Automated Cancellation Policies
Late cancellations hurt your business. Schedly lets you enforce a cancellation policy automatically — requiring notice periods, collecting cancellation fees via Stripe, and protecting your revenue without an awkward conversation.
The outcomes you unlock
Measurable improvements that activate the moment you turn this on.
Set minimum notice periods
Require clients to provide 24, 48, or 72 hours notice before canceling. After the window closes, the policy automatically prevents free cancellations.
Charge cancellation fees automatically
Collect a fixed cancellation fee via Stripe when clients cancel within the policy window. The fee is charged to the card on file automatically.
Display policy at booking
Show your cancellation policy on the booking page before clients confirm. They acknowledge and agree to the terms as part of booking.
Set up in minutes. Runs automatically.
Once configured, everything runs on autopilot — zero manual intervention.
Define your policy
Set the minimum notice period for free cancellations and the fee for late cancellations. Write the policy language that appears to clients.
Policy appears at booking
Clients read and accept your cancellation policy when booking. Acknowledgment is recorded and stored per booking.
Client attempts to cancel late
When a client uses their cancellation link inside the policy window, Schedly shows the fee and asks them to confirm the charge.
Fee collected automatically
If the client confirms, the cancellation fee is charged to the Stripe card on file. The slot is released back to your booking page.
"This is the feature I didn't know I needed until I had it. I genuinely can't imagine going back."
Protect your revenue with automated cancellation policies — start free.
No credit card required. Set up in under 5 minutes.
Start Free — No Credit Card RequiredCancellation Policy Design: Protecting Revenue Without Alienating Clients
Cancellation policies in service businesses serve a straightforward economic function: they compensate providers for the opportunity cost of cancelled appointments — time that was reserved, often passed up for other bookings, and cannot be recovered when a client cancels late. The design challenge is implementing policies that protect this revenue interest without creating client experience friction that reduces bookings or damages relationships. The evidence from service businesses across industries shows that well-designed, consistently enforced, clearly communicated cancellation policies are accepted by the overwhelming majority of clients as reasonable professional boundaries.
"Automated Cancellation Policies isn't a feature — it's infrastructure. The businesses that adopt it first compound the advantage every single day."
Policy Communication: The Moment That Determines Client Acceptance
Client acceptance of cancellation policies depends almost entirely on when they encounter the policy — not on how strict it is. Policies communicated clearly at the time of booking (before the appointment is confirmed) are accepted by 95%+ of clients as reasonable terms that they've agreed to. Policies communicated after a cancellation — in a fee notification email to a client who didn't know a policy existed — feel arbitrary and punitive even when the amount is modest. Schedly displays your cancellation policy prominently during the booking flow, requiring clients to acknowledge the terms before the booking is confirmed. This acknowledgment creates both legal clarity (the client agreed to the policy) and psychological commitment (the client is aware their appointment has financial consequences if cancelled late).
Automated Policy Enforcement: Removing Human Awkwardness From Fee Collection
Manual cancellation fee collection is the primary reason most service businesses don't enforce their policies consistently: the conversation is awkward, the risk of losing the client relationship feels real, and the path of least resistance is to waive the fee and absorb the loss. Schedly's automated enforcement removes this awkwardness entirely. When a client cancels within the policy window, the fee charges automatically to the card on file via Stripe — no email required, no conversation initiated, no decision to make. The client receives an automated notification of the fee with a reference to the policy they acknowledged at booking. Consistent automated enforcement creates a consistent, professional client experience — and providers who implement it uniformly report that clients respect the consistency more than they resent the fee.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before getting started.
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