Cancellation, No-shows and Refunds

What happens when a session does not go ahead.

Version 2026-09-13.2, effective 2026-09-04.

If the guest cancels

You have five minutes after booking to cancel for a full refund, for any reason and with no question asked. The window is shown on the booking and it is the same for everyone.

After those five minutes the booking is non-refundable, unless your host has not answered within 15 minutes, in which case it is cancelled and refunded in full without you having to ask. If you cancel, or do not attend, the full amount is charged and the host is paid their share for the reserved time. Approved expenses are reimbursed to the host in full. Local consumer law may give you additional rights that this policy does not remove.

Exceptions where you are refunded in full: your host declines the booking or lets the 15 minute confirmation window pass; the host cancels or does not attend; you cancel for safety and a review upholds it; a Guardian the host required could not be assigned; or Timefolk cancels the booking. In those cases the commission is reversed, the host payout is cancelled and any expenses are reversed.

Refunds, where they apply, are calculated with the commission rate frozen in the booking, at the exchange rate frozen in the booking, never today's.

Where a charge applies, the host receives their normal share of it.

If the host cancels

The guest is refunded in full, including any fees, whatever the notice.

Repeated late cancellation affects a host's standing, and a disclosed fee may apply above a stated threshold. It is never taken silently.

No-shows

The wait depends on how long the session is: 7 minutes on a 30 minute session, 10 minutes up to 45 minutes, and 15 minutes for an hour or more. The timer runs from the scheduled start, so lateness shortens the session rather than extending it.

A no-show charge is never applied automatically. A person reviews the check-in records, the conversation and the history first, and an unclear case is resolved in favour of no charge.

Safety cancellations

Either person can cancel because they feel unsafe, at any time, with no penalty to either side and a full refund to the guest.

Timefolk bears that cost deliberately, so nobody ever has a financial reason to attend a session they are uneasy about.

Disputes

The dispute window is 72 hours after a session completes. Host payouts are held throughout it.

Any cancellation charge, refund refusal or no-show finding can be appealed once, and is reviewed by someone other than the person who decided it.