A cancellation policy is a sales document. Most operators treat it as a legal one, and lose bookings at the "review terms" checkbox.
The core problem
The average policy reads like it was written to protect the operator from the traveler. That framing is the sales killer, not the actual refund tiers.
What the top operators do
Same tiers. Different order and voice.
- Lead with what happens if life gets in the way. Not with what you keep.
- State the tiers as a plain table. Days out → refund. No hedging language.
- Cover force majeure explicitly. Reschedule credit, not silence.
- Name a human. "Email Julia at ...", not "contact customer service."
The math
Booking abandonment on the terms page drops meaningfully when the policy reads like a human wrote it. You don't need to offer more generous refunds, you need to explain the same tiers in a voice that sounds like your brand.
The exception
Adventure and high-cost bespoke trips justify tighter refund terms, travelers expect it. But even there, the voice still matters. Firm terms in a warm voice book. Firm terms in a lawyerly voice don't.
Draft yours with the Corporate Travel Policy tool.