Refund approved and then credit note received but no money back

I paid for three subscriptions b accident (thanks to companies not making it clear what I was purchasing) I then requested a refund from Apple as I paid through my apps account. The refunds have been approved and i received another email to say - Apple invoice- credit note- but the money has not been returned to my account.

What does the 'credit note' mean and how do i get the funds put back into my account?

Does this take a while or is it instant after the credit note has been issued?

I don't want apple credit as I do not use the products enough- just the refund...