Cancellation & Refund Policy

Version 1.0 · Last updated: 10 Aug 2026

How payment works

When you book, you pay a 20% deposit plus a 3% booking and processing fee. This reserves your driver. The remaining balance is paid in cash directly to your driver, in either US dollars or Nicaraguan córdobas. You pay at the end of each completed ride. A one-way trip is paid at drop-off; a same-day round-trip is paid at the final drop-off.

Round-trips are same-day only. If you're returning on a different day, book it as a separate trip in the same booking. The price per trip is identical, and three or more trips earns you 5% off the whole itinerary.

Free cancellation — 48 hours or more before pickup

Cancel 48 hours or more before your scheduled pickup time and we refund your deposit in full. The 3% booking and processing fee is non-refundable, as it covers costs already incurred at the time of booking.

Late cancellation — less than 48 hours before pickup

Cancel within 48 hours of your pickup time and your deposit and booking fee are not refunded. Your driver reserved that time and, on longer routes, may already be traveling to meet you.

Booked by mistake?

If you cancel within 2 hours of booking online, we refund your deposit and booking fee in full, regardless of your travel date.

No-shows

If you do not appear at the pickup location within 30 minutes of the scheduled time and we are unable to reach you by WhatsApp or phone, the booking is treated as a no-show and the deposit and booking fee are not refunded.

The 30 minutes is a waiting window, not a deadline. If you are delayed and you tell us by WhatsApp, your driver waits and there is no penalty. See the travel delay section below. We only treat a booking as a no-show when we cannot reach you at all and you fail to meet your driver.

Changes and rebooking are always free

You can change your date, time, or pickup location at no charge as long as you tell us before your scheduled pickup time. Send all change requests by WhatsApp since it is the fastest way to reach us and the only channel we monitor outside business hours. Your deposit carries over to the new booking. If your plans shift, message us on WhatsApp, do not modify the trip through the website.

Travel delays — flights, border crossings, ferries, and buses

Delays outside your control are never penalized. If you are delayed by any of the following, message us on WhatsApp as soon as you can and we will hold your driver or rebook you at no charge, even inside the 48-hour window:

  • A late, cancelled, or missed connection flight. We monitor arriving flights and will wait for a delayed flight at no extra charge.
  • A slow border crossing at Peñas Blancas — immigration queues here are unpredictable and routinely run slow.
  • A delayed or cancelled ferry at San Jorge or Ometepe.
  • A late connecting bus or shuttle, including transport from Liberia to the border at Peñas Blancas.
  • Road closures or accidents that delay your arrival.
  • Lost or delayed baggage, immigration, or customs delays at the terminal after flight arrival.

If we cannot accommodate your new arrival time, we refund your deposit and booking fee in full. We will always try to accommodate unexpected changes and get you a driver as our first priority.

One thing we ask in return: WhatsApp message us if anything unexpected comes up. A delay you tell us about costs you nothing. A delay we learn about by watching an empty curb costs your local driver his afternoon/evening and lost income, and that is the situation where we enforce the no-show rule.

If we cancel

If we cancel your booking for any reason — no available driver, vehicle breakdown, or anything else on our side — you receive a full refund of your deposit and the booking fee. We will always do our best to arrange an alternative for you before we cancel.

Weather, road closures, and border closures

If a booking cannot be completed safely because of severe weather, road closure, civil disruption, or a border closure at Peñas Blancas, you may rebook at no charge or receive a full refund of your deposit. Your safety comes before our schedule.

Bookings with more than one trip

If your booking includes several trips, each trip is treated separately. The 48-hour window is measured from that individual trip's pickup time, and cancelling one trip does not affect the others. If you cancel one trip 48 hours or more before its pickup, that trip's deposit is refunded and the rest of your itinerary stands.

Refund or credit — your choice

Whenever this policy entitles you to money back, you choose how to take it:

  • A refund to your original payment method, or
  • A travel credit for the full amount, valid for 12 months and usable on any future booking with us. Credits are transferable so if your plans change permanently, you can pass it to a friend or family traveling to Nicaragua.

Just tell us which you'd prefer when you message us. If you don't say, we issue a refund.

How to cancel or change a booking

Message us on WhatsApp at +1 916-849-8896 or email admin@nicaraguataxi.com with your booking reference number. Please don't cancel through your bank or credit card. Message us first and we will resolve it faster.

Refund timing

Approved refunds are issued to your original payment method within 5 business days.