Payment Policy

The methods listed below are accepted at checkout. Each one is processed by the same payment provider, so the security position described later in this policy applies equally to all of them.

Cards are accepted on the four networks shown. PayPal is accepted as a wallet, which allows payment from a PayPal balance or from a card held in the PayPal account.

Where a customer does not hold any of these methods and wishes to pay by another route, they should write to [email protected] before ordering so that a definite answer can be given rather than leaving the order to fail at the payment step.

Cards issued on the Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover networks are accepted, whether credit or debit.

PayPal is accepted as an alternative. Selecting it redirects the customer to PayPal's own site, where the payment is authorised using a balance or a linked card; Thread & Tweed never receives the PayPal password or the linked card number.

The following methods are not accepted: cash on delivery, bank transfer, cheque, cryptocurrency and payment on account.

Where a customer wishes to use a method not listed here, they should write to [email protected] before ordering so that a definite answer can be given.

A card is authorised when the order is placed, and the payment is captured in full when the order is dispatched. A pending authorisation may appear on the statement immediately; it is a hold rather than a completed charge and is released if the order is cancelled before dispatch.

The amount confirmed at checkout is the amount charged. Sales tax is calculated from the delivery address and is included in that figure before confirmation.

No handling fee, card surcharge or currency conversion charge is added by Thread & Tweed. Any fee applied by the customer's own bank for an international transaction is set by that bank.

Where an order is amended before dispatch, any difference is refunded or charged before the consignment leaves the warehouse.

Payments are processed by Stripe, a provider certified to PCI-DSS Level 1.

Card details are entered on the processor's hosted payment page and pass directly to it. Thread & Tweed receives only a confirmation of the result, the card brand and the last four digits, which is sufficient to reconcile a payment with an order and nothing further.

All traffic to the site is encrypted in transit. Full card numbers, security codes and PayPal credentials are never stored by Thread & Tweed and never appear in its logs.

Card payments may be subject to 3-D Secure verification by the issuing bank, which is why a payment may need to be approved inside the bank's own application before the order is accepted.

No member of staff will ever request a full card number by email. Any message that appears to do so should be treated as fraudulent and reported to [email protected].

A declined payment usually indicates that the issuing bank has blocked the transaction, that the billing address does not match the bank's records, or that the card limit has been reached.

Nothing is charged when a payment is declined, and the order may be retried immediately with another card or with PayPal.

A pending authorisation created by a failed attempt is released by the issuing bank, normally within a few working days. That release cannot be expedited by Thread & Tweed, because the hold sits with the bank.

Where a decline appears inexplicable, the customer may send the order reference to [email protected] and the processor's response will be checked.

Thread & Tweed issues the refund to the original payment method within seven calendar days of the returned item arriving and passing inspection. The bank's own posting time follows afterwards and sits outside that period.

A card payment is refunded to the same card and a PayPal payment to the same PayPal account. Refunds cannot be made to a different card, a different account or in cash, because the reversal must follow the original transaction.

Where a refund is due but the original card has since been closed, the customer should contact [email protected] once the bank confirms the closure, and an alternative arrangement will be made.

An email confirming release of the refund is sent at the point it leaves Thread & Tweed.

Questions about a payment, including an unexpected amount or a charge that does not look familiar, should be sent to [email protected] with the order reference and, where available, the date and amount.

Enquiries are answered within one working day, Monday to Friday, and the outcome is confirmed in writing rather than left to be inferred from a bank statement.

Where a charge is not recognised at all, the issuing bank should be contacted as well as Thread & Tweed, so that the card can be monitored while the transaction is investigated.

A short email is usually faster than a formal chargeback, and Thread & Tweed would prefer to hear from the customer first.