It is referred to as "claw back".. i posted the terms below. It does not mention returned items. It would lead me to belive that once it posts it counts. To be on the safe side though - if the difference was $200 can you spend $200 (as long as you are still within your 90 day period)?
$250 Statement Credit To qualify for the $250 statement credit, you must make purchases with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express that total $1,000 or more within your first three months of Card Membership starting from the date your account is approved. In rare instances, your period to spend $1,000 may be shorter than three months if there is a delay in receiving your Card. Also, purchases may fall outside of the three month period in some cases, such as a delay in merchants submitting transactions to us or if the purchase date differs from the date you made the transaction. (For example, if you buy goods online, the purchase date may be the date the goods are shipped.) The statement credit will be applied 6-8 weeks after the spend requirement is met. Qualifying purchases can be made by the Basic Card Member and any Additional Card Members on a single Card Account. Purchases to meet the spend requirement do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of traveler's checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of any cash equivalents. Additional Card Members on your account are not eligible for this offer. To receive the $250 statement credit, your Card account must be active, in good standing, and not in default at the time the statement credit is posted to your Card account. American Express reserves the right to modify or revoke offer at any time. The expiration date of this offer is 6/15/2016. If your application is not received by that date, you will not be eligible for the $250 statement credit even if your application is approved. American Express reserves the right to modify or revoke offer at any time
