Overview
Effective June 19, 2026, a new European consumer protection framework (EU Directive 2023/2673) goes into effect. Because this is an EU-wide directive, individual member states are applying these requirements through their own local laws separately. For example, Germany is implementing this on the same date via an updated national consumer contract act (German consumer protection law). Across the region, this framework mandates that platforms and vendors provide end-customers with a legally compliant, self-service "Withdrawal Button" for eligible online bookings. This EU directive requires a self-service withdrawal option for undated inventory types within 14 days of purchase. To help you automate compliance and protect your weekend availability, bookingkit includes a centralised Cancellation Policies tab.
Step-by-Step Vendor Setup
1. Create the Compliant Template
Navigate to your bookingkit admin dashboard.
Click the Inventory tab on the left menu, then select Cancellation Policies.
Click the prominent blue button: "Create Standard 14-day full refund policy".
This instantly populates a non-editable, standard Cancellation Policy template:
Window: 14 days from the order purchase date.
Refund Amount: 100% full refund with no cancellation fees.
Route: Sent back directly to the original payment method via Stripe.
2. Assigning to Your Inventory
Once created, you must assign the policy to your active inventory products:
For Flexible Offers / Open-Dated Tickets / Season Passes: Go to the Assign to Inventory sub-tab, click Flex Offers, view your active experiences, and select "+ Assign Policies".
For Vouchers: Go to the Vouchers tab. Here, the policy applies globally across all voucher types rather than item-by-item, ensuring quick compliance setup.
3. Copy the link to the Withdrawal Page
Go to the "Withdrawal Page"
Copy the link created for your Withdrawal Page
Add the link to your website footer or any other page as recommended by your legal team.
End-Customer Display Logic
The end customer can find the button on the website footer or in a different place embedded by you. After the end customer clicks the "Withdraw" button, they are sent to the following page:
The end customer needs to provide the Order code and Email used during the purchase to authenticate the order and confirm the withdrawal.
Note: In case that one or both are wrong the end customer will see the following notification on the screen:
If the end customer provides the correct Order code and email, after they click "Confirm Withdrawal", their order, if eligible under the 14-day withdrawal period, will be automatically withdrawn, and the refund, if applicable, will be initiated to the original payment method used during the purchase.
In case all the order items are not eligible for withdrawal, the end customer will see the following screen: "Withdrawal not possible"
Potential case: Mixed orders - 1 or more items are not eligible while 1 or more items in the same order are eligible for withdrawal. In this case, the end customer will receive a refund for the items that are eligible for withdrawal, not for all the order.
Note: Partially used Vouchers, if eligible for withdrawal, the remaining unused amount will be refunded, while the amount that was used will not be refunded.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I charge a fee or offer a voucher refund instead of cash?
A: For the statutory 14-day legal withdrawal window, refunds must be 100% to the original payment method. Fully customised policies (partial refunds, tiered fees, voucher alternatives) will be unlocked in Phase 2.
Q: Can I completely disable this feature?
A: Yes. bookingkit provides the compliance tools, but if you interpret your legal obligations differently, you can choose not to create or assign any cancellation policies.
Q: What happens if my platform's Stripe balance is insufficient?
A: If your balance cannot cover the instant withdrawal, an automated fallback alerts you in the back office, and the customer is notified that processing may take up to 14 days via a manual refund path.
Q: Does the cancellation button appear for fixed-date tickets?
A: No, not on this first release. Fixed-date tickets are explicitly exempt under § 312g (2) No. 9 BGB. You will not be able to attach a policy to them at this moment.
Q: Can I add products to the 14-day cancellation policy?
A: Based on our vendors' use of products/add-ons, products are mostly used as add-ons attached to a specific experience and have a service date, so they were left out of this legal-compliance release for now. This exclusion is meant to highlight simplicity/scope control of Phase 1, and we will include products in later iterations.
Q: What if a customer books an event on June 17, and the event takes place on June 20? Can they still cancel within 14 days, even after the event has taken place?
A: Given that the vendor has attached the cancellation policy to the flex offers and open-dated tickets they want, once they are redeemed (meaning scanned), the tickets are not possible to be withdrawn/cancel.
Q: “I just spoke with our web agency – we're building a button on our website. Is there a link from your cancellation form that we can link to the button?”
A: The page to copy the link and add it to the button on the website can be copied on the "Withdrawal Page".