Payment References and Receipts: What to Keep

Keep the original confirmation

Save the provider’s original SMS or in-app receipt, including the transaction reference, date, time, amount, currency and merchant description. Keep the merchant’s account history or confirmation as a separate record. The two records answer different questions: whether the provider processed an instruction and whether the merchant matched it to an account.

Do not edit the source message or rely only on a screenshot that can be altered. If you need to send a screenshot to verified support, crop or redact unrelated transactions, balances, phone numbers and personal information. Never include a PIN, password, OTP or full card security details.

Match the reference before contacting support

• Check whether the reference belongs to the date and amount in question.
• Confirm the recipient or merchant name shown on the provider receipt.
• Compare the merchant’s transaction history and status.
• Write down what you already checked and any error message.
• Use a support route published on the provider or merchant’s official site.

Why a receipt may not mean the account is credited

Provider confirmation and merchant credit can occur at different points in a payment flow. A provider may show a transaction as completed while the merchant is still matching a reference, or a browser page may time out after a prompt was approved. Check the account history before retrying.

If the provider says no transaction exists, ask it to confirm using the time, amount and intended recipient. If the provider confirms it sent the payment, the merchant can search with the transaction reference. Do not forward receipts to a stranger claiming to reverse a transfer.