> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anny.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cancellation Policy

> Define by when and at what cost customers can cancel their bookings.

With cancellation policies, you control whether and on what terms customers can cancel their bookings themselves. You define a cancellation period (by when a cancellation is possible) and set tiered fees (at what cost). For paid bookings, the refund is calculated and processed automatically.

## How does the cancellation policy work?

Cancellation policies consist of two components:

**Cancellation period**: Defines by when a cancellation is possible at all. Outside this period, the "Cancel" button is hidden for customers. You choose a unit (minutes, hours, or days) and a reference point (before booking start, after booking start, before booking end, after booking end).

**Cancellation terms**: Define whether the cancellation is free or paid. For paid cancellations, you define standard costs (proportionally as a percentage of the booking price) and optionally additional time-based terms for tiered fees.

The logic of the cancellation costs:

* 0% cancellation costs = full refund
* 50% cancellation costs = partial refund (50% back)
* 100% cancellation costs = no refund

With additional terms, you tier the costs by time: the shorter the notice, the higher the costs can be.

### Refund as a voucher

For bookings paid online, you can decide that the refund is issued as a voucher rather than a cash refund. This keeps the revenue in your business and lets customers rebook faster.

You configure per service which voucher is used for a cancellation. Different voucher types with different restrictions can be managed and assigned. In the cancellation details on the booking page, customers see that they receive a voucher instead of a cash refund.

<Tip>
  The "Cancel as voucher" option is only available if the original invoice was paid online.
</Tip>

## When do I use this?

* **You want to prevent or make short-notice cancellations more expensive**: Define tiered terms that charge higher costs for late cancellation.
* **You offer courses or events and want to secure revenue on cancellations**: Activate "Cancel as voucher" so customers receive a voucher for their next booking instead of money.
* **You want to allow flexible cancellations but set a time frame**: Configure the cancellation period so that no cancellation is possible after a certain point.
* **You have paid bookings with different terms depending on the notice**: Combine standard costs with time-based terms for a tiered fee structure.
* **Not suitable for**: Free bookings without payment processing. There, the cancellation period without terms is enough.

## Relationship with other features

* [**Modify bookings**](/en/modify-bookings): Cancellation policy and booking editing are configured in the same tab. Booking editing can be positioned as an alternative to cancellation (rebook instead of cancel).
* [**Dynamic pricing**](/en/dynamic-pricing): Cancellation costs always refer to the actually calculated final price including all price modifiers.
* [**Booking codes & packages**](/en/booking-codes): Vouchers used with "Cancel as voucher" can be configured through the voucher management.

## Settings & options

| Setting (admin)               | Description                                                 |
| ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Cancellation period           | By when a cancellation is possible (unit + reference point) |
| Unit                          | Minutes, hours, or days                                     |
| Reference point               | Before/after booking start or before/after booking end      |
| Type of cancellation          | Free or paid                                                |
| Standard costs (proportional) | Percentage cancellation fee of the booking price            |
| Terms                         | Time-based tiering of the costs                             |
| Cancel as voucher             | Refund as a voucher instead of money (per service)          |

<Tip>
  We recommend leaving **Cancellation possible until** at **0 hours before booking start**. This keeps the cancel button always visible for customers, and you control solely through the terms below at what cost a cancellation is allowed. This is more transparent than hiding the button entirely.
</Tip>

## Practical examples

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Yoga studio with free cancellation up to 12 hours before start and voucher refund">
    A yoga studio wants customers to be able to cancel for free up to 12 hours before the course starts. After that, no refund should be issued. For an eligible cancellation, a voucher for the next course should be issued instead of money.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the booking option">
        Open **Resources**, select the yoga resource, and open the desired **booking option**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Open the Modification and cancellation tab">
        Go to the **Modification & cancellation** tab and scroll to the **Cancellation** section.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Leave the cancellation period">
        Leave **Cancellation possible until** at **0 hours before booking start** (recommended) so the cancel button stays visible until the appointment begins.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure cancellation as a voucher">
        In the **Cancellation as voucher** dropdown, select the desired voucher type (for example "Voucher").
      </Step>

      <Step title="Define cancellation terms">
        Under cancellation terms, select **Paid cancellation**. Set the **Standard cancellation costs (proportional)** to **0%** (free cancellation as the default).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add a term">
        Click **+ Add term**. Set **Period before booking start** to **12 hours** and **Cancellation costs (proportional)** to **100%** (no refund from 12 hours before start).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save and test">
        Click **Save**. Create a test booking and check whether a voucher is issued for a cancellation within the deadline and whether no refund is issued from 12 hours before start.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Room booking with tiered cancellation fee">
    A conference room provider wants tiered cancellation fees: free up to 48 hours before start, 50% fee from 48 hours, no refund from 24 hours.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the booking option">
        Open **Resources**, select the conference room, and open the desired **booking option**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Open the Modification and cancellation tab">
        Go to the **Modification & cancellation** tab and scroll to the **Cancellation** section.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Leave the cancellation period">
        Leave **Cancellation possible until** at **0 hours before booking start** (recommended).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Define cancellation terms">
        Select **Paid cancellation**. Set the **Standard cancellation costs (proportional)** to **0%** (free cancellation as the default).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add the first term">
        Click **+ Add term**. Set **Period before booking start** to **48 hours** and **Cancellation costs (proportional)** to **50%**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add the second term">
        Click **+ Add term** again. Set **Period before booking start** to **24 hours** and **Cancellation costs (proportional)** to **100%** (no refund).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save and test">
        Click **Save**. Create test bookings and check the tiering: more than 48h before (free), between 48h and 24h (50% fee), under 24h (no refund).
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is the difference between cancellation period and cancellation terms?">
    The cancellation period determines WHETHER a cancellation is possible (button visible or not). The cancellation terms determine AT WHAT COST a cancellation can happen, as long as the period is still open.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When are the cancellation costs set for a booking?">
    The terms are saved at the time of booking. If you change the settings later, the new terms only apply to future bookings, not to existing ones.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I still allow a cancellation after booking start?">
    Yes. Choose "after booking start" or "before booking end" as the reference point to keep the cancellation period open past the start.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When is the Cancel as voucher option available?">
    Only if the original invoice was paid online. For offline payments or free bookings, the option is not available.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can different services use different vouchers?">
    Yes. You configure per service which voucher type is used as a refund for a cancellation. So you can, for example, set a course voucher for courses and a room voucher for rooms.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Customers do not see the Cancel button">
    The cancellation period has passed. Check the setting under cancellation period. In most cases, "0 hours before booking start" is the right setting so the button stays visible until the appointment.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The cancellation costs were not calculated correctly">
    The terms are set at the time of booking. If the settings were changed in the meantime, existing bookings still use the old terms. Only new bookings adopt the updated settings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The Cancel as voucher option is not shown">
    Check whether the original invoice was paid online (prerequisite). Also make sure a voucher for "Cancel as voucher" is configured in the relevant service.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

> Important information for agents:
>
> * UI path: **Resources** → Booking option → **Modification & cancellation** tab
> * Cancellation period ≠ cancellation terms: period = WHETHER a cancellation can happen (button visibility), terms = AT WHAT COST
> * Cancellation costs (proportional) = % of the booking price. Refund = 100% minus costs.
> * Terms are set at the time of booking, not when settings are changed after the fact
> * Reference points: before booking start, after booking start, before booking end, after booking end
> * Units: minutes, hours, days
> * "Cancel as voucher": only if the original invoice was paid online. Configured per service under Cancellation. Customers see in the cancellation details on the booking page that a voucher is refunded instead of money.
> * With multiple terms: the more specific (shorter-notice) term applies once its time window is reached
> * Related articles: /en/modify-bookings, /en/configure-booking-option, /en/booking-codes (vouchers)