# Update Booking Status (/how-to/bookings/update-booking-status)



Every booking has a status that controls how it appears in the system and what actions are available. Change the status when a booking progresses through your workflow -- for example, confirming a pending reservation, or canceling a no-show.

Booking statuses [#booking-statuses]

| Status        | Color  | Description                                                                                                                  |
| ------------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Confirmed** | Green  | The booking is finalized and the reservation is guaranteed. Appears on the calendar.                                         |
| **Pending**   | Orange | The booking is awaiting confirmation (e.g., waiting for payment or approval). Appears on the calendar. Supports auto-expire. |
| **Draft**     | Purple | The booking is a preliminary record, not yet committed. Does not appear on the calendar.                                     |
| **Canceled**  | Red    | The booking has been canceled. Does not appear on the calendar. Many editing operations are blocked.                         |

Changing the status [#changing-the-status]

Quick confirm (Pending bookings) [#quick-confirm-pending-bookings]

If a booking is in **Pending** status, a dedicated **Confirm Booking** action appears at the top of the actions menu for fast one-click confirmation.

1. Go to **Bookings** and open the pending booking.
2. Click the actions menu (three-dot icon).
3. Click **Confirm Booking**.
4. Choose whether to notify the customer.
5. Confirm the change.

Change to any status [#change-to-any-status]

1. Go to **Bookings** and open the booking.
2. Click the actions menu (three-dot icon).
3. Click **Change Status**.
4. In the dialog, select the new status from the dropdown:
   * **Confirmed**
   * **Pending**
   * **Draft**
   * **Canceled**
5. Toggle **Notify Customer** to control whether the customer receives an email about the status change.
6. Click **Update** to apply.

Cancel with refund [#cancel-with-refund]

When canceling a Confirmed booking, a dedicated cancellation flow is available that supports refunds:

1. From the actions menu, click **Cancel**.
2. The system shows a cancellation preview with:
   * The booking's financial summary (grand total, total paid, current balance).
   * Trip protection details (if applicable): coverage amount, coverage type, claim deadline.
   * Suggested refund amounts: full refund, trip protection coverage amount, or protection cost only.
   * Available payments that can be refunded, with their refundable amounts.
3. Configure refunds:

| Field               | Description                                                                                                                      |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Reason**          | Explain why the booking is being canceled.                                                                                       |
| **Notify Customer** | Whether to send a cancellation email. Enabled by default.                                                                        |
| **Refunds**         | Add one or more refund items. For each refund, specify the amount, method (Stripe, manual, or credit), and any relevant details. |

Refund methods:

| Method     | Description                                                                                                  |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Stripe** | Refund to the original Stripe payment. Requires the PaymentIntent ID. Optionally refund the application fee. |
| **Manual** | Record a refund issued outside the system (cash, check, bank transfer). Provide a reference ID and notes.    |
| **Credit** | Apply the refund as account credit for the customer.                                                         |

4. Click **Cancel Booking** to process. The system updates the status, processes all refunds, and optionally notifies the customer.

Notification behavior [#notification-behavior]

| Status Change           | Email Sent (if Notify Customer is on) |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Any status to Confirmed | Confirmation email                    |
| Any status to Pending   | Status alert email                    |
| Any status to Draft     | Status alert email                    |
| Any status to Canceled  | Cancellation email                    |

The email includes the booking's confirmation code, activity details, date, time, and the new status.

Auto-expire (Pending bookings only) [#auto-expire-pending-bookings-only]

Pending bookings support automatic status changes on a timer. See the **Auto-Expire** tab on any Pending booking to configure:

| Field               | Description                                                                |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Expire Date**     | The date the booking should expire.                                        |
| **Expire Time**     | The time of day the booking should expire.                                 |
| **Expire Status**   | The status to move to when the booking expires: **Canceled** or **Draft**. |
| **Notify Customer** | Whether to send an email when the booking expires.                         |

When the expiration time arrives, a background job automatically changes the booking's status. This is useful for holding time slots for customers who haven't paid yet.

Restrictions [#restrictions]

* **Canceled bookings can be reactivated.** You can change a Canceled booking back to Pending, Confirmed, or Draft. However, the original time slot may no longer be available.
* **Changing to Canceled does not automatically issue refunds** unless you use the dedicated cancellation flow. Simply changing the status to Canceled through the Change Status dialog skips the refund process.
* **Auto-expire only applies to Pending bookings.** The Auto-Expire tab does not appear for other statuses.

Tips [#tips]

* **Use Pending for bookings awaiting payment.** When a customer books by phone but hasn't paid, set the status to Pending with an auto-expire timer. If they don't pay within the window, the booking automatically moves to Canceled or Draft, freeing the time slot.
* **Draft is useful for tentative reservations.** Drafts don't consume availability on the calendar, so they won't block other customers from booking. Use Draft status when a reservation is in early planning stages.
* **Always use the Cancel flow for Confirmed bookings with payments.** This ensures refunds are processed properly and the customer is notified. Changing to Canceled via the generic status change skips the refund workflow.
* **The event log tracks all status changes.** Every status change is recorded in the booking's **Event Log** section (under the **Miscellaneous** tab) with a timestamp and the user who made the change.