Introducing the Sugar Golden Pass
Plans change. Flights move, work calls, someone falls ill. Until now, when a guest cancelled, the only answer we had was a card refund, and card refunds are slow: we submit them within three working days, and then the bank takes its own time. So we built a second choice. If you booked directly with Ocean Bliss and paid by card, you can now cancel online and take a Sugar Golden Pass instead: the full amount you paid, ready the moment you cancel, to use on new dates within a year.
Praveen AriyaratneFounder, Sugar Co-living
- Cancel online with your booking number and the code we email you.
- Cancelling 7 or more days before arrival? Choose: refund to your card or a Sugar Golden Pass.
- The pass is ready at once: the full amount you paid, in your name, for a new stay that begins within one year.
- New stay costs more: you pay the difference. Costs less: the rest is not refunded. Never cash.
- Only want new dates? WhatsApp Rami, up to 7 days before arrival.
Why we made it
Most guests who cancel are not saying goodbye to Sri Lanka. They are saying “not these dates”. A refund sends their money back through the card network for one to two weeks, and then they book again and pay again. That is slow for them and costly for everyone.
The Sugar Golden Pass keeps it simple. The value of your stay stays with you, in your name, and you choose the new dates yourself, online, whenever you are ready. And if you would rather have your money back, the card refund is still there, exactly as before. You choose.
How it works, step by step
Everything happens on our own cancel page. You do not need to message anyone or wait for a reply.
- Open the cancel page and enter your booking number and the email address on your booking.
- Type the 6-digit code we email you. It works for 15 minutes.
- See exactly what you get back before you confirm anything.
- Cancelling 7 or more days before arrival? Choose “Refund to my card” or “Sugar Golden Pass, ready now”.
- Choose the pass and it appears on screen at once, with its number (it looks like OB-7K3M-9QX2), and in your inbox.
Using your pass for new dates
Search your new dates on our booking page, choose your room and fill in your details. At the review step, open “Have a Sugar Golden Pass?”, enter your pass number and the email it was sent to, and type the code we send you. The pass comes straight off the bill.
The new booking is made in the name on the pass. If the pass covers the whole stay, you confirm with no card at all. If the new stay costs more, you pay the difference by card, and the 4% secure online payment service is charged only on that card part, never on the pass.
The rules, in plain words
We kept the rules short so there are no surprises later.
- Offered when you cancel 7 or more days before arrival, on a direct booking paid in full by card on our secure payment page.
- Worth the full amount you paid, including the payment service charge.
- In your name, used once, at Ocean Bliss only.
- Your new stay must begin within one year of the date of the pass.
- New stay costs more: you pay the difference. Costs less: the rest is not refunded.
- The 4% secure online payment service applies to the card part only, never to the pass.
- Never paid out as cash, to a card or to a bank account.
- It cannot be combined with a discount code.
- Paid in rupees? Your pass is in rupees too, and our team books your new dates with you on WhatsApp.
Prefer your money back? That is fine too
Nothing about the card refund has changed. Choose “Refund to my card” and we submit it within three working days; your bank usually shows it five to ten working days later. Cancelling 3 to 6 days before arrival costs 50% of the booking, and less than 3 days 100%, as before. The Golden Pass is offered in the free cancellation window only.
Only want to move your dates?
You do not have to cancel at all. WhatsApp Rami, our manager, on +94 74 088 0601 up to 7 days before arrival. If the room is free on your new dates, he moves your booking once; the new stay must begin within one year of your original arrival date. New dates cost more: you pay the difference. Cost less: nothing is refunded.
Questions guests ask
What is the Sugar Golden Pass?
A stay pass worth everything you paid for a cancelled direct booking at Ocean Bliss. You choose it instead of a card refund when you cancel 7 or more days before arrival, and use it once for new dates.
How quickly do I get it?
At once. It appears on screen the moment you confirm the cancellation, and we email it to you with its pass number.
How long is it valid?
Your new stay must begin within one year of the date the pass was made.
Can I turn the pass into cash later?
No. The pass is never paid out as cash, to a card or to a bank account. If you want your money back, choose the card refund when you cancel.
What if my new stay costs less than the pass?
The pass pays for the stay and the rest is not refunded. Choose a stay worth at least the pass to use all of it.
Can someone else use my pass?
No. The pass is in your name, the new booking is made in that name, and the code to use it goes to the email the pass was sent to.
Can I use a discount code with my pass?
No. A booking can use either a Sugar Golden Pass or a discount code, not both.
I booked through Booking.com, Airbnb or another site. Can I get a pass?
No. Bookings made through other sites follow that site's cancellation policy. The Sugar Golden Pass is for bookings made directly with Ocean Bliss.
Full terms are on our refund and cancellation policy page. This applies to Ocean Bliss by Sugar, operated by Ocean By Sugar (Pvt) Ltd. Zen Koggala has its own policy.