--- title: "How to Handle Refunds for Cancelled Court Bookings Automatically | SportyPlus" description: "Cancelled court payments do not have to be processed by hand. Here is how clubs return eligible amounts to a player's club wallet automatically." lang: "sl" canonical: "https://www.sporty.plus/sl/blog/automatic-refunds-court-bookings" --- 1. [Domov](https://www.sporty.plus/sl) 3. [Blog](https://www.sporty.plus/sl/blog) 5. How to Handle Refunds for Cancelled Court Bookings Automatically ![How to Handle Refunds for Cancelled Court Bookings Automatically](https://www.sporty.plus/_og/r/blog/automatic-refunds-court-bookings.png) # How to Handle Refunds for Cancelled Court Bookings Automatically Cancelled court payments do not have to be processed by hand. Here is how clubs return eligible amounts to a player's club wallet automatically. Online court payments make reservations easier for both players and clubs. But cancellations can create additional administrative work. A player pays for a court. Later, the reservation is cancelled. Now the club needs to determine what should happen to the amount that was already paid. Handling this manually for every cancellation quickly becomes repetitive, especially for clubs processing many online reservations. One solution is to automatically return eligible amounts to the player's **club wallet** — a balance held at the club that the player can spend on their next booking. That is the approach this guide describes, and it is worth being explicit about it up front: the money stays in the club rather than going back to the card. ## Start with a clear cancellation rule Every club should first decide how late a player is allowed to cancel a reservation. For example, a club may define a cancellation period such as: - cancellation is allowed until a defined number of hours before the reservation - cancellations after that deadline are no longer eligible for a credit The important part is that the policy is clear and applied consistently. Different clubs can use different cancellation periods depending on how they operate. ## Why automate cancellation credits? Without automation, the process may look like this: 1. Player cancels a reservation. 2. Administrator checks whether the booking was paid. 3. Administrator checks whether the cancellation was made within the allowed period. 4. Administrator manually adjusts the player's balance. 5. Player uses the credit later. For a single reservation this is easy. For dozens of cancellations, it becomes unnecessary administrative work. ## How an automatic club wallet credit works A more efficient process can look like this: 1. The player books and pays for the court. 2. The player later cancels the reservation. 3. The system checks the club's cancellation rules. 4. If the cancellation qualifies, the paid amount is automatically credited to the player's club wallet. 5. The court becomes available again. 6. The wallet balance can be used for a future reservation. The administrator does not need to process the credit manually. ## Why use a club wallet? Returning the amount to a club wallet can make the cancellation process simpler. For the player, the value of the cancelled reservation is immediately available for future use in the club. For the club, there is no need to manually handle every eligible cancellation. For example: a player pays €20 for a tennis court. The reservation is later cancelled within the club's allowed cancellation period. Instead of requiring an administrator to manually process the situation, €20 is returned to the player's club wallet. The player can then use that €20 toward another reservation. ## The cancellation policy still matters Automation should not mean every cancellation automatically receives credit. The club's cancellation rules still determine whether the cancelled reservation qualifies. For example, a club might allow cancellations until a certain number of hours before the reservation. If the player cancels before that deadline, the amount can return to the club wallet. If the cancellation happens too late, the club's normal late-cancellation policy applies. The exact deadline is defined by the club. ## Make the rule clear to players Players should know the cancellation conditions before they pay. A simple message can explain: > Cancellations made within the allowed cancellation period will be returned to your club wallet. The exact cancellation deadline should also be clearly visible. This reduces questions and misunderstandings. ## The court should become available again A cancellation is not only about the payment. The cancelled court should also return to the booking calendar so another player can reserve it. A good workflow therefore connects both actions: `reservation cancelled → court released → eligible amount returned to club wallet` This means one action by the player can complete the entire process. ## Example A player books a padel court and pays €32. The club allows cancellation until a defined period before the reservation. The player cancels within that period. The system: - cancels the reservation - makes the court available again - credits €32 to the player's club wallet The player can use the balance when making their next booking. No manual refund handling is required. ## How SportyPlus can help SportyPlus connects [court reservations](https://www.sporty.plus/modules/court_booking), [online payments](https://www.sporty.plus/modules/finance) and the player's club wallet. When a paid reservation is cancelled and meets the club's cancellation conditions, the corresponding amount can automatically be returned to the player's SportyPlus wallet. The player can then use that balance for another booking. This helps remove repetitive administrative work from the cancellation process while keeping the club's cancellation policy consistent. ## Practical recommendation Keep the cancellation policy easy to understand. Define: - how long before the reservation a player can cancel - what happens after the deadline - that eligible cancelled payments are returned to the club wallet Then let the booking system apply the rule automatically. For players, the process is simple. For administrators, one more repetitive task disappears. ## Related questions **Is a club wallet credit the same as a refund?** No, and it is worth saying so plainly to players. The value returns to the club as a balance for future bookings rather than to the original payment method. Stating that before payment prevents most cancellation disputes. **What happens to a late cancellation?** The club's late-cancellation policy applies instead. Decide that outcome explicitly — partial credit, no credit, or a fee — rather than leaving it to be settled case by case. **Does the cancelled court get offered to anyone else?** It should. Releasing the slot is half the job; a court that is released but never noticed becomes the kind of unusable hole described in [how to prevent 30-minute gaps between court bookings](https://www.sporty.plus/blog/prevent-30-minute-gaps-court-bookings). **How long should the cancellation window be?** It depends on how likely the slot is to be rebooked. Clubs with heavy prime-time demand can afford a short window; quiet mid-week afternoons justify a longer one. --- **Remove one repetitive task from every cancellation.** SportyPlus applies your cancellation rules automatically, releases the court and credits the player's club wallet. See [payments and finance](https://www.sporty.plus/modules/finance), or read the full guide to [court booking management](https://www.sporty.plus/blog/court-booking-management). ## Sorodni vodniki SportyPlus - [How to Manage Court Bookings Without Spreadsheets, Messages and Manual Work](https://www.sporty.plus/sl/blog/court-booking-management) A complete guide to replacing spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups and manual scheduling with booking rules the system enforces on its own. - [How Far in Advance Should Members Be Allowed to Book Courts?](https://www.sporty.plus/sl/blog/how-far-in-advance-should-members-book-courts) Too long and the best slots vanish a month out. Too short and nobody can organise a match. How to pick the number deliberately. - [How to Prevent 30-Minute Gaps Between Court Bookings](https://www.sporty.plus/sl/blog/prevent-30-minute-gaps-court-bookings) The 30 minutes between two reservations is real availability that almost never gets booked. One simple rule prevents it.