Payment Policy.

1. BOOKING PRICES

1.1 Instructor-set pricing. Lesson prices are set by each Instructor and may vary based on factors including (without limitation) pickup location, lesson duration, vehicle type/transmission, Instructor experience, availability, and any other criteria displayed on the Platform.

1.2 Price shown at checkout. The Learner will be shown the total booking price and any applicable fees before confirming a booking (or purchasing Credits), and must approve that total before payment is processed.

1.3 Booking price controls. The price displayed at checkout at the time of booking is the price that applies to that booking.

2. PAYMENTS AND AUTHORISATION

2.1 Payment timing. Payment is due and payable at the time a booking is made, or at the time Credits are purchased (as applicable).

2.2 Payment processing. Payments are processed by DriveBuddy and/or its nominated payment service provider(s) (including without limitation Stripe). By transacting through the Platform, you authorise DriveBuddy and its payment service provider(s) to charge your nominated payment method for the amounts approved at checkout.

2.3 Payment refusal / fraud prevention. DriveBuddy may refuse, suspend, reverse, cancel or restrict any transaction where DriveBuddy reasonably believes the transaction is unauthorised, fraudulent, suspicious, unlawful, or made in breach of the Terms.

2.4 Payment method responsibility. You are responsible for ensuring your payment method is valid and has sufficient funds/credit available. If a payment fails, DriveBuddy may cancel the attempted transaction or booking.

3. CREDITS (PREPAID BALANCES)

3.1 Credits generally. DriveBuddy may offer prepaid credits, packages and other prepaid amounts (Credits) that can be used to pay for eligible purchases on the Platform.

3.2 Non-transferable. Credits are strictly non-transferable, cannot be assigned, and may only be used by the account holder to whom they are issued.

3.3 Expiry. Unless expressly stated otherwise at the time of purchase or issue, Credits expire and are forfeited 24 months from the date of purchase/issue. Expired Credits are not refundable and cannot be reinstated.

3.4 Where Credits can be used. Credits can be used only for eligible purchases on the Platform as displayed at checkout and may be subject to minimum booking amounts or other reasonable Platform rules disclosed at checkout.

3.5 Credits are dollar-value credits (not time). All Credits are stored value denominated in Australian dollars (AUD) and are applied to bookings at the price displayed at checkout for the selected Instructor.

3.6 "Hours" are estimates only. Where DriveBuddy displays a Credit pack in "hours" (for example "1 hr Booking Credit" or "10 hrs Booking Credit"), this is an estimate only based on an indicative hourly rate shown at the time of purchase. It does not guarantee that the Credits purchased will equal the stated number of lesson hours with every Instructor.

3.7 Using Credits across Instructors with different prices. If an Instructor's price is higher or lower than the indicative hourly rate used to display an "hours" estimate at the time of purchase, the number of lesson hours that can be booked using Credits will vary accordingly.

3.8 Example (illustrative). A Learner purchases "10 hrs Booking Credit" displayed as $800.00 and receives 10% OFF (-$80.00), paying $720.00 (plus any Platform Processing Fee). The Learner's wallet balance increases by $720.00 in Credits. If the Learner books:

• an Instructor priced at $80/hr, one hour will consume $80 of Credits; and
• an Instructor priced at $100/hr, one hour will consume $100 of Credits.

4. CREDIT DISCOUNTS (DISCOUNT BANDS)

4.1 Discount Bands. If a Learner purchases Credits in a single transaction that the Platform displays as being equivalent to multiple booking hours, DriveBuddy will apply a discount to the purchase price of those Credits in that transaction in accordance with the following Discount Bands (based on the equivalent booking hours displayed at checkout for that transaction):

• 0-5 booking hours: 0% discount
• 6-9 booking hours: 5% discount
• 10+ booking hours: 10% discount

4.2 Single transaction only (not cumulative). Discount Bands apply only to the Credits purchased in that same transaction and are not cumulative across multiple transactions.

4.3 Checkout controls. The discount (if any) and the total price payable will be displayed at checkout before purchase. By completing the purchase, the Learner confirms the displayed discount and total.

4.4 Discount is not bonus credit. Unless DriveBuddy expressly states otherwise at checkout, any Discount Band is applied as a reduction to the purchase price (a negative line item) and is not issued as bonus credit or promotional credit.

4.5 Changing Instructor prices. Instructor pricing may change over time. A Discount Band applies only to the Credit purchase transaction in which it is applied and does not guarantee future booking prices.

4.6 Illustrative examples.

• 1 hr Booking Credit: $80.00 + Platform Processing Fee $2.40 = $82.40 total.
• 10 hrs Booking Credit: $800.00, 10% OFF (-$80.00) = $720.00 + Platform Processing Fee $21.60 = $741.60 total.

(Examples are illustrative only. The checkout screen is the source of truth for the amounts payable.)

5. PLATFORM PROCESSING FEE

5.1 What it is. DriveBuddy may charge a Platform Processing Fee on Credit purchases and/or bookings, as displayed at checkout. This fee contributes to operating and maintaining the Platform (including payment processing, fraud prevention, customer support, and platform operations).

5.2 How it is calculated. The Platform Processing Fee is calculated on the discounted Credit purchase amount actually paid (i.e., after applying any Discount Band and excluding any discounts shown at checkout). The fee amount will be shown clearly at checkout before you confirm payment.

5.3 Non-refundable (general rule). To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Platform Processing Fee is non-refundable, including where Credits expire or are forfeited, or where a Learner cancels a booking or a refund is otherwise provided, except where Applicable Laws require otherwise.

5.4 Fee changes. DriveBuddy may vary the Platform Processing Fee from time to time by providing notice in accordance with the Terms. Any change will not affect Credit purchases or bookings completed before the change takes effect.

5.5 Checkout controls. The Platform Processing Fee shown at checkout forms part of the total payment due and is charged at the time of purchase.

6. CANCELLATIONS, RESCHEDULING AND NO-SHOWS (PAYMENTS TREATMENT)

This clause operates in addition to the cancellation terms in the Terms.

6.1 Learner cancellations (more than 24 hours). If a Learner cancels more than 24 hours before the scheduled lesson time, the lesson fee will be returned to the Learner's account as Credits (unless the Platform states an alternative permitted outcome at the time of booking).

6.2 Late cancellations / no-shows (within 24 hours). If a Learner cancels within 24 hours of the scheduled lesson time, or fails to attend, the Instructor is entitled to retain 100% of the lesson fee in accordance with the Terms.

6.3 Instructor cancellations. If an Instructor cancels a confirmed booking, the lesson fee will be returned to the Learner as Credits, and the Learner may request a refund to their original payment method in accordance with the Terms.

6.4 Safety/weather cancellations. Where a lesson is cancelled for safety or weather reasons under the Terms, it will be treated as an Instructor cancellation for payment and refund purposes.

7. LESSON COMPLETION AND PAYMENT SETTLEMENT

7.1 Settlement timing. Unless otherwise specified on the Platform, payments are settled to Instructors based on the Platform's payout schedule and the status of the booking in the Platform.

7.2 Assumption of completion. Where a booking reaches its scheduled end time without being marked as cancelled or disputed through the Platform processes, DriveBuddy may treat the booking as completed for settlement purposes.

7.3 Corrections and adjustments. DriveBuddy may correct obvious errors, reverse duplicate charges, and make reasonable adjustments (including by deducting from future payouts) where a booking is later determined to have been cancelled, materially modified, or otherwise incorrectly processed, subject to Applicable Laws.

8. REFUNDS (INCLUDING AFTER COMPLETION)

8.1 General position. Refunds are handled in accordance with the Terms, this Payment Policy and Applicable Laws. DriveBuddy may require reasonable information to assess any refund request.

8.2 Refund method. If a refund is approved, DriveBuddy may provide the refund (at DriveBuddy's election and subject to Applicable Laws) as either:

• Credits to the Learner's account; or
• a refund to the original payment method (where permitted/required and requested).

8.3 Platform Processing Fee is not refundable. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Platform Processing Fee is non-refundable, except where Applicable Laws require otherwise.

8.4 Refunds are based on amounts actually paid for unused Credits. Where a refund is approved in relation to unused Credits, the refundable amount (if any) is calculated by reference to the unused portion of the discounted Credit purchase amount actually paid (i.e., after applying any Discount Band). For the avoidance of doubt:

• a Learner is not entitled to a refund calculated on the pre-discount "face value" of Credits; and
• any discount received reduces the amount paid and therefore reduces the maximum refundable amount proportionally.

8.5 How partial refunds work (illustrative). If a Learner purchases 10 hrs Booking Credit with 10% OFF, the Learner pays $720.00 for Credits displayed as $800.00 (plus a Platform Processing Fee). If the Learner uses 50% of their Credits and a refund is approved for the remaining balance, the maximum refundable amount for the unused Credits is $360.00 (being 50% of $720.00), and excludes the Platform Processing Fee.

8.6 Credits: Refund eligibility scenarios (aligned to the Terms).

• (a) Learner breach / Learner-fault termination: unused and unexpired Credits may be forfeited, except to the extent Applicable Laws require otherwise.
• (b) Instructor-fault removal: unused and unexpired Credits remain available to the Learner and may be refundable upon request (subject to Applicable Laws).
• (c) DriveBuddy-initiated closure without Learner fault: unused and unexpired Credits are refundable upon request (subject to Applicable Laws).
• (d) Prolonged Force Majeure termination: unused and unexpired Credits are refundable upon request (subject to Applicable Laws).
• (e) Voluntary account closure: unused and unexpired Credits are treated in accordance with the credit terms applicable at the time of purchase, subject to Applicable Laws.
• (f) Expired Credits: not refundable and not reinstatable.

8.7 Completed lessons. Payments for lessons marked as completed are generally not refundable. If a Learner requests a refund in relation to a completed lesson, DriveBuddy may (in its discretion) review the request and any relevant information. Any assistance is provided as a goodwill facilitation only and does not make DriveBuddy a party to the Lesson Contract.

8.8 Refund timing. Where a refund to the original payment method is approved, DriveBuddy will process the refund in accordance with the timeframe stated in the Terms, subject to processing times imposed by banks and payment service providers.

9. CHARGEBACKS AND PAYMENT DISPUTES

9.1 Notify DriveBuddy first. If you dispute a charge or initiate a chargeback, you must notify DriveBuddy promptly in writing and provide details of the dispute.

9.2 Account action. DriveBuddy may suspend or restrict accounts involved in chargebacks or payment disputes, in accordance with the Terms.

9.3 Costs. To the extent permitted by law, DriveBuddy may recover reasonable costs and fees incurred as a result of chargebacks, reversals, or unauthorised dispute activity.

10. TAXES

10.1 Taxes generally. Prices displayed on the Platform will be presented in the manner stated at checkout (including whether GST is included, where applicable). Users are responsible for their own tax obligations except where DriveBuddy is required by law to collect or remit taxes.

11. CHANGES TO THIS PAYMENT POLICY

11.1 DriveBuddy may amend this Payment Policy in accordance with the Terms. The version published on the Platform at the relevant time will apply.