Refund and Cancellation Policy

At a glance

This policy applies to every payment made to Studying Plus LLC. Each service has its own refund rules in Parts B to E. Where a service part differs from Part A, the service part applies to that service.

Part A. Terms for every service

A1. Who this applies to. This policy covers every payment to Studying Plus LLC ("we", "us"), whether made by card online, by card terminal in person, through PayPal, or by Wise or bank transfer. By paying, you confirm you have read it. At checkout and on every payment link you must tick a box to accept it. We keep a record of your acceptance with the date and time.

A2. What we sell and when it is delivered. We sell services, not goods. Nothing is shipped. A tour is delivered on the dates in your itinerary. Study abroad guidance is delivered in the stages in your written agreement. The description of each service and its price is in your quote, invoice or agreement.

A3. Currency, fees and taxes. Our prime currency is the US dollar (USD). Our Europe tours are listed in euros, and our website shows amounts in other currencies as a guide only. We charge the equal amount in USD, worked out at the exchange rate on the date of your invoice. Where Wise or PayPal supports your currency, we may make your invoice in that currency instead, for the equal amount. Otherwise it is in USD. Your invoice states the exact amount and currency to pay.

Your bank, card issuer or payment provider may add its own charges, which we do not control. They differ from bank to bank and from country to country, and they are subject to your bank's policy. They include, but are not limited to, international transaction fees, currency conversion charges, the exchange rate your bank applies, taxes, and local bank charges. We cannot refund them.

We refund the amount we received, in the currency you paid. If exchange rates have moved since you paid, the amount you get back in your own currency may be different. We are not responsible for exchange-rate differences added by your bank or card issuer. We do not add a surcharge for paying by card unless it is shown before you pay.

A4. Receipts and confirmations. After each payment we email a receipt within one business day. It shows our business name, the amount and currency, and a label: Deposit, Partial payment, Balance or Prepayment. It states the cancellation and refund terms and the date and time the refund right ends. Any share of the amount that is not refundable after that time is marked "non-refundable".

A5. How refunds are paid. Refunds go back to the method you paid with: the same card, the same PayPal account, or the sending bank or Wise account. We do not refund in cash or to a different account. If the original method is closed, we will refund to another account only after verifying it is yours. If you paid with a prepaid card, we may refund in cash where the card rules allow it.

A6. How long refunds take.

• We confirm a valid cancellation in writing within 3 business days of receiving your written request.
• We submit an approved refund within 10 business days of approval.
• Your bank, card issuer or PayPal may take a further 5 to 10 business days to show it.
• PayPal limits how long after a payment a refund can be returned to the payer's PayPal account. If that period has passed, we will refund to another verified method.

A7. Bank and Wise transfers. If you paid by bank transfer or Wise, fees charged to you or by intermediary banks for the original transfer are not refundable. We pay the fee to send your refund.

A8. Late or declined payments. If a scheduled payment is declined, we will tell you in writing and allow at least 7 days to pay another way before we treat the booking as cancelled by you.

A9. If we cancel or cannot deliver. We refund everything you paid for the affected service within 10 business days. If you prefer, you can choose a credit or an alternative of equal value instead.

A10. Disputes with your bank. Please contact us before disputing a payment with your bank or card issuer. We respond within 5 business days. If a refund has been issued, we will give your bank the evidence of it.

A11. Your legal rights. Nothing in this policy limits rights you have by law, including rights under EU or UK package travel rules or under the law of your US state. If the law gives you a better right than this policy, the law applies.

A12. Legal restrictions. We cannot sell to, or send money to, people or places covered by sanctions or trade restrictions. A payment or refund may be delayed while we complete a compliance check. We do not sell services where doing so is unlawful.

A13. Identity checks. For a refund above US$1,000, or where a payment looks unusual, we may ask you to confirm your identity first.

Part B. Educational tours

B1. What this covers. Group educational tours and customised trips for schools, universities, clubs and families, at the service level shown in your quote. The "tour price" is the total in your written quote or invoice.

B2. Interest is not a booking. Registering interest, asking for a quote, or sending an enquiry costs nothing and creates no obligation. For a tour with dates not yet announced, we ask for payment only after we confirm the dates in writing.

B3. Payment schedule. A booking is confirmed when we receive the registration (advance) payment shown on your invoice. The rest of the tour price is due within 15 days after that payment, however far away the departure is. The tour price includes flights, hotels and ground costs that we pay in advance. If you book less than 30 days before departure, the full price is due at booking.

We may agree a later date for the balance. That date can never be later than 30 days before departure, and it must be stated on your invoice or in a separate document that you accept before you pay. If you do not pay the balance by the due date, or within the 7 days in A8 after a declined payment, we treat the booking as cancelled by you on that date, and B5 applies to the amount you have paid.

The receipt for the registration payment is marked "Deposit".

B4. 5-day full refund period. If you cancel in writing within 5 days of paying, and departure is more than 30 days away, we refund 100% of everything you paid.

B5. Cancelling after the 5-day period. Once the 5 days have passed, we start committing money to suppliers, so part of what you paid becomes non-refundable. Cancel by email to the address in Part F. Your notice counts from the day we receive it. The shares below apply to the total amount you have paid at that date. We refund the refundable share.

B6. Amounts we recover. The non-refundable share is a fair estimate of what a cancellation costs us in supplier deposits, issued tickets and planning work. If a supplier refunds or credits us for your cancelled place, we pass that amount on to you within 10 business days of receiving it.

B7. One participant leaves a group. The schedule in B5 applies to that participant's share. If a fall in group size changes the per-person price, we tell you the new price in writing. You may then cancel within 7 days of that notice, and the non-refundable share under B5 is waived for that cancellation.

B8. Changes and name substitutions. You may substitute a participant up to 45 days before departure. You pay any fee the airline or supplier charges us, at cost. A change of dates is treated as a cancellation and a new booking, unless the suppliers allow the change without loss.

B9. What is not refundable. Services you do not use after departure, missed or delayed flights you cause, early departure, refusal of boarding or entry because of missing or invalid documents, and removal of a participant for breaking the conduct rules in the participant agreement.

B10. Visa refusal. A visa refusal is not a reason for a full refund. We refund the amounts we recover from suppliers and any amount not yet paid to suppliers, less the non-refundable share under B5 for the date we receive your notice. We provide the invitation and supporting letters that visa applications usually need.

B11. Travel insurance. Insurance is not included unless your itinerary says so. We strongly recommend you buy travel insurance that covers cancellation, medical care and repatriation.

B12. If we cancel or change your tour. If we cancel because of a minimum group size, a safety concern or a supplier failure, we refund everything you paid within 10 business days, or offer an equal alternative that you may accept or decline. If we make a significant change before departure, such as a different destination or a price increase, you may cancel within 7 days of our notice for a full refund. Once your registration payment is received, we do not raise the price.

B13. Events beyond our control. These include natural disaster, war, terrorism, epidemic, strikes, airspace closure and a government order against travel. We first offer to rearrange or reschedule at no charge. If that is not possible, we refund all you paid less the costs we have already paid to suppliers and cannot recover. We show those costs on request. If the US State Department issues a Level 4 advisory for your destination at least 14 days before departure, you may cancel on the same terms.

B14. Airfare. If flights are included and we sold them, and the airline cancels or significantly changes a flight and you decline the alternative, we refund the airfare. We pay card refunds within 7 business days and other refunds within 20 calendar days.

B15. Problems during the tour. Tell the tour leader straight away so we can fix it. If we fail to provide part of the tour, we refund the value of that part.

B16. Short-notice bookings and special terms. The B5 schedule applies from the day you book, whatever the notice. If you book within 30 days of departure, the full amount is non-refundable from the moment you pay and the 5-day full refund period does not apply. If your invoice, or a special document we send you, states different terms for your booking, those terms apply to that booking in place of B4 and B5. We show them on the invoice or special document before you pay, and you accept them in writing or at checkout.

Part C. Study abroad guidance

C1. What we sell. Guidance and application support: profile assessment and shortlisting, application and document preparation, statement review, scholarship search, visa guidance and pre-departure briefing. We do not admit students, award scholarships or grant visas, and we do not guarantee any outcome.

C2. Fees and stages. Service fees depend on the destination region and run from US$750 to US$3,500. Your written agreement lists the total fee and the fee for each stage. You pay each stage at its start.

C3. When you can cancel and what you get back.

Work "has started" when we hold your first assessment meeting or begin reviewing your documents, whichever is first.

C4. Outcomes are not refundable. A refused admission, scholarship or visa, a late decision, a change in immigration rules, or a deadline you missed does not entitle you to a refund, because we have delivered the service. If we miss a deadline we agreed in writing, we refund the affected stage.

C5. Third-party costs. Application fees, test fees, tuition, university deposits, visa and immigration fees, health surcharges, translation, attestation and courier costs are paid by you directly to the third party. Their refund rules apply, not ours. We do not collect tuition or deposits for institutions. If you ask us in writing to pay a third-party cost for you, we pass it on at cost and show it separately.

C6. Commissions. Universities or other institutions may pay us a commission when a student enrols. It does not change the fee you pay. You can ask us which institutions pay us a commission.

C7. Honest documents. We do not prepare false or misleading documents. If you give us false information or documents, we stop work, no refund is due, and we may report the matter where the law requires.

C8. Quality of our work. If you are not satisfied with a deliverable, tell us within 5 business days and we will correct it once at no charge. If it is still not corrected, we refund the fee for that deliverable.

C9. If we stop work. If we are unable to continue, we refund the fees for work not yet delivered within 10 business days.

Part D. Opportunities Portal

D1. Free to use. Students and organisations pay nothing to join, post a project, apply or message each other. There is nothing to refund.

D2. No money passes through us. Studying Plus does not process payments between users, hold money, run escrow, or guarantee any payment. If a project pays a stipend or fee, the student and organisation agree it and pay each other directly, outside the portal. Studying Plus is not a party to that agreement and is not responsible for any refund or dispute about it.

D3. Never pay to apply. No student should pay an organisation, or Studying Plus, to apply for or join a project. A listing that asks for payment or personal financial details is removed. Report it with the report button on the project page.

D4. Disputes between users. Use the report button. We can remove content or close an account. We cannot recover money.

D5. If we add paid features. We will publish separate terms and refund rules, and update this policy, before any charge is made.

Part E. Offers and promotions

E1. Preview offers. An offer marked "Preview" on our website is not available until we confirm it to you in writing.

E2. Cancelling a discounted booking. Any cancellation charge or refund is worked out on the price you actually paid, not the list price.

E3. Conditions. An offer applies only to the services and dates stated. Offers cannot be combined unless the offer says so, and have no cash value.

E4. Credits. If we offer you a credit instead of a refund, you may decline it and take the refund.

Part F. Requesting a refund, complaints and checkout wording

F1. How to ask. Email info@studyingplus.org, or use the contact form at studyingplus.org/contact.html, with your name, booking or agreement reference, the service, the reason, and how you paid. For a cancellation, send the request in writing so the date is clear.

F2. What happens next. We acknowledge your request within 1 business day, confirm a cancellation in writing within 3 business days, decide on a refund within 5 business days, and submit an approved refund within 10 business days of approval (see A6).

F3. Complaints. If you are unhappy with our decision, reply to the decision email within 14 days and ask for a review by the owner. We aim to resolve complaints within 30 days. This policy is governed by the law of the State of Michigan, USA, and the courts in Wayne County, Michigan, except where the law of your home country gives you the right to use your local courts.

F4. Wording shown at checkout, on receipts and on card terminals.

Tick-box shown beside every pay button, which must be ticked before payment:

I have read and accept the Refund and Cancellation Policy and the Privacy Policy. I understand that part of my payment becomes non-refundable 5 days after I pay, as set out in Part B.

Line printed on every receipt:

PAYMENT - 100% refundable until [date and time, 5 days after payment]. After that, part of it is non-refundable as set out in the Refund and Cancellation Policy at studyingplus.org/refund-policy.html. Cancellation requires written notice.

Line shown on the card terminal screen or printed beside the signature:

I agree to the cancellation and refund policy displayed or given to me. Deposit and balance payments are subject to it.

Receipt labels: Deposit for the first payment, Partial payment for instalments, Balance for the last payment, Prepayment when the full price is paid at booking. Each receipt also shows the scheduled start date of the service.

Contact

Studying Plus LLC, Taylor, Michigan, USA. Email info@studyingplus.org. Contact form: studyingplus.org/contact.html.