When Payments Are Charged: The Payment Schedule

Booking through World Camps Checkout never charges your card the moment you submit a request. This page explains exactly when money moves — the same schedule applies whether you are the family paying or the camp being paid. The binding schedule for any given booking is the one shown at checkout, derived from the deposit configuration and cancellation policy in effect when you book.

WHEN YOU SUBMIT A BOOKING REQUEST

Your card is authorised (a temporary hold) or securely saved — nothing is captured. If the camp declines the request, the request expires, or you withdraw it before the camp accepts, the hold is released and nothing is ever charged.

THE 24-HOUR GRACE WINDOW

Every booking request carries a 24-hour free-cancellation window from the moment you submit it. The deposit is charged only once two things have both happened: the camp has accepted your request, and the grace window has closed. One exception: when the camp starts within 7 days, there is no grace window and the deposit is charged as soon as the camp accepts.

DEPOSIT FIRST, THEN THE BALANCE

Where a listing takes a deposit, the rest of the price is charged automatically to the same card in instalments, as amounts become non-refundable under the camp's cancellation policy. The cancellation policy IS the payment schedule: at each point where the refund percentage steps down (the policy bands sit at 90, 60, 30 and 14 days before the start date), the newly non-refundable portion of the balance is charged. If you book close to the start date, instalment dates that have already passed are simply charged once the camp accepts.

OTHER PAYMENT MODES

• No deposit: the full price follows the same instalment schedule as a balance.
• Full at booking: the whole amount is charged once the camp accepts and the grace window closes.

The exact amounts and dates for your booking are shown on the Review & Pay step before you confirm, and again on the booking afterwards. What you see there is what will be charged — the preview and the charging engine read the same schedule.

IF A PAYMENT FAILS

A failed charge is retried for about 48 hours (the exact deadline is in the notification you receive). You get an email explaining why it failed; if your bank asks for extra authentication, the email carries a secure link to confirm the payment. Update your card or authenticate before the deadline and the booking is unaffected. If the payment is still unresolved at the deadline, the booking is placed in payment review and our team follows up with both sides.

FOR CAMPS

Captured amounts flow directly to your own payment account as they are charged — funds become available to you when they are non-refundable to the family, and World Camps places no additional delay on them. You manage your own payout frequency to your bank account in your payment provider dashboard. Where a World Camps service fee applies to a booking, each capture carries its proportional share; the applicable rates are stated in your Provider Terms and subscription plan.

Good to know: nothing is ever charged before the camp accepts your request — an authorisation hold is a reservation of funds by your bank, not a payment.