A cancellation policy sets three rules: how much notice to give, the late-change charge and the no-show charge. Most businesses we checked ask for 24 hours' notice. However, the barber we checked asks for just 2 hours, while long lash and spa bookings justify more. Below are notice periods by trade, a template for each, and free downloads.
What every cancellation policy needs
Whatever your trade, a cancellation policy answers the same six questions:
- How much notice must a client give?
- How do they cancel or move a booking?
- What do you charge for a late cancellation?
- When does a late arrival become a no-show?
- What happens when you refill the slot, or when you cancel?
- Do you make exceptions for illness or emergencies?
Deposits are a separate decision. Our guide on how to write a no-show policy covers deposits, tone and enforcement. So this page sticks to notice periods and wording by trade. Personal trainers and tutors also have their own guides: the personal trainer cancellation policy and the tutor cancellation policy.
Notice periods by trade
Notice periods vary because the chance of refilling a slot varies. A 30-minute cut is easy to fill from a walk-in. By contrast, a two-hour lash set rarely is. Here is what five well-known businesses publish, as checked on 24 October 2026.
| Business | Trade | Notice | Charge when notice is short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pall Mall Barbers | Barber | 2 hours | May charge 50% of the standard price. |
| TONI&GUY | Hairdresser | 24 hours | May charge £30 per service element. |
| Champneys Enfield | City spa | 24 hours | Charged; the amount is not stated. |
| Nuffield Health | Physiotherapy | One working day, and at least 24 hours | A fee of up to £49. |
| sk:n | Aesthetics clinic | 5 days, for pre-paid course sessions | Session counts as used, with no refund. |
So 24 hours is the most common window here. Still, the right window depends on how fast you can refill a slot.
Cancellation policy templates to copy, by trade
Each template below is our own draft, so change the numbers to suit your prices.
Hairdresser cancellation policy
Hair appointments vary in length, so a hairdresser cancellation policy often needs two windows. TONI&GUY asks for 24 hours' notice.
Please give us at least 24 hours' notice to cancel or move an appointment. For colour, extensions or bridal hair, we need 48 hours, because those slots are long. When you cancel late, we may charge 50% of the booked price. After a missed appointment, we may charge the full price.
Barber cancellation policy
Barbers can often refill a short slot from walk-ins. Pall Mall Barbers asks for just 2 hours' notice. Yet barbershops had the highest no-show rate in Fresha's summer data, so a barber cancellation policy still matters.
Please cancel or move your booking at least 4 hours before it starts. When you cancel inside 4 hours, we may charge 50% of the price. After a no-show, we may charge the full price. Running late? Message us, so we can try to fit you in.
Cancellation policy for a nail salon
Most manicures and pedicures run under 90 minutes, so 24 hours is usually enough. A cancellation policy for a nail salon should also cover late arrivals, because they squeeze later clients.
We need 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. When you cancel later than that, we may charge 50% of the booked price. After 15 minutes late, we treat the booking as missed and may charge the full price.
Lash cancellation policy
Full sets take the longest, so they need the longest window. Brows and lashes also ran above the average no-show rate in the Fresha data.
Full sets need 48 hours' notice to cancel or move, and infills need 24 hours. When you cancel late, we may charge 50% of the treatment price. After a no-show, we may charge the full price. Infills also need about half your lashes in place, otherwise we book a full set.
Esthetician cancellation policy
Facials and skin treatments are usually under 90 minutes, so 24 hours works. However, an esthetician cancellation policy should also cover skin reactions, so clients feel safe telling you.
Please give 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule a facial or skin treatment. When you cancel late, we may charge 50% of the treatment price. After a missed appointment, we may charge the full price. If your skin reacts before your visit, tell us, so we can move you free of charge.
Spa cancellation policy
A spa cancellation policy often uses steps, because one late cancellation can empty a room for hours. Champneys Enfield asks for 24 hours' notice on treatments.
Treatments need 48 hours' notice to cancel or move. Spa days and group bookings need 7 days, because we plan staff around them. When you cancel inside 48 hours, we may charge 50%. Inside 24 hours, we may charge the full price. If we resell your slot, we will reduce the charge.
Clinic cancellation policy
Some clinics charge a fixed fee rather than a percentage. Nuffield Health, for example, may charge up to £49 for less than 24 hours' notice. Equally, sk:n asks for 5 days' notice to move a session in a pre-paid course.
Please give at least 24 hours' notice to cancel or move an appointment. For procedures over 60 minutes, we need 48 hours. When you cancel late or miss an appointment, we may charge a fee of [£ amount]. Sessions in a pre-paid course need [number] days' notice, otherwise the session counts as used.
Keep your cancellation policy fair
Set each charge to reflect your real loss. GOV.UK says cancellation charges must be a genuine estimate of the business's direct loss. It adds that businesses must take reasonable steps to reduce their losses, for example by re-selling the service. So when your waitlist fills a cancelled slot, cut or waive the fee.
Deposits follow the same logic. GOV.UK's business guide says you may keep a deposit in full if it is a small share of the price. You must also make clear exactly when it stops being refundable. The guide also warns against "disproportionately high charges" for breaching a contract. That echoes the grey list of potentially unfair terms in Schedule 2 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Stepped charges can work, too. The Competition and Markets Authority's unfair contract terms guidance discusses a sliding scale of cancellation charges. But it adds a firm limit.
"…there must be no circumstances in which they are likely to be disproportionate or punitive."
The same paragraph says such a scale, given appropriate prominence, can give clients "certainty and clarity". So set your charges out plainly, and show them before clients book. This is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure about your terms, ask a solicitor.
Download the free cancellation policy templates
Both templates are free, with no sign-up. Each has square brackets for your business name, notice period and fees, plus short notes on fairness.
- Cancellation policy template: PDF or plain text
- No-show policy template: PDF or plain text
The plain-text versions paste cleanly into any document or website editor.
Put the policy where clients will see it
Clients should read your policy before they book. Then repeat it in your confirmation and reminder. Even the wording of a reminder matters. An NHS hospital trial tested text reminders that named the cost of a missed appointment. That wording cut missed appointments from 11.1% to 8.4%, and a second trial repeated the result.
The scale differs by trade. Fresha data reported by Professional Beauty put barbershop no-shows at 21.16% from May to August 2024. Brows and lashes came next at 6.55%, against a 3.8% average. Next, measure your own rate with the free calendar no-show tracker. Then the no-show cost calculator puts a yearly figure on it.
In Aasure, you choose whether clients can cancel or reschedule online. You also set the notice they must give, and write the policy text they see. Aasure can email booking reminders once you switch them on. You can also offer a freed slot to someone on your waitlist. However, Aasure does not take card payments or deposits. So it cannot charge a late-cancellation or no-show fee for you. You collect any fee yourself, under your own policy. Plans and prices are on the pricing page.
Common questions
What is a cancellation policy?
A cancellation policy is a short set of rules for changing a booking. It states how much notice clients must give and what a late cancellation costs. It also says what happens after a no-show.
Is a 24-hour cancellation policy standard?
It is common, but no rule requires it. TONI&GUY and Champneys Enfield publish 24-hour windows. Nuffield Health physiotherapy asks for one working day, and at least 24 hours. Pall Mall Barbers asks for 2 hours. So pick the window that matches how easily you can refill a slot.
Show your cancellation policy before clients book.
In Aasure, you set how much notice clients must give to cancel online. You can switch on email reminders, and offer freed slots to your waitlist.
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