Refund Policy

Every experience on heycupo has a cancellation policy set by the operator. This page explains the three standard options, what happens if you or the operator cancel, and how refunds are computed and paid.

The three standard policies

Operators pick one when they publish an experience. The one that applies to your booking is shown on the booking page before you confirm, and is included in your confirmation email.

Flexible

Full refund if you cancel at least 2 hours before the experience starts.
No refund after that.

Flexible is typically used for shuttles, short rides and low-commitment walking tours where the operator can re-sell the seat quickly.

Standard (default)

Full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience starts.
No refund after that.

Standard is the default heycupo policy and matches the "free cancellation 24 hours before" promise on the heycupo landing page. Most operators leave this in place.

Strict

Full refund if you cancel at least 48 hours before the experience starts.
No refund after that.

Strict is used for premium or high-preparation experiences (full-day trips, multi-vehicle tours, custom itineraries) where the operator commits resources well in advance.

Operator cancellation

If the operator cancels for any reason (weather, equipment failure, sick guide, anything), you always receive a full refund, regardless of which of the three policies above the experience uses. This is not negotiable.

Operators may offer you a reschedule instead. You are free to accept or refuse. If you refuse, the full refund stands.

How the refund is paid

This depends on how you paid:

If you paid online by card (full-prepay or partial-deposit bookings): the refund is issued to the same card. Typically arrives within 5 to 10 business days, depending on your bank.
If you booked with cash on arrival (including the card-guarantee model): no refund is needed because no money was collected at booking. Cancelling before the cutoff releases the slot and releases your card from any no-show exposure.
If you booked with a partial deposit and balance in cash: the deposit portion is refunded to your card. You never paid the balance, so there is nothing to refund there.

No-show fees are not refunds

If you booked under the "cash on arrival with a card guarantee" model and you did not show up, the no-show fee charged to your card is not refundable by you. You agreed to it explicitly at the confirm step, and the exact amount and terms are stored with your booking as evidence.

If the operator failed to show up and you were there on time, that is operator cancellation and you are owed a full refund of anything charged, including any no-show fee that might have been captured in error. Contact the operator immediately and, if needed, reply to the confirmation email so heycupo can help mediate.

How to cancel

The easy way: open your confirmation email and click the cancel link. The link is good until the moment the experience starts.
The backup way: reply to your confirmation email and ask the operator to cancel it for you.

Cancellations are reversible only while the slot is still bookable. Once you or the operator confirm a cancellation, the booking is closed and cannot be reopened.

Disputes

If you believe a refund you are entitled to has not been paid, contact the operator first. Their email is in your confirmation. If that does not resolve it, reply to the confirmation email and heycupo will try to help.

As a backup, you have your card network's chargeback process (Visa, Mastercard, Amex). heycupo, on the operator's behalf, will respond to chargebacks with the evidence on file. The first and fastest path is direct contact.

For the full legal framing of refunds and cancellations, see the Booking Terms. Last updated: version v1, effective 2026-04-13.