Refunds and cancellations

A guest can cancel from their booking link while the booking is holding, waiting on documents, or confirmed. How they cancel depends on the space's cancel setting. If it's automatic, the button says "Cancel booking." If the space takes requests, it says "Request cancellation."

The cancel form includes this note: "If you cancel, no card refund is sent automatically. The owner may still choose to refund you. Venmo and cash payments aren't refunded through Space on Hold, so ask the owner about those. Once you cancel, that time opens up for someone else."

A cancellation request doesn't cancel anything until the owner approves it. Meanwhile the guest sees "Your cancel request is with the owner. The time stays booked until they approve it." If the owner declines, the booking stays, and the desk says "The cancel request is declined. The booking stays."

How much goes back to a card depends on the refund rule saved on the space. It can be no card refund, a full card refund, a percent of the price, or a fixed dollar amount. You can also set a window that uses a different rule when the guest cancels at least that many hours or days before the start. The refund is never more than what's left to refund on the card payment. The booking page shows the space's rule, including "Venmo and cash aren't refunded."

When cancelling is automatic and a card refund is due, cancelling sends the refund through Stripe and opens the time. The guest sees "Cancelled. The slot is open again." If money went back, that message also says how much went back to their card. The desk shows "Card refund sent through Stripe. It can take several business days to show on the guest's card." The refund comes out of the owner's connected Stripe account. If it doesn't go through, the booking stays on the calendar and the desk says "The card refund did not go through. The booking is still on the calendar."

A refund larger than the card payment is refused. The desk says "That refund is more than the card paid. The booking stays." It also says "That's more than was paid" and shows the most that can still be refunded.

Space on Hold doesn't send back Venmo, cash, check, or other payments. Once you've paid the guest back yourself, you can mark the payment "Refunded outside the app" in the desk. The confirmation says "Only mark this once you've paid the guest back yourself. Space on Hold doesn't send Venmo or cash refunds."

If a booking can't be cancelled, the page says "That booking can't be cancelled." If the refund amount is blank, it says "Enter a refund amount."

Stripe's processing fee isn't returned when you refund a guest.