Canceling an Order

How much you pay for canceling a PlatedUp booking depends on how far in advance you cancel. Cancel 24 hours or more before your booking and it's free. Cancel closer to your booking and a late cancellation fee applies.

Cancel 24 hours or more before your booking

If you cancel at least 24 hours before your booking's scheduled start time, there's no charge. Any amount authorized or charged for your Cook's time, plus PlatedUp's service fee for the booking, is released or refunded in full.

Cancel less than 24 hours before your booking

If you cancel less than 24 hours before your booking's scheduled start time, a late cancellation fee applies.

The late cancellation fee is $25 — the cost of one hour of Cook time at PlatedUp's fixed rate — plus PlatedUp's service fee for the booking. The rest of what you would have paid for your Cook's time is released or refunded. The late cancellation fee never exceeds the total amount you'd otherwise pay for the booking.

For example: you book a Cook for 4 hours, so the Cook-service portion of your booking is 4 × $25 = $100. If you cancel less than 24 hours before your booking, $25 of that is retained as the late cancellation fee (plus PlatedUp's service fee), and the remaining $75 is released or refunded.

You don't have to be home

You don't have to be physically present for your entire booking. If you've arranged safe, lawful access in advance — like a lockbox, smart lock, building staff, or another authorized method — and given your Cook the instructions they need, an unattended booking is fine. Being away isn't the same as being unavailable: stay reasonably reachable for anything essential, or leave instructions thorough enough that your Cook can proceed without reaching you.

If your Cook can't get in

If your Cook arrives for a confirmed booking but can't get the access you arranged, they'll try to reach you through PlatedUp and allow up to 15 minutes to resolve it. If access still can't be arranged and the booking can't start, it's treated as a customer no-access issue, using the same $25 + PlatedUp service fee treatment as a late cancellation described above — the remaining Cook-service amount is released or refunded.

This doesn't apply if the reason service can't start is actually caused by your Cook, by PlatedUp, or by a verified safety or emergency issue — those situations are reviewed separately, not treated as a customer no-access issue.

This is different from your Cook being late or not showing up — see What If My Cook Is Late or Doesn't Arrive? for that situation.

Rescheduling

More than 24 hours before your booking, you can request to reschedule to a new time, subject to your Cook's availability — see Changing Your Booking.

Within 24 hours of your booking, you can still reschedule without a late cancellation fee if your Cook agrees to the new time. If you can't agree on a new time and choose to cancel instead, the late cancellation fee above applies.

Rescheduling isn't a way to avoid the late cancellation fee — if you reschedule specifically to move a booking outside the 24-hour window and then cancel it right away, PlatedUp may still apply the cancellation policy that reflects the original timing. See Changing Your Booking for how rescheduling works.

If your Cook cancels

You don't pay a late cancellation fee if your Cook cancels — different protections apply when a cancellation comes from your Cook rather than from you. See What If My Cook Cancels?

Groceries and other purchases

PlatedUp Cooks don't purchase groceries for you as part of a standard booking — you arrange and pay for your own groceries. Groceries you've already bought, grocery delivery fees, and charges from a grocery retailer or delivery service aren't refunded by PlatedUp and are subject to that provider's own policies. See Who Buys the Groceries?

Refund timing

Once PlatedUp issues a refund to your card, it generally appears on your original payment method within about 5–10 business days, though actual timing can vary by bank or card issuer.

If a refund is issued soon after your original payment, it can sometimes appear as the original charge simply disappearing rather than as a separate refund line — see Authorization Holds.

Exceptional circumstances

PlatedUp Support can review unusual situations — like emergencies, duplicate bookings, or a verified technical error — on a case-by-case basis. A review doesn't guarantee a specific outcome, such as a refund, a waived fee, or account credit.

Still need help?

If you have a question about a specific cancellation, contact PlatedUp Support with your booking details.