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.
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
Note
Cancellation policy settings are available on all plan tiers. These settings control the self-service experience for customers who reschedule or cancel online. For deposit-related cancellation rules (refund vs. forfeit vs. store credit), see Deposits.
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:
- Cancellation & Rescheduling — the booking policy card (covered in this doc)
- 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.
- Go to Settings → Cancellation & Deposits.
- In the Cancellation & Rescheduling card, open the "Minimum Notice Period" dropdown.
- 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.
- In the Cancellation & Rescheduling card, find the "Cancellation Terms" field.
- Write your policy in the textarea.
- 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
Tip
Use "Write with AI" to generate a starting draft, then edit it to add any venue-specific conditions (e.g. group booking terms, peak season rules). The AI uses your venue's notice period and refund settings to write accurate policy text.
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:
- The cancellation terms are displayed before the customer confirms.
- 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.
- 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:
- If the new time is within the notice period, rescheduling is blocked.
- If alternate-staff rescheduling is enabled, the customer can choose a different staff member.
- 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. |
Related Articles
Last updated: March 2026