Protect your revenue and manage booking risks by defining clear cancellation fees and policies. In Guesty, you can control two key parameters:
- How far in advance guests can cancel before check-in
- The fee charged for cancellations or no-shows
These fees and policies apply to reservations made manually or through direct booking integrations, such as Guesty Websites and the Booking Engine.
The guest receives a refund based on the cancellation fee setup for all policy types.
|
Policy |
Cancellation deadline |
|---|---|
| Free | 2:00 PM on arrival day |
| Flexible | 1 day before arrival |
| Semi-flexible | 2 days before arrival |
| Semi-moderate | 5 days before arrival |
| Moderate | 7 days before arrival |
| Firm | 14 days before arrival |
| Semi-strict | 30 days before arrival |
| Strict | 60 days before arrival |
| Super-strict | 90 days before arrival |
| Non-refundable | No refund |
In addition to selecting a policy, specify the cancellation fee applied when a guest cancels after the permitted deadline.
|
Cancellation fee |
Fee amount |
|---|---|
| Total Price | The entire booking amount |
| 50% of the total price | Half of the booking amount |
| The first night | The cost of the first night only |
Choosing between rate plans and standalone policies
Listings must have a cancellation policy or a rate plan to be bookable on a channel. You can configure a standalone policy for each property or include the policy as part of a rate plan. You aren't required to configure a cancellation policy when creating a new property in Guesty.
You can configure distinct rate plans and policies for each channel. Consider the following when choosing between a rate plan and a standalone policy:
- Flexibility: You can assign multiple rate plans to a single property, whereas each property supports only one standalone cancellation policy.
- Efficiency: You can update rate plans in bulk to save time, while standalone policies require individual updates for each listing.
Channel-specific information
Some channels, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, use their own policy types. Review the details below to determine how to set your policies.
Set the cancellation policy in Agoda. Policies set in Guesty don't sync to this channel.
Airbnb supports standalone cancellation policies only.
Publish: Set the cancellation policy when you publish to Airbnb.
Import: Policies created in Airbnb sync to Guesty during the import process.
Link: When you link an existing listing between Airbnb and Guesty, Guesty syncs the policy set in Airbnb.
Note:
- Long-term cancellation policies aren't supported in Guesty. If you configure a long-term cancellation policy in Airbnb, it will be overridden by your settings in Guesty.
- Rate plans aren't supported in Airbnb.
Airbnb policy changes (effective October 1, 2025)
Airbnb implemented global updates to cancellation policies. Reservations booked before October 1, 2025 remain unchanged.
Key changes include:
- "Strict" policy retired: Replaced with "Firm" for existing listings, unless hosts opted out.
- New "Limited" policy: Full refund if canceled at least 14 days before check-in.
- Updated grace period: 24 hours for trips shorter than 28 days and booked more than 7 days in advance.
- Italy-specific option: Guesty doesn't support non-refundable discounts for listings in Italy.
The following table compares the names of cancellation policies in Guesty and Airbnb.
| Cancellation policy | Description |
|---|---|
| Flexible |
Full refund 1 day before check-in. If cancelled after check-in, the host receives 100% for each night the guest stays, plus one additional night. |
| Moderate |
Full refund 5 days before check-in.
If cancelled after that, the host receives 100% for each night the guest stays, plus one additional night, and 50% for all unspent nights.
|
| Firm |
Full refund for cancellations up to 30 days before check-in.
If booked fewer than 30 days before check-in, the guests can cancel within 48 hours of booking and at least 14 days before check-in for a full refund. |
|
Strict
Important:Deprecated as of October 1, 2025. Only applicable to listings that opted-out before October 1, 2025. |
Guests can cancel within 48 hours of booking and at least 14 days before check-in for a full refund. If cancelled more than 14 days before check-in but not within 48 hours of booking, the host receives 50% for all nights. If cancelled between seven and 14 days before check-in, the host receives 50% for all nights. After that, you will receive 100% for all nights. |
| Super strict 30 | Guests can cancel at least 30 days before check-in for a 50% refund. After that, the host receives 100% for all nights. |
| Super strict 60 | Guests can cancel at least 60 days before check-in for a 50% refund. After that, the host receives 100% for all nights. |
| Non-refundable | Available only for listings using rate plans. Reservations will be non-refundable. |
|
Limited Available globally from October 1, 2025 |
Guests who cancel 7-14 days before check-in get 50% back. After that, their trip is non-refundable. |
Non-refundable discount
Add a non-refundable discount in addition to the cancellation policy, except for Super strict (30 or 60) policies or Luxe listings.
The discount applies to reservations made no more than 60 days before the check-in date, and up until the cancellation policy comes into effect (for example, 14 days or less before check-in for a Strict policy).
Non-refundable discounts are offered on top of any additional price reductions applied to the reservation.
To publish a property or link a listing, you must set a cancellation policy or rate plan. Guesty settings override any existing plans on Booking.com during the linking process.
This includes the Guesty Booking Engine, Guesty websites, Google Vacation Rentals, and the Guesty Booking Engine API.
Set a rate plan or cancellation policy per property for these direct integrations. This must be done in addition to configuring the integration itself. Every listing must have a policy to be sellable and bookable on the channels.
Default policy
If you don’t set a policy or a rate plan, Guesty automatically applies a fully refundable policy to all direct booking reservations. This includes no cancellation fee or a minimum notice period before check-in. To use a different policy, inform your guests of the terms and manually add any cancellation fees to the guest folio (invoice).
Date-based policy display
You can set multiple rate plans with different cancellation policies for each listing. Terms shown to guests change based on their selected dates.
|
Example: With a "Firm" cancellation policy that charges 100% for cancellations within 14 days of check-in:
|
Configure a cancellation policy or a rate plan when linking Expedia listings to Guesty.
Set your listing's cancellation policy via Glamping Hub.
Select a cancellation policy when connecting your HVMB account and listings to Guesty. The cancellation policy you set in Guesty will override the one configured in HVMB.
Set a cancellation policy when connecting a Misterb&b account to Guesty.
Set a cancellation policy via Rentals United.
To link your property between Guesty and any of these channels, you must set up a rate plan in both platforms. Once linked, you'll manage your listing directly through the channel's extranet. Rate plans can be configured during the linking process (the process applies to all channels listed above).
Configure a default policy during the initial account connection.
Step by step:
- Connect your Vrbo account to Guesty.
- Log in to your Vrbo account and navigate to "Account settings".
- Locate the "Account Cancellation Policy" section.
-
Select one of the built-in Vrbo policies that suits your needs.
This default policy automatically applies to all new listings to ensure consistency across your account.
Cancellation policy Description Relaxed 7-14 days before check-in Moderate 14-30 days before check-in Firm 30-60 days before check-in Strict 60 days before check-in Custom Select the number of days and the respective redounf amount in precentage
Once connected, only make changes to the policy on individual listings.
Set a cancellation policy when publishing new listings
During the publishing process, you have two options when setting your cancellation policy:
-
Use the default policy
Ideal for standardizing policies across multiple listings, this automatically applies the default cancellation policy in your account to the listing.
-
Apply a custom policy
Ideal for special circumstances, seasonal rules, or premium listings.
Select Custom cancellation policy when publishing to allocate a unique policy. Define up to three refund tiers using the following parameters:
- Days before check-in: Set the timeframe for each tier.
-
Refund amount (%): Specify the percentage refunded if the guest cancels within that timeframe.
Example policy:
Days before check-in
Refund amount
14+ 94% 2+ 46% 0+ 0%
Guesty automatically syncs a custom cancellation policy with Vrbo once saved; however, it displays as “Not Selected” on the reservation page in Guesty.
Set a cancellation policy when connecting your channel’s account to Guesty. The cancellation policy you configured in Guesty overrides the one in the channel.
Set a cancellation policy in Guesty
Set a cancellation policy in Guesty for manual reservations and direct integrations ("Online booking solutions"). For all channel integrations, you configure a policy when you connect to the channel. The channel is added to the cancellation policy section in Guesty following the initial connection.
Follow the instructions below to create or change a cancellation policy.
Alternatively, learn how to create or change a cancellation policy as part of a rate plan.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Operations mode.
- Click Properties.
-
Click the relevant property.
In the case of a multi-unit, set the cancellation policy in the main unit and each sub-unit.
- In the left-side menu, click Pricing & policies.
- Select Reservation policies from the dropdown menu.
- In the "Cancellation policy" section to the right, click Edit.
-
Select the desired cancellation policy for the relevant source and the cancellation fee.
Cancellation policy options-
Airbnb: Choose whether to apply a non-refundable discount to the cancellation policy. Non-refundable discounts can't be added to Super strict policies.
- Manual reservations
- Online booking solutions: Includes the Booking Engine, Booking Engine API, and Guesty Websites.
- Vrbo: To create a custom cancellation policy, select Custom from the list, and create up to 3 combinations of [days before check-in] and [refund amount]. Guests qualify for a refund if they cancel their reservation on or before the specified number of days before check-in.
-
- Click Save.
Edit a cancellation policy
You can change a cancellation policy after it's created via Guesty. The change syncs to the connected booking channel, except for the following booking channels, in which you must make any cancellation policy adjustments directly in the channel:
- Agoda
- Glamping Hub
- Rentals United
- Vrbo: You can only update policies after you set up the account. For accounts with multiple listings, edit each individually in Guesty or contact us to edit in bulk.
Changes to your cancellation policy only apply to new bookings. Reservations made before your changes are subject to your previous cancellation policy.
Follow the instructions below based on how your cancellation policy was originally set up:
- Policy included in a rate plan: If the policy was created as part of a rate plan, change it in the rate plan’s settings.
- Standalone policy: If the policy was created as a standalone, change it via the Property page. Repeat the steps above to change the cancellation policy selection for the relevant source.
- Multi-units: Update the cancellation policy in the main unit and each sub-unit.
Edit in bulk
Refer to the table below to see which bulk edits are supported by each channel.
Channel |
Cancellation policy |
Non-refundable discounts |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | Edit cancellation policies in bulk. | Edit non-refundable discounts bulk. |
|
Booking.com Expedia Direct booking |
Cancellation policies can be set up in bulk using rate plans. | Non-refundable discounts can be set up in bulk using rate plans. |
| Vrbo |
Cancellation policies are set up per listing under the property settings. To set up cancellation policies in bulk, contact us. |
Non-refundable discounts aren't supported. |
|
Build to Guesty channels (Hopper, Whimstay, etc.) |
One-time bulk setup of cancellation policies during integration or when connecting additional listings. Can be later edited under the property settings. To edit cancellation policies in bulk, contact us. |
Non-refundable discounts aren't supported. |
Switch between a cancellation policy and a rate plan
Rate plan to cancellation policy
Don't attempt to switch from a rate plan to a cancellation policy in the Guesty dashboard. Stopping the sale of a rate plan makes the listing unsellable under the rate plan's settings, and adding a cancellation policy won't make the listing sellable again.
Cancellation policy to rate plan
You can switch from a cancellation policy to a rate plan.
Edit the rate plan and assign the properties to it. Once the property is assigned, the rate plan automatically replaces the cancellation policy.
