You accept a booking, hold the spot, block your calendar - and then the client goes quiet. Or they cancel 48 hours before and leave you with an empty slot you can’t fill.
With most surf camps running at six people, a single last-minute dropout isn’t a minor inconvenience - it’s potentially the difference between a profitable week of coaching and one where you’re barely breaking even. Two cancellations and you’re in trouble.
A solid deposit policy fixes this. Not because it makes cancellations disappear, but because it creates real commitment on both sides: their spot is guaranteed, your revenue isn’t contingent on hope.
Here’s a practical framework for deposit amounts, cancellation tiers, and how to communicate it all without sounding like a debt collector.
How Much to Charge
50% is the industry standard - and it’s there for good reason.
At half upfront, you’ve covered most of your fixed costs, equipment allocation, insurance for that slot. If someone cancels, you’re not losing money - you’re losing potential profit. That’s a bad day, not a catastrophic week.
The tradeoffs at other levels are clear. Lower deposits (25-30%) drive booking volume but push cancellation rates higher. Full payment upfront cuts no-shows to near zero but drops conversion by 20-30% - clients get nervous committing the full amount months ahead, especially international travellers dealing with visa uncertainty or flight changes.
Start at 50%. Then adjust based on context:
Charge 100% upfront for last-minute bookings (within 14 days) or premium one-to-one coaching where your costs are fully committed. Drop to 30-40% for long-lead bookings six or more months out, or during off-season when you’re prioritising volume over protection.
For groups, go per-person rather than a flat rate. Per-person deposits make changes clean - three people drop out, three deposits are returned, done. Set a minimum group size with a deadline: if they don’t hit the minimum, they either top it up or get refunded.
Deposits and Off-Season Cash Flow
This is underappreciated. Surf camps have real year-round costs - equipment maintenance, instructor retainers, site or charter fees - but bookings cluster seasonally. Without deposits coming in during the quiet months, you’re funding operations from reserves while clients sit on their money until arrival.
A 50% deposit on a booking made in January for a September camp means that cash is working for you, not sitting in the client’s account. At scale, this smooths out the feast-or-famine pattern that catches a lot of operators out in their first couple of years.
Cancellation Tiers: The Sliding Scale Approach
All-or-nothing policies feel unfair to clients and create difficult conversations. A tiered structure based on notice period solves this - clients who give you time to re-sell the spot lose less; last-minute cancellations, where you’re stuck with an empty space, are protected more firmly.
A typical structure looks like this:
Roamer lets you set these tiers directly on each trip, specifying the time ranges and refund percentages. Clients see the exact terms when they book, and the policy is locked to that booking from day one.
The rebooking credit option is worth leaning into. A partial refund ends the relationship; a credit keeps it alive.
Weather Cancellations
Be precise here. If you cancel due to genuinely unsafe conditions (per local maritime safety standards), clients get a full refund or credit - that’s fair and expected. If conditions are suboptimal but safe, sessions run. Surfing is an outdoor sport; small waves and grey skies aren’t grounds for a refund.
The key is an objective benchmark: “as determined by local maritime safety standards,” not a subjective call you’ll have to defend after the fact.
Medical and Emergency Cancellations
This is a difficult one, but you’re not a travel insurer.
Your policy doesn’t need to cover personal emergencies - but your response can still be human.
A simple line covers you: “We recommend travel insurance for trip cancellations. Medical or personal emergencies aren’t covered by our standard policy, but we’ll do our best to accommodate rebooking where possible.” You’re not obligated, but you’re not cold either.
Payment Timing
The two-payment structure works for most camps:
- Deposit at booking - secures the spot and starts the commitment
- Final payment 30 days before camp starts - cash in hand before your operational costs land
Premium programmes or pre-sale for the next season, consider splitting the balance: 20% at booking, 40% at 60 days, 40% at 30 days.
It lowers the barrier for early bookings while still protecting you.
Automated Reminders (and the Re-sell Window)
Manual payment chasing is where operator sanity goes to die. Roamer handles this automatically with a built-in sequence:
- Payment due soon - a friendly heads-up before the deadline
- Payment due - the formal reminder on the due date
- Payment outstanding - follow-up if they’ve missed it
- Cancellation - final notice before the spot is released
That last step is deliberate. Before Roamer cancels the booking, you get a window to re-sell the spot. On a 6-person camp, keeping that seat filled is the difference between a strong week and a marginal one. The sequence is designed so you’re never surprised by an empty space - you see it coming with enough time to act.
If payment still doesn’t come through after the final notice, cancel the booking. Holding spots for non-payers costs you twice: no revenue from them, and you’ve blocked someone who would have paid.
Handling “Can I Pay When I Arrive?”
This comes up constantly, especially with international clients.
A useful script:
“We require deposits to guarantee your spot - particularly during peak season when we fill up quickly. It also protects you: once you’ve paid, that slot is yours regardless of other enquiries. Happy to walk you through the payment options if that helps.”
Frame the deposit as benefiting them, not just protecting you.
What Needs to Be in Writing
Policies only protect you if they’re documented and acknowledged.
Three things matter:
- Visible before purchase - we include this on the booking page, not buried in a footer
- Acknowledged at checkout - a clear checkbox confirming they’ve read the terms at time of booking
- Included in the confirmation - a recap of what they agreed to
Roamer generates the booking confirmation automatically at the time of booking and sends it to the client with the cancellation terms clearly displayed. That paper trail is exactly what you need if you ever have to dispute a chargeback - you can show the client saw and accepted the terms before paying.
Country-Specific Notes
Laws vary more than most operators expect.
In the EU and UK, consumer protection rules mean 100% non-refundable deposits for cancellations 60+ days out may not be enforceable.
In Australia, the Australian Consumer Law requires refunds if you can’t deliver the promised experience, regardless of your policy.
If you’re serving a lot of international clients, a quick check with a local lawyer or surf camp association is worth it.
Vouchers: A Better Alternative to Refunds
Refunds close the door. Vouchers keep it open.
When a client cancels, Roamer lets you issue a voucher tied to their account - redeemable against any future trip or restricted to a specific one, your choice. It keeps the revenue in your business while giving the client something genuinely useful, particularly when the cancellation was outside their control.
It’s also a much easier conversation. “We can’t refund at this stage, but here’s a voucher for the full value you can use on any future booking” lands very differently than walking someone through why they’re only getting 25% back.
Keep It Simple
The most common policy mistake isn’t being too strict or too lenient - it’s being unclear. If you need a flowchart to explain your terms, simplify them.
Start with 50% deposits, tiered cancellations that reward early notice, and credits as an alternative to refunds. Put it in front of clients before they pay, confirm it in writing when they do, and enforce it consistently.
The policy isn’t about distrust - it’s about running a business that can actually afford to deliver great surf experiences for your clients
Roamer team
Guides and resources for surf, SUP, wingfoil and padel camp operators.