How do you refund a booking, in full or in part?

With GDA Kraft Booking, a payment collected online can be refunded in full or in part through Kraft Pay, to the guest's original payment method. The guest is notified by the "Refund" email, the credit note is then issued from the booking file, and the service fee is refunded pro rata to the amount returned. According to Stripe, the guest usually sees the refund within 5 to 10 business days, depending on their bank.

Full refund, partial refund or credit: what are we talking about?

• A full refund returns all the amounts collected online for the booking.
• A partial refund returns only part of it, for example according to your cancellation policy.
• A credit note is the accounting document that cancels all or part of an invoice; in GDA Kraft Booking, you issue it from the booking file ("04 Documents" tab).
• A voucher (“credit for a future stay”) is something else: a commercial gesture you offer the guest instead of a refund. The guest must accept it and its terms must be in writing.

The amount to refund follows from your cancellation terms and from the nature of the amount paid. In France, the distinction between acompte and arrhes applies (French rules only): see Deposit or arrhes: what is the difference? and Cancellation terms for vacation rentals.

How do you proceed?

1. Open the booking in Kraft Booking › Bookings › "Open".
2. In the "05 Payments" tab, check the payments collected online (deposit, balance) and those recorded offline.
3. Calculate the amount to return according to your terms. If automatic calculation is enabled in the accommodation settings ("Cancellation › Financial calculation"), the "Cancellation impact" box in the "01 Stay" tab suggests a refundable amount; it never starts a refund, and cancelling the booking does not refund automatically either.
4. On the line of the online payment, click "Refund", enter the amount and the reason ("Customer request", "Duplicate" or "Fraud"), then "Confirm". The guest automatically receives the "Refund" email.
5. Issue the credit note: "04 Documents" tab, type "Credit note" › "Issue document" (or Kraft Console › "Invoices" › "Issue a credit note"). It appears in the guest area.
6. Tell the guest in writing the amount and the bank processing time.

For appointments, online cancellation by the client (up to the "Possible online up to (hours before)" limit in Appointment settings) does not trigger any automatic refund: the "Late cancellation fee (%)" is frozen in the cancellation quote, and you start the refund from the booking file, as above. See Group sessions, waiting list and reminders.

A payment received offline (bank transfer, cheque, cash) is refunded by the same method, outside Kraft Pay.

What happens to the service fee?

The service fee (0.9%, reduced to 0.45% until 30 June 2027) is refunded pro rata to the amount returned.

Fictitious example, during the launch offer: a €1,000 stay paid entirely online, so €1,004.50 paid by the guest.

On the Stripe side, its documentation on refunds (consulted on 12 October 2026) states that the processing fees of the original transaction are not returned. Bear this in mind if you refund often.

What are the timescales and limits?

According to the same Stripe documentation:

• the refund is sent to the guest's bank and usually appears within 5 to 10 business days; a refund issued very shortly after the payment may take the form of a reversal, with the charge simply disappearing from the statement;
• it can only be sent to the original payment method, never to another card or account; if the card has expired, the issuing bank redirects the funds;
• the total refunded cannot exceed the amount of the original payment.

If a guest cannot see their refund, the payment details in your Stripe Dashboard may provide a reference to give them for their bank.

Frequently asked questions

Can I refund to a different card from the one used to pay?

No. A Stripe refund is always sent to the original payment method. If the card is no longer valid, the issuing bank takes care of redirecting the funds.

Does the guest lose the service fee when refunded?

No. It is refunded pro rata to the amount returned: in full for a full refund, the corresponding share for a partial refund.

Is a credit note required for every refund?

An invoice that has been issued cannot be edited: it is corrected through a credit note. In GDA Kraft Booking, it is not issued automatically: create it from the "04 Documents" tab of the booking file (type "Credit note") or in Kraft Console › "Invoices"; its number is assigned automatically.

How long does the guest wait for their refund?

According to Stripe, usually 5 to 10 business days after the refund is issued, depending on their bank. Mention this timescale in your message.