Booking Protection

Your money is held until your booking.

Last updated: 11 September 2026

When you pay by card, Bookr holds your money until your appointment ends. Cancel before your deadline and the price comes back.

Booking Protection Fee
In pounds, at checkoutadded to your total
The same rate whichever business you book with, and shown as an amount before you pay.

What it includes

Secure payment
Your card details are handled by Stripe. Bookr never sees the card number.
Held until your appointment
Bookr holds your payment from the moment you book until your appointment ends. Up to your cancellation deadline it is yours to take back.
Refund handling
If you cancel, or the business does, Bookr refunds you from the money it is holding. Your bank then takes 5–10 working days to show it.
Cancel up to your deadline
Full refund of the service price up to the cancellation deadline shown on your booking — given as a date and time, not a sum for you to work out. Most businesses ask for notice as a courtesy and refund you whenever you cancel; one that charges for a late cancellation says so before you pay, and you tick to accept it. No business can change those terms after you have booked.
Booking Protection Fee. If you cancel, the fee is not refunded; the service price comes back under the terms you accepted at checkout. If the business cancels, you get everything back, including the fee. The business cannot waive or change the fee.

The fee, in the Terms

The wording you accept at checkout is section A3 of the Terms of Service. Related: the Refund & Cancellation Policy.

What it doesn't cover

Just as important as the list above, and most protection pages leave it out. Booking Protection is about a booking that didn't happen — not about how a service turned out.

A service you didn't enjoy
If the appointment happened and the work was as described, that is between you and the business. Leave an honest review. Protection covers a booking that did not take place, not one you were unhappy with.
Changing your mind after the deadline
Where a business charges for late cancellation and you cancel after the deadline you accepted, the service price is not refunded. You are shown that deadline as a date and time before you pay, and tick to accept it.
Not turning up
A no-show is not a cancellation. If the business set a no-show fee and told you before you booked, it can charge that flat amount to your card.
Anything paid outside Bookr
Cash, a bank transfer, or a card taken by the business directly. Protection exists because Bookr holds the money; if Bookr never held it, there is nothing to hold back.

If something goes wrong

Tell us as soon as you can — and before the appointment if you possibly can
While Bookr still holds the money, we refund you directly. Once the appointment ends, Bookr no longer holds it, and from then on we can only ask the business for it back. There is no fixed claim window, because there is nothing left to freeze — the honest deadline is the appointment itself. Email support@mybookr.app with your booking reference, or get help.

What you pay

The business's price plus the 3.4% + 20p Booking Protection Fee — nothing else, and no surcharge for paying by card. Here's a £40 haircut:

Service price (set by the business)£40.00
Booking Protection Fee (3.4% + 20p)£1.56
You pay at checkout£41.56

It is the same whichever business you book with.

Common questions

How long does Bookr hold my money?
Until your appointment ends. From the moment your card clears until then, the money is with Bookr. Full detail is in our Terms.
What if the business didn't turn up?
Tell us — get help or email support@mybookr.app with your booking reference — and we'll take it up with them. We'll be straight with you about what that means: once the appointment time has passed, Bookr no longer holds the money, so we can't just pull it back. What we can do is put it to them, and where they agree or where it's plain the service was never provided, we refund you. We don't guarantee an outcome, and your statutory rights and your right to go to your bank are unaffected.
What isn't covered?
Not liking a service that was actually delivered as agreed. Booking Protection is about a booking that didn't happen — not a haircut that wasn't to taste. If the service was poor, leave an honest review and take it up with the business; that's a matter between you and them.
Does the business pay this too?
You pay it at checkout. If the business cancels on you, you get it back in full. The business cannot waive it or add to it.
My card was charged incorrectly — what do I do?
First check your confirmation email — the amount there is what was authorised (service price + Booking Protection Fee). If the charge differs, email support@mybookr.app with your booking reference, or get help. A chargeback with your bank is always open to you, but please contact us first — we can usually resolve it faster.