Refund & Cancellation Policy

This policy explains exactly what happens to your money when you book a bed on Plixico, and what your options are if you change your mind, need to cancel, or need to move out early. It applies to hostel bed bookings; item-rental and service-booking cancellations are covered separately in Section 5.

1. Before you pay

A booking request costs nothing. You can cancel a pending request (before paying the deposit and first month's rent) at any time, free of charge, from My Bookings.

2. The 7-day buyer-protection hold

When you pay your security deposit and first month's rent, Plixico — not the hostel owner — holds that money for 7 days from payment. This gives you a real window to move in and confirm the hostel matches what was listed.

3. If you withdraw within the 7-day window

• Your security deposit is refunded in full, no matter when you withdraw.
• Rent is settled day-wise: the owner is paid for the days you actually stayed, calculated as (first month rent ÷ 30) × days occupied × 1.10 — the extra 10% compensates the owner for the disruption. The remainder of your first month's rent is refunded to you.
• Plixico takes zero commission on an early withdrawal — the 10% surcharge goes to the owner, not us.
• Refunds are processed to your original payment method and typically reflect within 5-7 business days, per standard Razorpay/bank timelines.

You can withdraw from My Bookings → your booking → "Withdraw & get refund," any time before the 7-day window closes.

4. If you don't withdraw

After 7 days, funds automatically release to the hostel owner: 90% of the deposit and 95% of the first month's rent (Plixico keeps the remaining 10%/5% as a one-time service fee). From month two onward, rent is a direct arrangement between you and the owner — Plixico takes no further commission, ever.

If you need to move out after the 7-day window has closed — including partway through a later month — you or the hostel owner can flag a move-out date in advance ("give notice") from My Bookings or the owner's dashboard, so the bed can be booked by someone else from that date. Rent already paid for a period you didn't fully use is handled case-by-case with the owner and Plixico support, since the buyer-protection window (and Plixico's involvement in that payment) has already closed by that point.

5. Item rentals & local services

Item-rental requests (renting another student's belongings, e.g. appliances, furniture, vehicles) and local service bookings (laundry, tiffin, etc.) don't go through the 7-day escrow hold — they're lower-value, handled directly between students/providers. You can cancel a pending rental/service request before it's accepted at no cost. Once accepted, any refund is between you and the other party; contact support@plixico.com if you can't reach agreement and we'll help mediate.

6. If a hostel owner cancels on you

If an owner rejects or cancels your booking before you've paid, no charge occurs. If an owner ends your stay after you've paid (for any reason other than your own violation of the hostel's rules), you're entitled to the same day-wise settlement described in Section 3 — your deposit back in full, and rent refunded for the days you didn't stay.

7. Disputed refunds

If you believe a charge, refund amount, or payout is wrong, email support@plixico.com with your booking reference. We'll review the booking, payment, and escrow records and respond within 5 business days.