Policies

Cancellations

How cancellations work when you book through a captain you found here.

Unreel is a directory of fishing charter captains. We don’t process bookings, take deposits, or handle payment — those are direct between you and your captain. That means cancellations are governed by each captain’s individual policy, not by Unreel.

Before you book

Always ask the captain three questions before paying any deposit:

  1. What’s your cancellation policy if I need to cancel?
  2. What happens if you cancel due to weather?
  3. Are deposits refundable, and within what window?

Get the answers in writing — a confirmation email or text is enough. If a captain won’t put their cancellation policy in writing, that’s a useful signal.

Weather cancellations

Most reputable charter captains do not charge if they cancel a trip due to unsafe weather. Many will offer to reschedule or refund deposits in those cases. This is industry practice, not a guarantee — confirm in writing before paying.

Disputes

If you have a dispute with a captain about a cancellation, work directly with them first. If you can’t resolve it, you can flag the listing through our contact page so we can investigate and update the captain’s listing accordingly. Note that we can’t enforce refunds — that’s between you, the captain, and the relevant payment processor (your bank, PayPal, Venmo, etc.).

Trust and safety

For more on how we source and review captain listings, see our Trust & Safety page.