  • You are wrong to say that I am wrong in your edit, I'm afraid. All your suggestions use 'refund' as a noun - this is fine - where it refers to the money. When used as a (transitive) verb it is the person (the one owed the money) that you 'refund', not the money.
    – OJFord
    Apr 24, 2022 at 17:21
  • @OJFord Yes, one can use "refund" as a verb, as in "I refunded the money to him." or "I will see that the money is refunded" or "We will refund the money to the customer."
    – David Siegel
    Apr 24, 2022 at 17:25
  • @DavidSiegel If you find you can buy a reputable dictionary that says I'm wrong, I'll gladly refund you. ;)
    – OJFord
    Apr 24, 2022 at 17:27
  • "A person gets or receives a refund." - indeed, that is the process of being refunded.
    – OJFord
    Apr 24, 2022 at 17:33

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