Refunding an ongoing mentorship payment
This guide describes refund options for ongoing mentorships. If a mentorship has ended or is to be ended, a refund can be requested by mentees.
Mentors can refund payments directly through Stripe when needed.
However, for ongoing mentorships, a refund is usually not the best first option. If a mentee needs time away, cannot use the mentorship for a while, or needs a more affordable setup going forward, it is often better to adjust the mentorship instead.
Better options for ongoing mentorships
Before issuing a refund, consider whether one of these options is a better fit:
Add a discount
Adding a discount is often the best option if the mentee wants to continue, but needs a lower price for a future payment.
Discounts can reduce a mentee’s payment by a percentage or a fixed amount. They can also be applied to one payment, several months, or indefinitely until removed.
Read more: Adding a discount for your mentees
Pause the mentorship
If the mentee cannot actively use the mentorship for a while, you can pause the mentorship instead of refunding a payment.
Pausing skips future payments while keeping the mentorship relationship intact. The mentorship can then resume later.
Read more: How can I pause, cancel and end my mentorship?
Adjust the plan going forward
If the mentee wants to continue, but the current plan is no longer the right fit, you can adjust the setup going forward.
This may include offering a custom plan, lowering the plan price, or using quarterly billing with a discount.
Related articles:
When to refund through Stripe
If you still need to return a payment, you can issue the refund directly from your Stripe account. However, keep in mind that Stripe's processing fees will not be returned, causing a deficit.
This may be useful when:
- A payment was charged by mistake
- The mentee is not comfortable with a discount
Follow Stripe's instructions on refunding: How to refund a charge in Stripe
Claiming back the MentorCruise fee
When you refund a payment directly through Stripe, the MentorCruise platform fee is not automatically returned to you.
After issuing the refund, contact MentorCruise support and include:
- The mentee’s name or email
- The refunded payment amount
- The date of the refund
- The Stripe payment or refund ID, if available
Our team can then review the transaction and return the collected MentorCruise fee where applicable.
Stripe fees are not returned
Stripe processing fees are not returned when a payment is refunded. These fees are kept by Stripe and cannot be reimbursed by MentorCruise.
For ended mentorships
If the mentorship has already ended and the mentee wants to request a refund, they should use the regular refund process instead: