Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy

Set the rules for when and how customers can cancel or reschedule their bookings online, including the minimum notice period, cancellation terms shown to clients, and whether customers can switch to a different staff member.

TL;DR

• Cancellation policy sets the minimum notice period and terms shown to customers when they attempt to cancel online
• Available on all plans; deposit refund actions are configured separately in Deposit Rules
• Most common mistake: expecting the notice period to block staff cancellations, it only affects customer self-service
• Owners and Managers can always cancel from the calendar regardless of the notice window

Overview

The cancellation and rescheduling policy lets you:

• Set a minimum notice period before which customers can cancel or reschedule online (0 to 72 hours)
• Write custom cancellation terms shown to clients when they attempt to cancel
• Use AI to generate or rewrite your cancellation terms
• Allow customers to switch to an alternate staff member when rescheduling

---

Accessing cancellation policy settings

Go to Settings in the sidebar, then select Cancellation & Deposits (under Policies). The page is at /settings/deposit-rules.

The page has two sections:

1. Cancellation & Rescheduling: the booking policy card (covered in this doc)
2. Deposit Rules: deposit amount, capture method, and per-rule refund actions (covered in the Deposits doc)

---

Setting the minimum notice period

The Minimum Notice Period dropdown controls how far in advance customers must cancel or reschedule online.

1. Go to Settings → Cancellation & Deposits.
2. In the Cancellation & Rescheduling card, open the "Minimum Notice Period" dropdown.
3. Select a value:

Option	Effect
No minimum (0h)	Customers can cancel or reschedule at any time, up to the appointment start
1 hour	Customer must cancel at least 1 hour before the appointment
2 hours	At least 2 hours' notice required
4 hours	At least 4 hours' notice required
24 hours (default)	At least 24 hours' notice required
48 hours	At least 2 days' notice required
72 hours	At least 3 days' notice required

When a customer tries to cancel or reschedule within the notice period, the online self-service option is blocked, they must contact the venue directly.

---

Writing cancellation terms

The Cancellation Terms textarea lets you write the text customers see when they attempt to cancel a booking.

1. In the Cancellation & Rescheduling card, find the "Cancellation Terms" field.
2. Write your policy in the textarea.
3. The text is saved automatically.

Using AI to write your policy

Two AI buttons appear alongside the cancellation terms field:

• "Write with AI": generates a complete cancellation policy based on your venue's settings (notice period, deposit rules, refund actions)
• "Rewrite": rewrites your existing text in your venue's brand voice while preserving the intent

---

Allowing alternate-staff rescheduling

The "Allow alternate-staff self-serve" toggle controls whether customers can switch to a different qualified staff member when rescheduling online.

Setting	Behaviour
On	When a customer reschedules, they can choose a different staff member who offers the same service (e.g. if their usual stylist is unavailable on the new date)
Off	Rescheduling keeps the same staff member, if that staff member has no availability on the new date, the customer must contact the venue

---

How the policy is shown to customers

During online cancellation

When a customer opens their booking management link and attempts to cancel:

1. The cancellation terms are displayed before the customer confirms.
2. If the booking is within the notice period, the self-service cancellation option is disabled, the customer sees a message directing them to contact the venue.
3. If the booking has a deposit, the refund consequences are shown (based on the deposit rule's refund action, see Deposits).

During online rescheduling

When a customer reschedules:

1. If the new time is within the notice period, rescheduling is blocked.
2. If alternate-staff rescheduling is enabled, the customer can choose a different staff member.
3. If the booking has a deposit, any refund/forfeit implications are shown.

On the booking confirmation

When a customer books with a deposit, the deposit payment step displays:

• A summary of the cancellation policy (e.g. "Free cancellation up to 24h before, then no refund.")
• For tiered policies: a table showing refund percentages by timing
• An optional agreement checkbox with custom text

---

How cancellation policy relates to deposits

The cancellation system has two layers:

Layer	Where to configure	What it controls
Booking Policy (this doc)	Settings → Cancellation & Deposits → Cancellation & Rescheduling card	Notice period, cancellation terms text, alternate-staff toggle
Deposit Rules	Settings → Cancellation & Deposits → Deposit Rules table	Deposit amount, refund action (forfeit/refund/credit), tiered policies, capture method

Both work together: the booking policy controls when a customer can self-serve cancel/reschedule online, while the deposit rule controls what happens to the money.

---

Platform differences

Feature	Web	Mobile
Cancellation & Rescheduling card	Full editor at Settings → Cancellation & Deposits	Not available, web only
Deposit Rules table	Full editor with create/edit/delete	Read-only list with rule details
AI policy writing	Available ("Write with AI" / "Rewrite" buttons)	Not available

---

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Customers can still cancel at the last minute	Check the Minimum Notice Period setting. If set to "No minimum" (0h), customers can cancel at any time. Change it to 24h or higher to require advance notice.
Cancellation terms not showing to customers	Cancellation terms appear when a customer actively tries to cancel via their booking management link. If the field is empty, no terms are shown, write your policy in the "Cancellation Terms" textarea, or use "Write with AI" to generate one.
Customer wants to reschedule but can't find an alternative staff member	The "Allow alternate-staff self-serve" toggle may be off. Go to Settings → Cancellation & Deposits and enable it so customers can switch to a different qualified team member during rescheduling.
Deposit is being forfeited but I want to offer a refund	The refund action is set per deposit rule, not in the booking policy. Edit the deposit rule in the Deposit Rules table and change the refund action from "Keep the deposit" to "Full refund" or "Store credit".
AI-generated policy mentions the wrong notice period	The AI uses your current settings. If you recently changed the notice period, click "Rewrite" to regenerate the policy text with the updated values.

FAQ

How do I stop customers cancelling at the last minute?

Go to Settings → Cancellation & Deposits and open the Minimum Notice Period dropdown. Set it to 24 hours, 48 hours, or 72 hours. Customers who try to cancel inside the window see a message directing them to contact the venue directly.

Where do I write my cancellation terms?

Go to Settings → Cancellation & Deposits, find the Cancellation Terms textarea, and type your policy. Click "Write with AI" to generate a draft based on your current notice period and deposit settings, then edit it as needed.

Can customers switch to a different stylist when rescheduling online?

Only if you enable the "Allow alternate-staff self-serve" toggle in Settings → Cancellation & Deposits. It is off by default. When on, customers can choose a different qualified staff member who offers the same service.

How does the cancellation policy relate to deposit rules?

The booking policy controls when a customer can self-serve cancel or reschedule online (the notice period). Deposit rules control what happens to the money, refund, store credit, or forfeit. Both are configured at Settings → Cancellation & Deposits in their respective sections.

Related Articles

• Deposits
• Venue Settings
• Your Storefront