This article explains how to cancel your Whimstay booking, what refund options are available, and what to expect after cancellation.
How to cancel your booking
Go to your Bookings page
Select the booking you want to cancel
Under Change booking, click Modify booking
Select Cancel booking
Select the reason for your cancellation
Review your refund details and confirm
The cancellation screen will display your refund amount, any fees that may be withheld, and your total refund. If you're not eligible for a refund, the total refund will show as $0 — you can still cancel, but no money will be returned.
Refund options
When you cancel, you'll have two refund options:
USD refund — your refund is returned to your original payment method. Allow 5–10 business days for your bank to process it.
Whimstay credit — you receive the full booking amount (minus travel protection if purchased) as Whimstay stay credit, which you can use toward a future booking. Choosing stay credit means the non-refundable cancellation fee is waived.
What determines your refund amount
Your refund depends on the cancellation policy set by the host for that property. The cancellation screen will show exactly what you're eligible for based on that policy and when you're canceling.
If you cancel within the refundable window → you'll receive a refund according to the host's cancellation policy
If you cancel outside the refundable window → the booking is canceled but no refund is issued
When you can't self-cancel
There are three situations where self-cancellation isn't available:
Within 24 hours of booking — the self-cancel button isn't available during the first 24 hours after you book. Reach out to us at help.whimstay.com and we'll cancel it for you.
Stays booked within 72 hours of check-in — these bookings can be canceled, but no refund is issued.
After a refund has been issued — once any refund has been applied to your booking, the cancel option is no longer available. Reach out to us and we'll take care of it.
Cancellations within 24 hours of booking
Just booked and need to cancel right away? If you're within 24 hours of booking and your check-in is at least 72 hours away, you can cancel for a full refund, regardless of the cancellation policy your host set on the property.
You qualify if both are true:
You booked within the last 24 hours, and
Your check-in is at least 72 hours away (in the property's local time zone).
If your booking was already within 72 hours of check-in when you made it, the 24-hour grace doesn't apply and the host's standard cancellation policy governs your refund instead.
What gets refunded. The full booking amount, including the Guest Service Fee. Travel protection (if purchased) follows its own free-look window. See the travel protection section below.
How to cancel. Self-cancel isn't available during the first 24 hours after booking. Reach out to us at help.whimstay.com and we'll process the cancellation for you. If you paid by bank transfer (ACH), you're still eligible. Even if the payment was already captured, the refund goes through.
If you purchased travel protection
If you purchased travel protection with your booking, the travel protection cost is not included in your cancellation refund or stay credit. However, your travel protection may be refundable separately — check the details of your policy and reach out to us to process a travel protection refund if applicable.