- Last updated:
- 3 November 2026
- Version:
- refund-policy/2026-11-03
At The Playdate Cafe, standard table bookings are paid online when you book.
Our refund policy varies depending on the type of booking you have made.
Table bookings, Event bookings and Parties are leisure services for a specific date or period, so the statutory 14-day right to cancel a distance contract does not apply. Your right to cancel is the one set out in this policy, our Terms & Conditions and, for a Party, the Party Terms & Conditions. Your other statutory rights are not affected.
Standard table bookings
Payment
Your children's play session is paid securely online (by Square) when you book. Food and drinks are paid for at the cafe.
Cancellations
We completely understand that life with little ones can be busy and unpredictable!
Changes or moves can be made online up to 24 hours before your session.
You can cancel online at any time before your session starts. If you can't make it, please cancel as soon as you can, so we can offer your table to another family.
If your booking is within 24 hours and you need to change it, please contact The Playdate Cafe directly.
Refunds for bookings paid online
Cancel at least 48 hours before your session starts and your payment, less the 50p booking fee, will be refunded to the card or wallet you paid with.
If you cancel online, we request the refund straight away. If you ask us to cancel for you, we'll arrange the refund and email you once it has been refunded.
Cancellations made less than 48 hours before your session are not automatically refunded.
Each standard table booking includes a 50p booking fee, shown in the price before you pay. It is kept if you cancel.
If you reduce a paid booking online (up to 24 hours before your session), we request a refund of the difference straight away. If a change costs more, you pay the difference before the change is made.
Your bank may take a few working days to show a refund.
Moving to a different session
Changing your session may change your cancellation and refund rights. The 48-hour cancellation period is calculated from the start time of your new session.
If we cancel your booking
If we cancel your booking, or can't provide your session, we'll offer you a suitable alternative, which you can accept, or refund everything you paid, including the booking fee. This does not affect your statutory rights.
Late arrivals and missed sessions
Because seating is limited, tables are held for up to 15 minutes.
If you don't attend, or arrive more than 15 minutes late without contacting the café, we may release your table.
Missed sessions are not refundable, though we may agree otherwise at our discretion.
Event bookings
Refunds for Event bookings
Event bookings are paid online when you book, and your confirmation email confirms your booking.
If your plans change, you can't refund, change or cancel an Event booking yourself. This does not affect your statutory rights.
If there's a problem with your booking or you can no longer attend, please get in touch and we'll be happy to see how we can help. Anything we can offer in that case is at our discretion and is not guaranteed.
If we cancel the event before it starts, we refund the affected bookings in full, including the booking fee, to the card or wallet you paid with. Your bank may take a few working days to show a refund.
If we materially change the event's date or time and you can't reasonably attend, you can cancel for a refund: please contact us.
If an event has started and can't be completed, we'll offer a reasonable remedy depending on the circumstances, which may be a full or partial refund or another appropriate remedy. This does not affect your statutory rights.
Birthday party bookings
Deposits
A £50 deposit is required to confirm your Party booking and is applied to the Party price. If you cancel, the deposit is non-refundable, except where required by law or where we agree otherwise.
If you've paid more than the deposit and you cancel, we'll decide what happens to the rest having regard to how close the Party is, the costs and losses we've reasonably incurred, and those we've reasonably avoided or recovered. This does not affect your statutory rights.
This deposit secures your exclusive date and time slot, meaning we turn away other bookings for that period.
Rescheduling
If you need to move your party due to unforeseen circumstances, please contact us as soon as possible.
At our discretion, we may be able to transfer your deposit to a new date, subject to availability.
If we cancel your party
If we cancel your Party, you can choose an available alternative date, with your payments moved to it, or a full refund of everything you've paid. We won't keep your deposit if we cancel. This does not affect your statutory rights.
Party Terms & Conditions
Booking, payment, cancellation and the Party food rules are set out in full in our Party Terms & Conditions.
Bookings from our old website
If your booking was copied across from our old website and shows Pay on arrival, you haven't paid online, so there's nothing to refund if you cancel it. If you paid the old website for it, please contact us.
Contacting the café
Where this policy requires you to contact the café directly, you can do so by email at info@theplaydatecafe.co.uk or through our social media channels. A member of staff will respond as soon as reasonably possible, but we cannot guarantee an immediate response.
Waiting for a reply does not extend any deadline in this policy, including the 48-hour refund deadline. You can still cancel a standard table booking online yourself at any time before your session starts.
Questions about this document? Email us at info@theplaydatecafe.co.uk.