Cancelling a booking on MoveMentors does not send a refund by itself. The host's cancellation policy tells the student what they are owed, and the host sends the refund: card payments from the host's own Stripe Dashboard, other payments directly (a bank transfer back, cash and so on).
What the student is owed
Classes and events follow the host's cancellation policy:
| Policy | Refund |
|---|---|
| Flexible | Full refund up to 24 hours before the start |
| Moderate | Full refund up to 48 hours before, then 50% until 24 hours before |
| Strict | Full refund up to 7 days before, then 50% until 24 hours before |
None of these policies refunds inside 24 hours. A student can still cancel inside 24 hours (with no refund), but not after the class has started. Retreats have their own policy, set per retreat.
Hosts can always refund more than their policy says. See Your cancellation policy and Cancelling and refunds.
Refund timeline by method
| Method | Who sends the refund | Time to arrive |
|---|---|---|
| Card (Stripe) | Host, from their Stripe Dashboard | Usually 5 to 10 business days, depending on the student's bank |
| Bank transfer | Host | Depends on the banks, often 1 to 5 business days |
| PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Wise | Host | Usually soon after the host sends it |
| Zelle | Host (a new payment back) | Usually minutes |
| Cash or card in person | Host | As agreed between host and student |
| Crypto | Host | Minutes to hours, depending on the network |
Stripe refunds
For card payments, the refund is made on the host's own Stripe account.
Who can initiate
The host, from their Stripe Dashboard at dashboard.stripe.com.
Mechanics
Check the booking on MoveMentors
If the booking should be cancelled, make sure it is cancelled (the student may already have done it). Cancelling frees the seat but doesn't move any money.
Find the payment in Stripe
Sign in to your Stripe Dashboard and open the payment for that booking.
Refund all or part of it
Use Stripe's refund option and enter the full amount or a partial amount.
Stripe takes the refund from your Stripe balance and sends it back to the student's card.
Fees
Stripe usually keeps its original processing fee when you refund. For example:
- A student pays $30. Stripe's fee is $1.17, so you receive $28.83.
- You refund the full $30. Stripe takes $30 from your balance and returns $30 to the student.
- In total, the booking has cost you the $1.17 fee.
Speed
Stripe sends the refund straight away. How long it takes to appear on the student's card depends on their bank, usually 5 to 10 business days.
Failed refunds
Now and then a card refund can't be completed, for example because the card was closed. Stripe shows this in your Dashboard. In that case, refund the student another way, such as a bank transfer.
Bank transfer refunds
For students who paid by bank transfer:
- Ask the student which account to send the refund to (the one they paid from, or another one).
- Send the transfer from your bank.
Speed
The same as any transfer: domestic transfers often take 1 to 2 business days, international transfers can take longer.
Currency
If the original payment crossed currencies, the refund crosses back at the current rate, so the student may receive a slightly different amount. Some hosts add a little to cover the difference.
PayPal refunds
Mechanics
Refund the payment from your PayPal account. The money goes back to the student's PayPal balance or to the card or bank account they paid with.
Speed
Often minutes to the student's PayPal balance; longer if it goes back to a card.
Venmo, Cash App, Zelle refunds
Venmo and Cash App
Open the app and send the money back to the student, or use the app's refund option on the original payment if it offers one.
Zelle
Zelle payments can't be reversed. To refund, send a new Zelle payment back to the student, using the phone number or email they give you.
Check the details carefully: money sent to the wrong person may be lost.
Cash refunds
If a student booked to pay cash and cancels before paying, no money has moved, so there is nothing to refund.
If the student already paid you in cash, pay them back in cash or another way you both agree on.
Crypto refunds
Send the refund from your crypto wallet to the student's wallet address.
Volatility handling
Crypto prices move, so agree with the student which approach you follow:
- Same crypto amount: you send back exactly what you received. Its value may have changed.
- Same value: you send the amount of crypto that is worth the original price today.
Network fees
You pay the network fee for sending the refund.
Partial refunds
Card payments: refund part of the payment in your Stripe Dashboard. Other methods: send back only the part you owe.
Common partial refunds:
- A booking for several people where one person can't come.
- A Moderate or Strict policy that gives 50% back.
- An add-on that wasn't provided (for example a mat rental that ran out).
Retreats paid in installments
For retreat bookings with a payment plan, only the payments already collected can be refunded. See Retreat installment payments.
Refunds and the booking record
Refunds you make in Stripe, or directly with the student, aren't recorded on the MoveMentors booking. For card refunds, your Stripe Dashboard is the record. For other refunds, keep your own note.
Common questions
Can a host refund a booking outside the cancellation policy window? Yes. The policy is the minimum the student is owed; the host can always refund more.
Can a student demand a refund outside the policy? They can ask, and the host decides. If the class didn't happen, or was very different from its description, and the host won't help, the student can email support@movementors.com. See Disputing a booking.
Can a refund happen automatically (without host action)? No. Cancelling a booking never sends money back by itself. The host sends every refund.
What if the host disappears and never refunds? Contact the host first. If you are owed a refund and don't get one, email support@movementors.com with your booking details. For card payments you can also ask your bank about a chargeback as a last resort; see Disputes and chargebacks.
Next steps
- Disputes and chargebacks: when a refund is contested.
- Cancelling and refunds (students): the student-side flow.
- Cancellation policy (mentors): how policy windows work.