Table of content

• Understanding Booking Status
• Coverage Window Explained
• Submitting a Claim
• Tracking Claim Status
• Reimbursement Amount
• Payments and Reconciliation
• Daily Best Practices

Once Cancellation Protection is active, managing your bookings is straightforward. This guide explains how to monitor protection status, handle cancellations, and submit claims when needed.

Understanding Booking Status

In your Smily dashboard, each booking displays its cancellation policy type and protection status. Here's what you'll see:

Non-Refundable Bookings

Bookings made at the non-refundable rate show:

• Policy type: Non-Refundable
• Status: No protection applied (traveler chose the lowest rate without flexibility)

These bookings cannot be cancelled for a refund by the traveler.

Flexible Bookings (Active)

Bookings made with the flexible rate show:

• Policy type: Flexible with Cancellation Protection
• Protection fee: The amount collected for protection
• Coverage window: The period during which cancellation is covered
• Status: Active and protected

If the traveler cancels within the coverage window, you're eligible for reimbursement.

Cancelled Bookings - Claim Eligible

When a flexible booking is cancelled within the coverage window by the traveler:

• Status: Cancelled - Claim Eligible
• Claim amount: Shows 96% of your rental revenue
• Action required: Submit a claim form (link provided in the booking details)
• Deadline: You have 1-60 days after the original checkout date to submit the claim

You'll see a prominent button or link to submit the claim directly from the booking page.

Cancelled Bookings - Not Eligible

A cancelled booking may not be eligible for reimbursement if:

• Cancelled by you or Smily (not by the traveler): Protection only covers traveler-initiated cancellations
• Cancelled outside coverage window: Too early (more than 30 days before check-in) or too late (less than 24 hours before)
• Cancelled within 24 hours of booking: The waiting period hasn't elapsed
• Claim window expired: More than 60 days have passed since the original checkout date

The booking will show the reason why it's not eligible for reimbursement.

Coverage Window Explained

Cancellation Protection applies to cancellations made:

From 30 days before check-in up to 1 day before check-in

• Start of coverage: 720 hours (30 days) before scheduled check-in time
• End of coverage: 24 hours (1 day) before scheduled check-in time
• Waiting period: 24 hours after booking creation

Example:

If check-in is December 31 at 4:00 PM:

• Coverage starts: December 1 at 4:00 PM
• Coverage ends: December 30 at 4:00 PM
• If the traveler books on December 5 at 2:00 PM, coverage doesn't start until December 6 at 2:00 PM (24-hour waiting period)

Submitting a Claim

When a booking is eligible for reimbursement, follow these steps:

Step 1: Access the Claim Form

1. Go to the cancelled booking in your Smily dashboard
2. Look for the "Submit Claim" link or button in the Cancellation Protection section
3. Click the link—this will open the claim form (provided by our partner)

Step 2: Complete the Claim Form

You'll need to provide:

• Booking reference details (usually pre-filled)
• Confirmation that the cancellation meets eligibility criteria
• Any additional information requested by the form

Step 3: Submit and Track

Once submitted:

• You'll receive a confirmation
• The claim status will update in your Smily dashboard
• You cannot submit multiple claims for the same booking

Tracking Claim Status

After submitting a claim, you can monitor its progress directly in Smily:

Claim Statuses

Pending - Claim has been submitted and is under initial review

Ready for Process - Claim has been verified and is being processed

To Pay - Claim approved; payment is being prepared

Closed - Claim has been finalized. This can mean:

• Paid: You've received the reimbursement
• No News From Property Manager: No response was received during the claims process
• Fraud: The claim was identified as fraudulent
• Out of Warrant: The claim didn't meet eligibility requirements

Amendment to Pay - An adjustment to the payment amount is being processed

You can hover over the claim status in your dashboard to see more details about the current stage.

Reimbursement Amount

When your claim is approved, you'll receive:

96% of the rental revenue (the amount that would have been split between you and the property owner)

Important Notes:

• The 96% is calculated from your net rental revenue after deducting commissions, fees, and taxes. The refund split should be the following: the Owner receives 100% of their expected payout and the Property Manager receives 80% of their commission, allowing the PM to absorb the 4% difference so the Owner stays fully compensated.
• If another booking is made for the same dates, the reimbursement will be adjusted to cover only the difference (you won't receive double payment)
• Smily automatically checks for replacement bookings

Payments and Reconciliation

The Cancellation Protection fee is handled automatically:

During Normal Payouts

• The protection fee (including VAT) is deducted from your channel payout
• This appears in your completed payouts CSV with clear line items
• You'll see columns for "Cancellation Protection" and any carry-over amounts

When Payout Isn't Sufficient

Sometimes, deductions or adjustments mean there isn't enough in the channel payout to cover the protection fee. In these cases:

• The outstanding amount (called a "carry-over amount") is collected from the appropriate Smily wallet
• For split payment bookings: Collected from the PM wallet
• For non-split payment bookings: Collected from PM wallet (if you have carte G) or Owner wallet (if not)
• This appears as a separate line item in your payout export

Invoicing

You'll receive aggregated invoices for Cancellation Protection fees, similar to other SmilyPay fees. Each invoice summarizes all protection fees for the billing period.

Daily Best Practices

✓ Monitor your bookings dashboard regularly to stay aware of protection status

✓ Submit claims promptly when eligible cancellations occur—don't wait until the deadline

✓ Keep rental information up to date to maintain eligibility (currency, location, payment gateway)

✓ Review your payout reports to understand protection fee deductions

✓ Respond to any Smily team requests for verification or additional information

With Cancellation Protection, most of the work is handled automatically. Your main responsibility is submitting claims when eligible cancellations occur and even then, the process is simple and straightforward.