Setting a fair cancellation policy for your club

A cancellation policy exists to protect the club from empty, unpaid courts — but a policy players see as unfair gets worked around, complained about, or quietly ignored by staff who don't want the confrontation. The goal is a policy that's simple, consistent, and clearly tied to the club's actual cost of an empty court.

Anchor it to how far ahead a slot can realistically be refilled

The core logic of most cancellation windows: the earlier someone cancels, the more likely the club can refill that slot from a waitlist or another booking — so earlier cancellations should cost less than late ones. A common three-tier structure:

• 24+ hours ahead: full refund, no penalty
• Inside 24 hours: partial charge (commonly 50%)
• No-show or same-day cancellation: full charge

Peak-hour slots (evenings, weekends) can reasonably use a stricter window than off-peak slots, since an empty peak slot is a bigger loss and harder to refill on short notice.

Different rules for members vs. guests is normal

Members who book regularly and rarely cancel are a different risk profile than a one-off guest booking. Many clubs offer members a more lenient window, or waive the fee for a first-time cancellation, while holding a stricter line for guest bookings. This isn't unfair — it reflects genuinely different behavior patterns, and it rewards the loyalty that keeps a club's core revenue predictable.

Write it down, and apply it the same way every time

The single biggest driver of a policy actually working is consistency. A policy that gets waived depending on who's at the front desk that day, or how the conversation goes, trains players to negotiate rather than plan ahead. Whatever the rule is, it should be visible at booking time and applied automatically, not decided case by case.

Review it against real data, not instinct

If you can see your actual no-show and late-cancellation rate by time slot, use it. A policy that feels right but isn't backed by your own numbers is a guess — and clubs often find their real problem is concentrated in a handful of specific slots, not spread evenly across the week.

CourtPOS applies your cancellation policy automatically at booking and cancellation time, so it's consistent by default rather than dependent on whoever's on shift. See Reservations for the full picture, or book a demo to see it configured for your sport.