The Fair Cancellation Promise
Cancellations, done fairly.
The number one complaint Irish studios have about that other platform is the cancellation policy: members cancel last-minute with no penalty, the studio still doesn't get paid for the empty seat. Our promise works differently. One set of refund terms applies at every studio, and members see the exact deadlines before they book — so nobody is guessing, and nobody is surprised.
- Full refund 12+ hours ahead
- No surprise charges, ever
- The same terms at every studio
Cancellation policy
What happens if you can't make it
Cancel by Saturday, 17 Oct · 3:51 am
Full refund — to your card or FitFinder credit. Your choice when you cancel.
Cancel by Saturday, 17 Oct, 11:51 am
Half your money back. A €8.00 late-cancel fee also applies to the card on file. Lumi Reformer can waive it on request.
Cancel after that
The spot is released but no refund is issued — Lumi Reformer can no longer fill it in time. If Lumi Reformer cancels the class, you always get everything back.
From Lumi Reformer: Reformer class — bring grip socks and arrive 5 min early so we can set your springs.
This policy is locked into your booking confirmation — if Lumi Reformer updates their rules later, it doesn't affect this booking. Read the platform-wide Fair Cancellation Promise.
↑ Exactly what every member sees before they pay.
Eight promises
What you get either way — member or studio.
Every rule below cuts both ways on purpose. Tap through what each one means for the person booking and the studio running the class.
You see the policy before you book.
For the member
Every booking page shows both refund deadlines — the 12-hour full-refund cutoff and the 4-hour one — plus any late-cancel or no-show fee, right above the pay button. No fine print. No retroactive rules.
For the studio
Members confirm at checkout that they've seen your policy — so a dispute later doesn't come down to whether you communicated it. It's right there in the confirmation email too.
One refund policy, every studio.
For the member
The refund timing is the same wherever you book: 12 hours or more, everything back; between 4 and 12 hours, half; inside 4 hours, nothing. You never have to read a different set of rules per studio, and a studio can't quietly apply a harsher one.
For the studio
One policy means members trust the booking flow instead of hesitating over per-studio small print. You still decide whether to charge a late-cancel or no-show fee, and you can always be more generous — the policy is the ceiling, not the floor.
Cancel 12+ hours ahead → full refund.
For the member
Cancel at least 12 hours before the class and you get the full amount back. No platform fee withheld. No processing fee deducted. If you paid €18, you get €18 — to your card or your FitFinder credit balance, your choice.
For the studio
Early cancels are refunded from your Stripe balance and FitFinder absorbs the application fee — you don't pay our cut for a class that never ran.
Between 4 and 12 hours → half back.
For the member
Cancel in that window and half the amount comes back to you; the other half goes to the studio for a space they've little chance of refilling. Inside 4 hours the seat is released but there's no refund — at that point it realistically can't be resold. Any late-cancel fee the studio disclosed at booking is on top of that, and never more than what you were shown.
For the studio
The half band means a late cancel isn't a total loss for either side. If you've configured a late-cancel fee we charge it off-session to the card the member booked with, and it lands in your next payout. We never charge anything you haven't pre-configured.
No-show fees only if you pre-disclosed them.
For the member
Forgot to show up? If the studio's no-show fee is set + disclosed, you pay it. If it isn't, you don't. We won't sneak a charge onto your card after the fact.
For the studio
Set a no-show fee in your dashboard and we charge it automatically 24h after the class. Don't set one and we leave the booking alone. No-shows aren't free for the studio — but the charge is opt-in, transparent, and consistent.
A studio can always be lenient — never harsh.
For the member
If something happens — illness, bereavement, the bus didn't run — message the studio. They can issue you credit or waive the fee with one click. The policy is the ceiling; they're free to be gentler.
For the studio
One-click 'issue credit instead' on every cancelled booking. The member's late-cancel fee gets reversed and converted to FitFinder credit usable at your studio. You decide who deserves a break — we don't ask why.
Can't make it? Gift the seat to a friend.
For the member
Too close to the class to get your money back? Tap 'Transfer to a friend' on your booking. We mint a share link — whoever opens it first claims the class. No payment for them, no fee for you, no refund needed. Works any time before class start.
For the studio
Better than a cancel for you, too. The seat stays filled, your payment doesn't get reversed, and the new attendee is often a FitFinder member you'd never have reached. Members say 'no thanks, my mate's going instead' instead of asking you for a goodwill exception.
If the studio cancels — you get everything back.
For the member
Studio closes for a bank holiday, a class gets called off, an instructor's on leave — you get a full refund AND any credit you spent is restored. No exceptions, no waiting.
For the studio
The same refund machinery runs when YOU cancel — Stripe refund + credit restore + member notification — so calling off a class doesn't mean playing customer-service catch-up. One click in your dashboard and it's all handled.
The deal in one table
Who pays what, when.
These are the refund rules everywhere on FitFinder — no studio can give you less. A studio can always choose to be more generous, and any late-cancel or no-show fee they set appears on their booking page before you confirm.
| Scenario | Member | Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel 12h or more before | Full refund to card or credit. No fee. | No charge. No FitFinder commission. |
| Cancel between 4h and 12h before | Half back — 50% of what you paid | Keeps the other 50% for a space they have little chance of refilling |
| Cancel less than 4h before | Nothing back — non-refundable | Keeps the booking. At this point the space realistically can't be resold. |
| No-show (didn't cancel, didn't attend) | No-show fee (if studio set one — many don't) | Keeps full gross plus optional no-show fee |
| Transfer to a friend (any time before class) | Seat moves to friend — no refund, no fee, no card charge for either of you | Seat stays filled — your payment stays put, new attendee shows up in their place |
| Studio cancels the class | Full refund + any credit restored | No charge. We send the cancel email and refund automatically. |
| Member proves a hardship (illness, family etc) | Studio can issue credit in one tap | Late-cancel fee reversed, equivalent credit issued. Your call who qualifies. |
Why it's built this way
The old model solved members' problems by passing them to the studio.
We talked to every Irish studio we work with before designing this. The pattern was always the same — and neither side actually won.
That other platform
- Members cancel last-minute with no consequence — the studio loses the seat, the prep cost, and staffs a half-empty class anyway.
- Members didn't actually win either: they never knew the rules until they hit them.
- A surprise fee on a class they barely remembered booking felt punitive — and disputing it went into a black hole.
The FitFinder way
- Pre-disclosed rules. The studio decides what's fair for their format; the member sees it before they book.
- One-click compassion. When real life happens, the studio can be lenient in a tap — their call, not a third party's.
- Nobody plays middleman-judge. We make the rules visible and enforce them consistently — we don't arbitrate them.
FAQ
The questions we get most.
What if the studio's policy changes after I book?
The policy frozen on your confirmation email is the one that applies. Studios can update their go-forward policy, but it doesn't retroactively change bookings already made.
Can I move my class to a different time instead of cancelling?
Cancel 12 or more hours ahead and it's free, so just rebook. Closer than that you have two options: (1) tap 'Transfer to a friend' on your booking and gift the seat to someone else — they show up instead of you, no fee for either of you; or (2) message the studio and ask for credit toward a future class. Most studios say yes.
How does 'Transfer to a friend' work exactly?
On your /bookings page, tap 'Transfer to a friend' next to any confirmed booking. We generate a private share link valid for 24 hours. Send it to whoever you want — by message, email, however. Whoever opens it first claims the class. They don't pay (you already did), you don't get a refund (you gave it away as a gift), and the studio doesn't lose the seat. Works any time before class start, even when it's too late for a refund. The recipient needs a FitFinder account, but joining takes 30 seconds.
What about waitlists?
If you're on a waitlist and a spot opens, you have 60 minutes to accept the offer. If you don't act, the offer rolls to the next person in line. No charge unless you accept.
My card was charged a late-cancel fee. Can I dispute it?
Yes — the studio is the first point of contact. They can reverse the charge (or convert it to credit) with one click in their dashboard. If you can't reach them, email hello@fitfinder.ie and we'll mediate.
What's the platform fee on refunds?
There isn't one. On a full refund we return the whole gross and don't charge our application fee — the studio gets back to zero, the member gets back to zero, and we move on. On a half refund the fees are returned in the same proportion as the money.
Fair on both sides. By design.
We'd rather have a slightly slower onboarding conversation about cancellation policy than a faster one we both regret in six weeks.