Booking & Cancellation Policy
Clear, fair terms for booking, changing and cancelling your Hokkaido Compass services. If anything is unclear, our concierge team is happy to help.
1. Booking Confirmation & Payment
Peak price season: 1 July – 31 August and 15 December – end of February. All other dates are regular season. Cancellation seasons are defined separately in section 3.
Submitting this form does not charge you. After we confirm availability and price, we will email you a payment link.
The payment arrangement for your booking is set out in your quotation email.
- After we confirm availability and price, our team will email you a payment link. Airport transfers, day tours and 1-day private charters require full payment (100%) to secure the booking. Private charters of 2 or more days and self-drive car rental require a 30% deposit; the balance is due 7 days before service.
- Your booking is held for a limited time after we send the payment link. If payment is not received within that period, the booking may be released.
- Driver and company contact details are provided 3 days before service.
2. Changes & Rescheduling
We understand that travel plans can change. Changes after confirmation are subject to vehicle availability.
- Day tours, private charters and car rentals: a change of service date is treated as a cancellation and new booking, and the cancellation policy in section 3B applies.
- Airport transfers follow their own rescheduling terms in section 3A.
3A. Cancellation Policy: Airport Transfer
Free cancellation until 7 days (regular season), 14 days (peak season) or 21 days (peak dates) before your scheduled start time, Japan time. The deadline itself is included.
Start time is your flight's landing time for arrivals and your hotel pickup time for departures. Each leg of a round trip is assessed separately.
Peak season: 1 July – 31 August and 15 December – end of February. Peak dates: 20 December – 3 January and the Chinese New Year window (2027: 29 January – 12 February). Peak dates follow the peak-date column.
| Time before scheduled start (Japan time) | Regular season | Peak season | Peak dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 days or more | Free | Free | Free |
| 14 days or more, under 21 days | Free | Free | 30% |
| 8 days or more, under 14 days | Free | 50% | 50% |
| 7 days or more, under 8 days | Free | 100% | 100% |
| 48 hours or more, under 7 days | 30% | 100% | 100% |
| Under 48 hours, or no-show | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Fees are a percentage of the confirmed fare for that leg, including any confirmed peak-date or side-lift surcharge, rounded down to the yen. Card processing fees are never deducted from your refund.
If we cannot provide the service for reasons on our side, or if weather or road conditions make it unsafe and no agreed new date is possible, you receive a full refund of the amount paid with no fee. A closed sightseeing spot is not a cancellation while the transfer itself can run safely.
Free rescheduling
- One free reschedule per leg, requested before that leg's free-cancellation deadline.
- The new date and vehicle must be confirmed by us. The fare for the new date may differ, and any difference is explained before you confirm.
- This does not allow unlimited changes. After the free deadline, a change is not automatically free; if it is handled as a cancellation plus a new booking, we first show you the cancellation fee, the new fare and the refund, and proceed only with your explicit agreement.
No-show
- Airport pickup: you have not appeared by the end of the free waiting time after landing, and we could not reach you through the contact details in your booking.
- Airport drop-off: you have not appeared at the agreed pickup time, and we could not reach you through the contact details in your booking.
- A no-show is never decided by the driver alone or by simple lateness. Weather, road closures, flight delays and reasons on our side are never treated as a no-show. A no-show may be charged 100% of the leg fare.
3B. Cancellation Policy: Private Charter, Day Tours & Car Rental
For day tours, private charters and car rentals, the winter peak cancellation season is 15 December to the end of February. All other dates, including July and August, follow the regular terms. Seasonal prices are set separately and do not change these terms.
Days are counted by Japan calendar date before the first service day; the time of day does not matter. Multi-day bookings follow the season of the first service day. Cancellation on the service day is charged 100%.
Regular period
| Timing | Cancellation fee (% of total) |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before | Free |
| 13–7 days before | 30% |
| 6–3 days before | 50% |
| 2–1 days before | 80% |
| Service day | 100% |
Winter peak (15 Dec – end of Feb)
| Timing | Cancellation fee (% of total) |
|---|---|
| 30 days or more before | Free |
| 29–15 days before | 30% |
| 14–8 days before | 50% |
| 7 days before or less, including the service day | 100% |
4. Flight Delays
For airport transfers, we monitor flight arrival times in real time. Normal airline delays do not incur additional waiting charges. If your flight schedule changes significantly, please inform us as soon as possible.
5. Weather & Road Conditions
Safety is always our highest priority. If severe weather, natural disasters, road closures, or government restrictions make the service impossible to operate, we will work with you to reschedule your booking, or provide an appropriate refund when rescheduling is not possible.
6. Private Charter: Service Hours & Limits
Standard service hours are 08:00–20:00 (10 hours per day), with a daily mileage limit of 300 km. Fuel, highway tolls, parking, driver accommodation and meals are included.
- Overtime: ¥4,000 per 30 minutes beyond 20:00 (¥5,000 from December 15 through the end of February)
- Excess mileage: ¥4,000 per additional 30 km beyond the daily limit (¥5,000 from December 15 through the end of February)
Peak season covers July 1 through August 31 and December 15 through the end of February. Peak dates, our busiest days, are December 20 through January 3 and the period from seven days before to seven days after Chinese New Year's Eve (2027: January 29 – February 12). All other dates are regular season. The season is determined by the date of service.
Overtime and excess mileage charges will be confirmed in advance wherever possible and settled at the end of each service day.
7. Driver Waiting Time
- Airport Transfer: we monitor your flight.
- Free waiting: your driver waits up to 90 minutes after your flight's actual landing, free of charge.
- Flight delays: if your flight is delayed by up to 3 hours, we adjust your pickup time free of charge.
- Private Charter: Your itinerary begins at the agreed pickup time. If the tour exceeds the reserved duration, overtime charges apply as above.
8. Customer Responsibility
Please ensure that passenger information is accurate, pickup time and location are confirmed, and any special requests (child seats, luggage, accessibility, etc.) are communicated in advance. Additional charges may apply if the service needs to be substantially changed after confirmation.
9. Force Majeure
Neither party shall be liable for delays or cancellation caused by events beyond reasonable control, including natural disasters, earthquakes, severe weather, road closures, government restrictions, airline cancellations, or major transportation disruptions.
10. Our Promise
We know that every journey is unique. While these policies help protect both our guests and our operations, our priority is always to provide fair, flexible, and thoughtful service. If unexpected circumstances arise, we will always do our best to find the most reasonable solution together.
11. Complimentary Services
Every guest receives complimentary custom itinerary planning. We also provide free booking assistance for restaurants, hotels, and outdoor activities. The booking support service itself is free of charge; the actual dining, accommodation, and activity costs must be paid separately by the guest.