Using the ReturnGO API for Transactions

The ReturnGO API enables you to seamlessly manage and synchronize transaction data related to your returns.

You can retrieve details about transactions processed through ReturnGO, such as refunds and  payment authorizations, as well as update ReturnGO with information about transactions handled externally. 

For a comprehensive technical understanding of the ReturnGO API's capabilities, refer to the ReturnGO API documentation.

Requirements

To use the ReturnGO API for transactions, you’ll need:

• ReturnGO API key
  • Find your API key on the Settings > Integrations > API page.

Capabilities

Using the ReturnGO transactions API you can:

• Retrieve Transaction Information: Access details about refunds, payment authorizations, payment captures, and invoice payments processed on ReturnGO.
• Update Transaction Status: Update ReturnGO on the status of transactions processed externally.
• Leverage Transaction Webhooks: Receive real-time updates about transaction events through webhooks, enabling you to build automated workflows and respond to transaction events in real-time.

Retrieving Transactions

You can use the GET /transactions endpoint to retrieve a list of transactions based on specific search criteria. This allows you to fetch details about transactions processed within ReturnGO. 

Updating Transactions

You can use the PUT /transaction/{transactionId} endpoint to update a specific transaction. This enables you to update the refund status, payment status, and other transaction-related information on ReturnGO.

Webhook Transaction Events

ReturnGO provides webhook transaction events for certain transaction-related events, such as TRANSACTION_CREATED. These events enable you to listen for transactions created on ReturnGO and take action accordingly.

Configuring Notification-Only Transactions

In order to issue refunds using a platform other than ReturnGO, you can use the ReturnGO API to only trigger notifications about transactions, without initiating the actual transaction on ReturnGO. 

With Notify Only enabled, ReturnGO will notify you via the API when a refund needs to be processed, instead of issuing the refund itself. 

For platforms that don't support native refunds, Notify Only is enabled by default and cannot be disabled.

For platforms that do support native refunds, Notify Only is not mandatory, however, if you want to process refunds outside of ReturnGO, it’s recommended, as it will prevent ReturnGO from attempting to issue refunds.

To enable Notify Only:

1. Go to Settings > Store Settings.
2. Open the API section.
3. Toggle the Notify About Refunds Instead of Issuing setting to enable the feature.

4. Select if you want ReturnGO to notify about:

• Refunds to payment methods
• Refunds to gift cards
• Refunds to store credit 

5. Click on the save icon to save your changes.

When this is enabled and a refund is issued through ReturnGO (whether automatically or manually) the RMA transactions will be updated with the requested refund instead of executing the refund action.

Example Refund Flow

Scenario: You process refunds outside of ReturnGO:

1. Customer requests a refund via ReturnGO.
2. Refund is triggered in ReturnGO.
3. ReturnGO sends a TRANSACTION_CREATED webhook notification containing the transaction information.
4. Your payment platform listens for the webhook.
5. Issue the refund on your external platform.
6. Use the ReturnGO PUT /transaction/{transactionId} API call to update the ReturnGO transaction status.
7. ReturnGO's auto-mark as done feature can be triggered to automatically close the RMA based on the refund status.