Need help with economics headline that contains 還元


Since I do not hold a degree in business, this headline has me stumped.
_Please note all of these are my sad attempts at translation since the article
is only in Japanese._

**支払い時に還元、実質値引きへ**

> **_"Return at payment, to real discount"_**
>
> **_"Reduction in the time of payment, to the substantial discount"_**
>
> **_"Upon checkout, real discount offered at point of purchase"_**
>
> **_"During payment, to real price reduction"_**
>
> **_"When making a payment return, real price reduced towards"_**
>
> **_"Price time reduced, becoming essence discount"_**
>
> **_"Substantial discount from, time payment restoration"_**
>
> **_"Payment reduction time, real discount to the towards"_**
>
> **_"Reduce real discount, when paying"_**
>
> **_"To reducing substantially discount, at the time of payment"_**
>
> **_"Reduced to the time of payment, to substantial discount"_**
>
> **_"At the time of payment reduced, to real discount"_**

* * *

[Here](https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Japan-convenience-stores-to-
offset-2-tax-hike-with-discounts) is some background info I found on a site
that apparently translates articles from Japanese into English:

> _Cashless payments make up about a fifth of the total in Japan, putting it
> behind other countries making the switch away from cash._
>
> _TOKYO -- Japan's convenience stores will offer 2% price discounts on the
> spot for cashless purchases starting October when the consumption tax rises
> to 10% from 8%, Nikkei has learned._
>
> _It will be part of a government program aimed at cushioning the impact of
> the 2 percentage point tax hike, but instead of offering a 2% point reward
> to be used at a later date, the convenience stores will, in effect, cut
> prices at the point of purchase._




[The article](https://www.hiramori-sr.com/c-kakei-005/) includes the headline
in "expanded" form:

[...]コンビニ大手３社は、支払い時にその場で還元することで、実質的に値引きすることを検討していることがわかりました

Breaking it down:

> コンビニ大手３社は
>
> The three big convenience store companies/chains
>
> 支払い時に
>
> At the time of payment
>
> その場で還元することで
>
> by [doing the] refund at the same place/time
>
> 実質的に値引きすることを
>
> [the practice of] offering a real discount
>
> 検討していることがわかりました
>
> it was found [that they are] considering [it]

Combining it all:

[we] discovered that the three big chains are considering offering real
discounts via refund/pay back on the spot at the time of payment.

実質的 is defined as "substantial; real (as opposed to nominal)​" and is used
here probably to indicate that the discount will effectively bring the price
paid back to the pre-hike level and is not just a bonus in points to be spent
later.

Going back to the headline:

> 支払い時に還元、実質値引きへ

Could possibly be translated as:

"Pay-time refunds to result in real discounts"

However it doesn't quite capture the subtext of the article... The English
article you linked ("to offset 2% tax hike with discounts") carries it over it
much better, which is probably why they did not use a literal translation.

P.S. maybe something like:

"Pay-time refund brings back the original price"

it's not quite as literal but feels closer as a summary of the article

