OpenTable vs Resy Cancellation Policies: Deposits and Deadlines

OpenTable and Resy cancellation policies depend on the restaurant and the booking. Compare the exact cutoff, charge basis and refund terms in each confirmation before choosing a table.

OpenTable vs Resy: cancellation policy and deposit terms

Neither platform name tells you whether a particular reservation has free cancellation. A normal dinner, a holiday menu and a large-party booking can carry different conditions, even at the same restaurant. Read the terms attached to the date, time and party size you are actually reserving.

Start with the financial condition. A request for card details can secure a reservation against a later cancellation or no-show fee. A deposit is money paid toward the booking. A prepaid experience can involve a larger advance payment with its own conditions. Check which arrangement applies before treating a card-entry screen as a bill.

Then find the action that triggers a charge. It may be cancellation after a cutoff, failure to arrive or a change to the party size. The fact that a booking can be edited on screen does not, by itself, tell you whether the change is free.

Compare the two reservations like this:

The useful choice is the table whose terms fit your plans. If you are waiting for relatives to confirm their arrival, a clear cancellation window may matter more than which app you prefer. If both bookings have the same conditions, this comparison gives you no reason to prefer one platform.

Find the policy before you commit

For OpenTable, read the restaurant's conditions in the booking flow and retain the confirmation. Its official diner policy guide distinguishes cancellation, no-show and deposit policies. Use the policy for your reservation rather than a general article about another restaurant's fee.

For Resy, keep the confirmation email and open the reservation details when your plans change. Resy's diner guidance tells customers to review cancellation details for any applicable charges. A restaurant listing or a screenshot of available times does not replace the conditions you accepted when you booked.

Save the whole relevant section, including text below the main price. "Per guest" and "per reservation" produce different totals. Check whether taxes, service charges or other prepaid amounts are addressed separately. If the confirmation does not explain what happens to those amounts, ask the restaurant before relying on a refund estimate.

Also keep the restaurant's name and location. Chains can have several branches in one city, and holiday events may use a separate contact. A reply from the wrong branch will not settle the conditions of your table.

Turn the wording into a decision time

Write down the full cutoff: date, time and the restaurant's local time zone. A dinner at 7 p.m. on Friday does not tell you the cancellation deadline. The terms might specify a fixed time on the previous day or a number of hours before the reservation.

Avoid silently converting "the day before" into 24 hours. If the wording leaves the hour unclear, ask the restaurant to confirm it. If you are traveling across time zones, keep the restaurant-local cutoff visible even if you also make a note in your home time zone.

Choose a personal decision time earlier than the cutoff. That gives you room to reach the other guests, decide and complete the change. A reminder at the last permitted minute leaves no margin for a failed sign-in or a missing cancellation control.

Do not use a platform's no-show reporting rule as your financial deadline. Being late, being marked absent and becoming liable for a cancellation fee are different questions. The restaurant's accepted terms govern the financial condition you need to check.

Work out how much is at stake

Suppose two fictional reservations are available. Table A requires a $25 deposit per guest for four guests and permits a refund before its stated cutoff. Table B takes card details and specifies a $30 per-guest late-cancellation charge. These are examples for reading a policy, not prices or standard terms offered by either platform.

Table A involves $100 paid in advance: four times $25. Table B could involve a $120 charge if all four guests cancel under the example's late-cancellation rule: four times $30. A booking with no upfront payment can therefore still have a cost attached to changing your plans.

For an actual booking, copy the amount and whether it applies per person or per table. If only one guest drops out, check the party-size condition. Do not assume the restaurant will charge all four guests, or that it will waive the absent guest's portion. The specific policy and the restaurant's response determine that.

Change or cancel through the reservation

Open the original confirmation or the reservation in your account. Check the conditions again before submitting a change. On OpenTable, use the reservation's modification or cancellation route when it is available; contact the restaurant if you cannot complete the action or need an exception.

On the Resy website, the official change-or-cancel instructions say to open the profile icon, choose Reservations and select Manage Reservation under Upcoming Reservations. Change Reservation edits the date, time or party size; Cancel ends the booking. Review any fee shown before confirming.

Complete the final confirmation step, then keep the resulting message or updated reservation status. A screenshot of the cancellation button before you pressed it does not show that the cancellation succeeded. If you call, record when you spoke and ask for written confirmation of the agreed change.

Avoid canceling a prepaid reservation merely to test whether another time is available. Ask whether the existing reservation can be modified and what happens to the payment. If the restaurant agrees to transfer or waive something, keep that reply with the original terms.

Ask the restaurant about a refund or fee

Send the reservation name, date, party size, booking reference and the time you canceled or requested a change. Attach the relevant policy and confirmation. State the amount you are asking about, with a redacted receipt if needed. This gives the restaurant enough context to review the booking without a long exchange about which table you mean.

Separate two questions: whether the restaurant has approved a refund, and whether that refund has appeared on your card. Ask for the refund confirmation and expected processing information if approval has already been given. Do not treat a cancellation acknowledgment as proof that a refund was issued.

Resy's restaurant terms assign responsibility for refunds and disputed fees to the restaurant. For a diner, the practical starting point is the restaurant that took the booking. You can also contact platform support about an account or booking-system problem, but a support conversation does not replace completing the required cancellation.

Keep the terms ready for the day you decide

Save the confirmation to dEssence yourself and ask Tracy to pull out the dinner time, payment condition and cancellation cutoff. Check those details against the original, especially the time zone and per-person wording. Then request a reminder before your own decision time. Tracy does not reserve a table, change a booking or submit a cancellation. You make the change and retain its confirmation.

This comparison was checked on October 31, 2026. Restaurant terms can change and vary by booking. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

FAQ

Does OpenTable always allow free cancellation?

No. Read the policy attached to your reservation. A restaurant can apply cancellation, no-show or deposit conditions, and a holiday experience may differ from its usual dinner bookings.

Does Resy charge a cancellation fee?

A Resy reservation can carry a restaurant's cancellation fee. Check the booking details and confirmation for the amount and cutoff. Contact the restaurant about a fee or refund request.

Is entering a card the same as paying a deposit?

No. A card can secure a later fee without a deposit being collected at booking. Read whether you are providing a card guarantee, paying a deposit or prepaying an experience, and check the payment confirmation.

Can I change the party size without a penalty?

It depends on the reservation's terms and when you change it. Review any party-size condition and ask the restaurant if the answer is unclear. Keep the updated confirmation so you can verify the new guest count and payment terms.

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