Refund, Chargeback & Dispute Policy

Effective date August 13, 2026 · Version 1.0 · Last reviewed August 13, 2026

This template explains, in plain language, how refunds, chargebacks, and payment disputes work for gifts made through the Stewardvine software — and, importantly, who is responsible for each of them. It must be finalized by counsel and read together with the [to be finalized] and each Parish's own giving and refund practices.

1. Donations are generally final

A gift is a charitable donation, not a purchase of goods or services. Donations made through the Service are generally final and non-refundable, except where a refund is required by law or is granted by the receiving parish in its discretion (for example, a duplicate tap, an obvious keying error, or an amount entered incorrectly). Each parish sets and administers its own refund practice; the parish's practice controls.

2. How refunds work

Because the parish is the merchant of record, the parish issues any refund through its own Square account — not through Stewardvine. In practice:

• A refund is initiated by the parish from the parish's own Square account (or by contacting Square as the parish's payment processor).
• The refunded amount is returned to the donor's original payment method by Square, subject to Square's processing timelines and rules.
• Stewardvine's software may display transaction metadata to help the parish locate the right gift, but Stewardvine does not move money and cannot push a refund on the parish's behalf.
• [to be finalized].

3. Chargebacks & disputes

A chargeback (or payment dispute) happens when a donor asks their card issuer to reverse a charge. Chargebacks and disputes run between the donor's card issuer, Square, and the parish — Stewardvine is not a party to them.

• The parish bears full chargeback liability. As the merchant of record, the parish is financially responsible for disputed amounts and any related fees.
• Square recovers disputed funds from the parish. When a chargeback is filed, Square may debit the disputed amount (and any applicable dispute fee) from the parish's Square balance or its linked bank account, in accordance with Square's terms.
• The parish responds to the dispute directly through Square, within the card networks' deadlines, and decides whether to contest or accept it.
• Card-network rules and timelines — not Stewardvine — determine the outcome.

4. Stewardvine's limited role

Stewardvine's only role in a refund or dispute is informational: providing transaction metadata (such as date, amount, and reference identifiers) to help the parish find the gift and respond. Specifically, Stewardvine:

• does not accept, hold, escrow, or transmit donor funds;
• cannot reverse, refund, cancel, or re-run a transaction;
• cannot represent, contest, or arbitrate a dispute on behalf of any party; and
• does not decide the outcome of any chargeback.

5. If you are a donor

If you believe a gift was made in error, or you have a question about a charge:

• Contact the parish that received your gift first. The parish is the merchant of record and is the party that can issue a refund. Reach out to [to be finalized].
• The charge on your statement will typically appear under the parish's name or descriptor [to be finalized].
• Stewardvine cannot refund your gift or reverse the charge, and does not have custody of your funds.

6. If you are a parish

To handle refunds and disputes:

• Issue refunds from your own Square account, following your written refund practice and any diocesan guidance.
• Respond to chargebacks promptly through Square, within the card networks' deadlines.
• Use Stewardvine's transaction metadata and reconciliation exports to locate the gift and support your response.
• Keep records consistent with your reconciliation and acknowledgment practices — see the Donation & Tax Disclaimer.

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Questions? Contact [email protected]. You can also return to the Legal hub.