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In this documentation, you will find all the important information about the plugin – from installation and configuration to usage and extension.
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→ Booking Cancellation

Booking Cancellation

In this post, we’ll walk you through:

  1. How It Works
  2. Related Booking Statuses
  3. The `{cancel}` E-Mail-Placeholder
  4. The magic cancellation link
  5. Email Templates

Cevento allows users to cancel their own bookings without contacting the event organiser. A secure, time-limited cancellation link is included in the booking confirmation email. Clicking the link opens a confirmation page on your website where the user can review their booking details and confirm the cancellation.

The self-service cancellation feature behaves differently depending on whether the event is free or paid. Free events cancel immediately. Paid events (WooCommerce Integration) enter an Awaiting Refund state until the related order is refunded in WooCommerce.

How It Works

Free Events

  1. The user receives a booking email containing a cancellation link (via the {cancel} placeholder — see The {cancel} Placeholder below).
  2. The user clicks the link and is taken to a confirmation page on your website showing their booking details.
  3. The user confirms the cancellation by clicking Cancel Booking.
  4. The booking status changes to User Cancelled and automated confirmation emails are sent.

Paid Events (WooCommerce)

For paid events, the cancellation link is included directly in the WooCommerce booking confirmation email (see WooCommerce Booking Email below).

  1. The user clicks the cancellation link in the WooCommerce booking confirmation email.
  2. The user is taken to a confirmation page and confirms the cancellation.
  3. The booking status changes to Awaiting Refund.
  4. The administrator processes the refund in WooCommerce (WooCommerce → Orders) or by clicking on View order in the quick actions unter the booking entry.
  5. Once the WooCommerce order status changes to Refunded, the booking status automatically updates to Refunded.

The admin dashboard shows a notice listing all events with bookings currently in Awaiting Refund status, grouped by event. Each entry links directly to the relevant booking table so pending refunds are easy to track.

Status Applies to Meaning
User Cancelled Free events The user cancelled their booking via the cancellation link.
Awaiting Refund Paid events The user cancelled. The WooCommerce order has not yet been refunded.
Refunded Paid events The WooCommerce order was refunded. The cancellation is complete.

The {cancel} E-Mail-Placeholder

To include a cancellation link in a Cevento email template, add the placeholder {cancel} anywhere in the email body. Cevento replaces it with a clickable Cancel Booking link when the email is sent.

{cancel} is only available in user-facing email templates for free events. For paid events, the cancellation link is included in the WooCommerce booking confirmation email instead (see below).

You can insert the placeholder using the Cevento Data button in the email text editor, or type it directly.

Each cancellation link is:

  • Single-use — once a cancellation is confirmed, the link is permanently invalidated and cannot be used again.
  • Time-limited — the link expires automatically after 30 days from issuance. Use the global setting Advanced → Cancellation Link Expiry to modify the expiration period.
  • Refreshed on resend — if the booking confirmation email is resent, a new cancellation link is issued and the previous one is invalidated immediately.
  • Status-validated — if the booking is already cancelled when the link is clicked, the user is informed and no further action is taken.

Email Templates

Cevento sends automated emails when a user cancels their booking on a free event. Templates can be customised globally under Cevento → Settings → Emails → Booking Cancellation → User Cancellation (Admin / User) or per-event under the Email Templates tab in the event editor.

WooCommerce Booking Email

For paid events, the cancellation link is included in the WooCommerce booking confirmation email sent after a successful payment. The link can be toggled on or off under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails → Cevento booking confirmed → Cancel link.

Live-Demo