Order cancelled and refund: WhatsApp templates for restaurants
Updated October 20, 2026
An "order cancelled" or refund WhatsApp message is a utility template: it tells the customer what happened to their own order and their money. Meta's own utility examples include a "refund processed" message and a backorder notice that offers cancellation with a refund. It costs about US$0.0034 per message to a US number (Meta's rate card effective October 1, 2026). Two rules matter more than the wording: send "your refund has been started" only after you have actually issued it, and keep any "sorry, here's a discount" out of the template, or Meta files it as marketing.
In short
- Category: Utility. Cancellation and refund notices are about the customer's own order.
- In Menuthere: the Order cancelled flow sends "Order Cancelled" when an order is cancelled. You can cancel only while an order is Pending, and you pick or type a reason.
- Cancelling doesn't refund anyone. Refund an online payment from your payment gateway first, then send the refund wording.
- In the US, WhatsApp can send order updates but not promotions; use email for offers.
Three order cancelled wordings
{{cancel_reason}} is typed by you; Menuthere's order flows don't carry the reason as a value. Write it to follow "because": "an item you chose is sold out".
1. Refund started
Header: Order cancelled
Hi {{customer_name}}, your order #{{order_id}} from {{store_name}} has been cancelled because {{cancel_reason}}. Your refund of {{total}} has been started and goes back to the card you paid with.2. Not charged
Hi {{customer_name}}, we're sorry: we had to cancel your order #{{order_id}} because {{cancel_reason}}. You have not been charged. Please reply if you have any questions.3. Customer asked
Your order #{{order_id}} at {{store_name}} is cancelled as you asked, {{customer_name}}. No further action is needed.The template to submit to Meta
Wording 1 (refund started), ready to paste:
Name: order_cancelled_refund
Category: Utility
Language: en_US
Header (text): Order cancelled
Body:
Hi {{1}}, your order #{{2}} from {{3}} has been cancelled because {{4}}. Your refund of {{5}} has been started and goes back to the card you paid with.
Body examples:
{{1}} = Maria
{{2}} = 1042
{{3}} = Luna Taqueria
{{4}} = an item you chose is sold out
{{5}} = $24.50Which wording for which cancellation
Menuthere's cancel dialog offers four quick reasons, or one you type. Match the WhatsApp wording to it:
| Reason picked in Menuthere | Paid how | Wording to send | Before you send it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item out of stock | Online | 1. Refund started | Refund the payment in your gateway |
| Kitchen closed / overloaded | Online | 1. Refund started | Refund the payment in your gateway |
| Item out of stock | Cash or pay on pickup | 2. Not charged | Nothing to refund |
| Customer requested cancellation | Any | 3. Customer asked | Refund first if they paid online |
| Duplicate order | Online | 1. Refund started, for the duplicate | Refund only the duplicate |
What it costs per send
| Customer's number | Utility rate per message | Per 100 sends |
|---|---|---|
| United States and Canada | US$0.0034 | US$0.34 |
| United Kingdom | US$0.022 | US$2.20 |
| India | US$0.0014 | US$0.14 |
| Brazil | US$0.0068 | US$0.68 |
| United Arab Emirates | US$0.0157 | US$1.57 |
Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026, read on October 20, 2026. Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business account; Menuthere adds no markup. Check any other country in the WhatsApp cost calculator.
What happens in Menuthere when you cancel
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| You choose Cancelled on a Pending order | Accepted or later orders show "Only pending orders can be cancelled" |
| You pick or type a reason | The reason is shared with the customer and recorded on the order |
| The Order cancelled flow (if on) | Sends "Order Cancelled": "your order {{order_id}} from {{store_name}} has been cancelled. If this wasn't expected, please reach out to us." |
| Loyalty points redeemed on the order | Go back to the customer |
| Money | Not returned by itself: the customer's order page tells an online payer to ask you about the refund |
Outside India, online payments on Menuthere go through Stripe on your own account. Stripe says a refund goes back only to the original payment method and shows as a credit "approximately 5-10 business days later", and that its processing fee on the original payment is not returned. Put that timing in your own words if customers ask.
Worked example: a month of cancellations at a Seattle poke shop
The shop cancels about 20 of 1,500 monthly orders. All customers are on US numbers.
| Reason | Cancellations | Wording | Meta fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item out of stock, paid online | 9 | Refund started (after the Stripe refund) | 9 × US$0.0034 = US$0.031 |
| Kitchen overloaded on Saturday night | 5 | Refund started | US$0.017 |
| Customer asked | 4 | Customer asked | US$0.014 |
| Duplicate orders | 2 | Refund started, for the duplicate | US$0.007 |
| Total | 20 | US$0.068 a month |
Under 7 cents a month. A cancellation the customer only discovers at the door costs far more in refunds and reviews. Related: how do I handle a cancelled WhatsApp order and how do I handle a refund request on WhatsApp.
FAQs
Is an order cancelled message a utility template?
Yes. It tells the customer what happened to their own order and money. Meta's own utility examples include a refund-processed message and a backorder notice that offers a refund.
Does cancelling an order in Menuthere refund the customer?
No. Cancelling does not return money by itself. Refund an online payment from your payment gateway, then tell the customer the refund has started.
Can I cancel an order after accepting it?
Not in Menuthere. Only Pending orders can be cancelled; an accepted order shows Only pending orders can be cancelled.
How long does a card refund take to reach the customer?
Stripe says the customer sees the refund as a credit approximately 5 to 10 business days after you issue it, depending on their bank, and only on the original payment method.
Can I add a discount to say sorry for a cancelled order?
Not in a utility template. A discount makes the template marketing, which costs more and is not delivered to US numbers. Offer it in a normal chat reply instead.
Sources (7)
- Meta categorization page, UTILITY examples "Refund processed" and "Backorder notice" (accessed 20 Oct 2026).
- Stripe Docs, Refund and cancel payments ("Your customer sees the refund as a credit approximately 5-10 business days later"; refunds only to the original payment method; processing fees not returned): https://docs.stripe.com/refunds (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Template categorization (utility = non-promotional and specific to or requested by the user; mixed content = marketing; examples by category; utility submitted but judged marketing is approved as marketing since April 9, 2025): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-categorization (accessed 20 Oct 2026; the page shows no date)
- Meta for Developers, Template components (text header 60 characters and 1 parameter; body 1,024; footer 60; up to 10 buttons; URL buttons up to 2, label 25, one variable appended to the end of the URL): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/components (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Template review (rejection reasons: mismatched braces, non-sequential parameters, too many parameters for the length, template starts or ends with a parameter, duplicates; decisions can take up to 24 hours): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-review (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (per delivered message, by category and the recipient's country calling code; utility in the customer service window billed as regular from October 1, 2026; 1,000 free service messages per business number per month): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Per-user marketing template message limits ("WhatsApp does not currently deliver marketing template messages to WhatsApp users with United States phone numbers", defined as +1 with a US area code): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits (accessed 20 Oct 2026)