Know your package.
Protect your learning time.
Policy version: 2026-10-17-v3. These are the intended standard commercial terms, subject to the statutory rights below.
Read before purchasing
Package purchases are final under our standard policy. We do not offer change-of-mind cash refunds for packages, unused sessions or session cancellations, except where required by law.
You purchase a fixed package: Bronze includes 3 sessions, Silver includes 6 sessions and Gold includes 9 sessions. There is no monthly renewal.
Packages have no automatic expiry. Unused session credits remain available for future bookings. A returned session does not acquire a new expiry date.
Rescheduling and cancellations
At least 24 hours before the confirmed session starts: cancel the appointment in your portal. One session returns to your package for rebooking, subject to tutor availability and team approval. This is a session credit, not a cash refund. Exactly 24 hours qualifies.
Less than 24 hours before the confirmed session starts: cancellation forfeits the session under our standard policy. It will not return to your package and no standard cash refund is offered. The tutor’s time was reserved and unavailable to other learners. Statutory exceptions and reasonable-charge requirements still apply.
A request still awaiting team approval can be withdrawn before it starts without losing the reserved session. Contact the team for sessions that have already started or for a statutory exception; the portal does not automatically decide those cases.
Notice is measured from the time the portal records your cancellation to the session’s scheduled start. Cancelling an appointment does not automatically book a replacement.
If StudyMate cancels or cannot provide the agreed service, contact us to arrange an appropriate remedy. The customer late-cancellation forfeiture does not apply to a cancellation by StudyMate. Your statutory rights remain available.
Session duration and extensions
One included session lasts 60 minutes.
Extensions cost R75 for every additional started 15-minute block: 1–15 extra minutes costs R75; 16–30 costs R150; 31–45 costs R225; 46–60 costs R300.
Extra time is subject to tutor availability and the parent, guardian or adult learner’s agreement before the session is extended. It is charged separately from included package sessions. It is not automatically charged to a saved payment method by this portal.
Tutor availability and provider changes
Choose your preferred qualified tutor or any available tutor, then a published one-hour slot. Availability is rechecked at submission and approval. A submitted request awaits tutor acceptance and then final administrator approval. It is not confirmed until both steps are complete.
A tutor cannot cancel or change a confirmed appointment. They report unavailability to the administrator. If StudyMate cannot supply the selected tutor, the parent is notified in the portal and can wait for that tutor, accept a proposed replacement/time, or cancel the appointment without penalty and have the session returned. A replacement is not imposed without parent acceptance. Statutory refund and service remedies remain available.
Appointment requests and session balances
Submitting a request reserves one package session while the team reviews it. The time is confirmed only after tutor acceptance and administrator approval. A declined request releases its reserved session. You cannot request more sessions than remain in your package.
One session per learner per SAST calendar day is the default. An additional same-day session needs an explicit exception request and team approval.
Third-party payment processing
Payments are handled by an independent payment provider. Processing or confirmation can be delayed by the provider, your bank, security checks or technical interruptions. A pending payment does not activate a package.
Your package activates only after StudyMate’s system verifies successful payment. If your bank shows a debit but your payment remains pending, contact StudyMate with your transaction reference before attempting payment again. Do not send card details, passwords or banking PINs.
Where a refund is required by law or otherwise authorised, the time taken to reflect in your account depends on the payment provider and your bank. StudyMate will communicate the refund status; no universal processing time is promised.
Your statutory rights
Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts or overrides a consumer right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded under South African law. Any mandatory cancellation, cooling-off, prepaid-credit validity, refund or service-quality rights prevail over the standard terms above. Cancellation charges must comply with applicable reasonableness requirements and statutory exceptions.
To raise an exception or dispute, contact contact@studymate.co.za.