Plans change. This page covers what happens to your booking — and your card — when they do.
Cancellation windows
There are three windows, each with a different rule.
More than 24 hours before pickup. Full refund, no fee. If the trip was already captured (admin had accepted it), we issue the refund within two business days.
Within 24 hours of pickup. A 25% cancellation fee applies. We retain 25% of the quoted fare, refund the remaining 75%. The 25% covers driver and vehicle commitment made in the final window before a trip.
No-show at pickup. Full fare charged. The driver and vehicle have been dispatched; from our cost side it's a completed trip.
How the payment flow works
Stripe runs in manual-capture mode. The mechanics:
- You book. Stripe authorises your card for the quoted amount. Your bank holds the funds aside but does not transfer them to us. You'll see a pending hold on your statement.
- Admin accepts the trip. We capture the authorisation. The pending hold becomes a real charge.
- Trip happens. No change to the captured amount unless extras occurred (added stops, extra waiting, route changes).
If the booking is cancelled before step 2 (admin acceptance), the authorisation is released and the held funds return to your account. Timing depends on your card issuer — most banks release within 1-7 days.
When we cancel
If we cancel a booking we've already accepted (driver unavailable, vehicle issue, force majeure), you pay nothing. Any authorised amount is released; any captured amount is refunded in full within two business days.
We'll help arrange an alternative where reasonable. You're never obliged to accept what we offer.
Auto-cancel of unaccepted web bookings
Website bookings that aren't accepted before the pickup time auto-cancel and trigger an apology email. The card authorisation is released immediately. We'd rather lose the booking than serve it badly under last-minute time pressure.
Trip-end extras
If the trip itself involves extras — additional stops, waiting time beyond the included window, route changes — we charge them after the trip:
- Quoted at the original rate sheet.
- Itemised on the email receipt so you see what was added and why.
- Disputable within 14 days — reply to the receipt and we'll review.
Refund timing
Refunds go back to the original payment card via Stripe. Two notes on timing:
- Stripe processes the refund instantly on our side.
- Your card issuer's posting time varies — most see the refund within 5-10 business days. Some banks are faster (sometimes same day for the released hold).
- The refund appears as a separate line on your statement, not as a reversal of the original charge.
Chargebacks vs. emailing us
Two routes if you're unhappy with a charge:
- Email us first. hello@fare1.co.uk with your booking reference. We resolve most billing queries within two working days.
- Chargeback with your bank. We have to dispute through Stripe and lock the booking record while the case is open. Talking to us first is faster for both of us.
We're not afraid of chargebacks if it comes to that — sometimes the bank's process is the right route. But for routine billing questions, email lands faster.
What's documented
The cancellation rules above are restated more formally in our terms of service, with the refund mechanics in our refund policy. Both pages match this article — they're the legal mirror of what's described here.
For questions about a specific booking, get in touch with your booking reference and we'll walk through the line items.