A credit balance refund is a reimbursement that you receive after winding up with a negative balance on your credit card. This can happen if you pay more than the total balance you owe on your credit card or if you get a refund on a returned purchase. A credit balance is money that is owed to you as opposed to a balance that you owe to the credit card company. If you have a negative balance and want the money back, you can make a written request to your credit card company for a refund. The credit card company must refund the money within seven business days of receiving the written request. If the credit balance remains on the account for more than six months, the credit card company is required to make a good faith attempt to refund it to you.