3. Changes and cancellations

3-1. The free change window

After you pay, your trip is On hold and the trip page shows:

Free changes and cancellation until {date and time}.

Until that moment you can change the date, time or group size, or cancel outright, at no cost — because nothing has been charged yet, only held.

The window closes at whichever comes first: seven days before your tour, or three days before the card authorisation expires. When it closes, the payment is captured and your trip becomes Confirmed.

Tours booked within about a week of the date, and payments by American Express, are captured immediately and have no free change window (→ 2-3).

Changing during the window

Press Change on the trip page.

Changing releases the current hold and takes you to payment again.

Enter the new details and press Continue to payment. The old hold is released and you pay for the new arrangement. Any credit you applied carries over — you do not need to type the code again.

Cancelling during the window

Press Cancel trip, optionally give a reason, and confirm.

While the free change window is open, cancelling releases the hold in full.

Kirarity emails you a confirmation (Your Kyoto tour has been cancelled).

3-2. Cancelling after payment is captured

Once the payment has been captured, a refund scale applies. The exact figures for your trip are always shown on the trip page under Refund policy for this trip — the defaults are:

The scale that applies to your trip is the one that was in force when you booked. If Kirarity changes the policy later, your existing trip keeps the terms you agreed to.

We do not deduct a separate payment-processing fee on top of this.

3-3. Requesting a change after payment

Press Request a change on the trip page.

Your guide reviews the request first. If the price goes up, we ask you to pay the difference — nothing changes until that payment is confirmed.

What happens next:

1. The request shows as Waiting for your guide.
2. If your guide accepts and the price goes up, it becomes Approved — payment needed and you receive Please pay the difference for your Kyoto tour. Press Pay the difference on the trip page.
3. Once that payment clears, the request becomes Applied and your trip details change. You receive Your Kyoto tour has been updated.

Your tour goes ahead as booked until the change is approved and paid. You can withdraw a pending request with Withdraw this request.

Deadlines and outcomes:

The payment deadline is shown as Pay by {date}. It is normally 72 hours after approval, and never later than 12 hours before the tour starts.

If the change makes the trip cheaper, the difference is refunded instead — there is nothing for you to pay.

3-4. When your guide proposes a change

Sometimes a guide needs to move the time or adjust the plan. You will see:

Your guide proposed a change. Accept the new details, or decline and Kirarity refunds you in full with no fee.

• Accept the change — if the new arrangement costs more, you are asked to pay the difference before it takes effect.
• Decline and get a refund — Kirarity refunds you in full, with no fee deducted.

Please answer within 72 hours. If you do not, the proposal expires and Kirarity gets in touch.

3-5. If your guide cancels or does not turn up

You are refunded in full, with no fee deducted. That applies to a guide cancelling in advance and to a guide failing to arrive on the day. You do not have to negotiate this — Kirarity handles it.

3-6. Where refunds go

Refunds go back to the card you paid with. The trip page and Settings → Payment history show the refund with its status: Pending, Refunded, or Failed, alongside the reason (you cancelled, guide cancelled, guide did not arrive, change declined, guide arrived late, adjusted by Kirarity, or authorisation released).

Banks typically take a few business days to show a refund. If one is still marked Failed, contact Kirarity.

Where to go next

• What happens on the day → Chapter 4