Why an exchange asks for a refund address
A refund address is the address funds return to if the order cannot complete. Giving one costs nothing and changes nothing about a successful swap — it only matters on the day something goes wrong, and on that day it is the difference between a return that happens immediately and one that waits on a conversation. It also has to be an address you can actually spend from, which is why the address you sent from is not automatically the right answer.
What makes an address usable for a return
It must be on the network of the asset being returned, and it must belong to a wallet whose keys you hold. Those two conditions rule out most of the mistakes people make here.
- A wallet you control the keys to, not a friend’s and not a screenshot of one.
- On the network of the asset coming back, not the network you were buying into.
- Not an exchange deposit address unless that exchange accepts that asset on that network, with the memo it requires.
Why not just send it back where it came from
Often that is exactly right, and often it is not. Funds sent from an exchange account arrive from an address that account does not own and cannot credit back, so a return to it can be lost a second time. When the sending address came from an exchange, give a wallet address instead.
What to gather before writing
- The order id, from the address bar of your order page.
- The refund address itself, with its network named beside it.
- Confirmation that you hold the keys to it, if support asks how.
What to do now
- Open your order page. It is the single place the status is true, and it updates itself.
- Write to support with the evidence above. A person answers within 24 hours.
- None of this asks you to prove who you are. If we need anything from you, it is evidence that you control the sending wallet, not identification.