Refund Policy

1. StayHive subscription fees

Some plans include a free trial (currently a 30-day free trial on the Plus plan). No payment is taken during a trial, so cancelling before the trial ends means you are not charged at all. Plans without a trial (currently Starter and Pro) are charged when you subscribe.

14-day money-back guarantee (StayHive subscription fee only): Once your first subscription payment is taken – at the end of your free trial, or immediately when you subscribe to a plan without a trial – you may request a full refund of that StayHive subscription fee within 14 days of it being made. That fee is the plan charge only, monthly or annual. The 14-day window runs from your first billed charge, not from signup.

This refund covers the StayHive subscription fee only. It does not cover guest booking payments, Stripe processing fees, or any other loss.

Refunds are not available after the 14-day window. Partial month refunds are not available.

To claim this refund, email hello@stayhive.com.au with your account email.

2. Direct booking fees

StayHive charges no commission on direct bookings. Your StayHive subscription fee is non-refundable except where required by Australian Consumer Law or as described in this policy.

If a guest cancels a booking, you are responsible for refunding the guest in accordance with your own cancellation policy as set on your property page.

3. Stripe processing fees

Stripe's payment processing fees are charged by Stripe directly and are non-refundable per Stripe's own terms. Domestic Australian cards are approximately 1.65% + $0.30. International cards cost more (approximately 3.5% + $0.30, plus 2% if Stripe converts the currency). These fees are not collected by StayHive. For more information, see Stripe's pricing page.

4. Direct bookings – host to guest refunds

StayHive is a technology platform only – we are not a party to the rental agreement between you and your guests. Refund and cancellation policies for direct bookings are set by you on your property page and are a matter between you and your guest.

StayHive does not mediate disputes between hosts and guests, and is not liable for any refund obligations arising from a rental arrangement.

Card disputes (chargebacks): You are the merchant of record for your direct bookings. If a guest disputes a payment with their bank, the disputed amount (if the dispute is lost) and Stripe's dispute fee (whatever the outcome, unless Stripe returns it) are yours. StayHive recovers them from your payouts. See section 6 of our Terms of Service.

5. Platform-initiated refunds (date conflicts)

If a guest completes a direct booking payment but the dates become unavailable – for example, because they were already booked on another platform – StayHive may automatically initiate a full refund on the guest's behalf. The booking status will be updated to “conflict refunded” and the guest will be notified. These refunds are processed through Stripe and should appear within 5–10 business days.

6. Australian Consumer Law

If you are a consumer under the Australian Consumer Law, you may have statutory rights that apply regardless of this policy – including rights to a refund for services not fit for purpose or not delivered as described. Nothing in this Refund Policy limits or excludes those statutory rights.

7. How to contact us

For any refund requests or billing questions, please contact: hello@stayhive.com.au

We aim to respond to all refund requests within 2 business days.