How to Automate Refunds When a Client Cancels

Manual refunds are a small tax on every cancellation: find the UPI ID, confirm the amount, send it, reply "done". An automatic refund on booking cancellation removes all of that. In Viralyze, if you allow clients to cancel themselves and they do so before your cut-off, the money goes back through the route they paid with, and you are simply notified. This article explains how it works, what you need to switch on, and the edge cases.

How does the automatic refund work?

The refund is triggered by the client's own cancellation on the confirmation page, inside the window you set. The payment was taken through an RBI-authorised aggregator, so the refund goes back the same way, to the UPI handle, card or bank account used.

There is no manual step. You do not approve each refund, and you do not need the client's bank details, because the system already knows where the money came from.

What do you need to switch on?

Two settings: self-cancellation allowed, and a cut-off time. If self-cancellation is off, the client cannot cancel on the page and therefore nothing refunds automatically.

1. Open the booking settings in Viralyze. 2. Allow clients to cancel themselves. 3. Set the cut-off, for example until 24 hours before the booking. 4. Mention the rule in your service description so clients see it before paying.

After that, every booking carries the rule, including those that arrive through your Auto-DM link.

Does the full amount go back?

Yes. Viralyze takes a 0% platform fee on bookings, so the refund equals what the client paid. A ₹1,200 session cancelled inside the window returns ₹1,200.

A concrete example: a career counsellor offers a 45-minute call at ₹1,200 and allows cancellation until 24 hours before. A client who cancels two days ahead gets ₹1,200 back automatically; one who cancels an hour before sees no cancel option, so the fee stays with the counsellor.

What about cancellations outside the window?

Outside the window the page offers no self-cancellation, so no automatic refund happens. The client can still reach you, and you decide whether to refund as a goodwill gesture.

This split is the point of the policy: routine, early cancellations run themselves, and only the genuine exceptions reach you. It also means a client cannot cancel at the last moment and leave you with an empty slot you cannot fill.

How does this affect your payouts?

Payouts go to your bank weekly. A refund made inside the window is reflected in the amount paid out, so you are never paying a refund from money that has already landed with you.

Because every booking, cancellation and refund sits against a contact in Viralyze, you can see later whether a particular reel or keyword brings clients who cancel more often than others, and adjust where you point your Auto-DMs.

Frequently asked questions

**How long does the refund take to reach the client?** The refund is issued immediately on cancellation; the time it takes to show in the client's account depends on their bank or card issuer.

**Can a client cancel and rebook another slot?** Yes. They can reschedule from the confirmation page inside the window, which moves the booking without a refund and a new payment.

**Does a refund happen if I cancel the booking myself?** If you cancel from your side, refund the client as you would for any cancellation you initiate; the automatic refund is tied to the client's self-cancellation.

Start your 7-day free trial of Viralyze today, no card needed, and stop sending refunds by hand.