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Deposit & Cancellation Risk Calculator
Know exactly how much money is on the line before your group locks in a non-refundable booking, and which cancellation tier applies as of today.
Reading the risk before you commit
Group bookings — a villa, a party bus, a big Airbnb — often require a deposit well before the trip and carry a tiered cancellation policy: full refund far out, partial refund closer in, nothing at the last minute. This tool works out which tier applies as of today so the group can see, in real dollars, exactly what's non-refundable right now.
Deposit vs. total cost
The refund percentage here is applied to your deposit — the money actually paid and at risk — rather than the full remaining balance, since that balance usually isn't due (or at risk) yet. Always double-check your specific contract's wording, since some vendors calculate refunds against the total price instead.
Frequently asked questions
Does the refund percentage apply to the deposit or the full trip cost?
This calculator applies the tier's refund percentage to the amount you've already paid — your deposit — since that's the money actually at risk before the balance is due. Always re-check your specific booking's exact wording, since some policies instead refund a percentage of the total price.
What if my policy has more or fewer tiers than shown?
Add or remove tier rows freely. Each tier is a day threshold ("cancel this many days or more before the trip") paired with a refund percentage — list them in any order and the calculator sorts out which one currently applies.
What happens if I cancel with fewer days left than my lowest tier?
The calculator assumes 0% refund once you're inside the shortest listed tier's window, which matches how most strict cancellation policies work. Check your booking to confirm this is really the case.
Should the whole group split the deposit risk evenly?
That's a group decision, but many groups do split non-refundable deposit risk evenly regardless of who fronted the card — you can feed the "amount at risk" number into the Group Trip Cost Splitter as a shared expense once it's known.