Booking.com is a favorite website for people all over to find comfortable and affordable accommodations around the world. It could be for a vacation or a mini-stay or your short-tenured work. However, if you happen to cancel your plan after making the reservation, you can cancel the booking as well. Most of the time, you will get a refund.
You can cancel the booking through the cancel button provided in the email. When you receive a mail on confirmation of booking, it has a cancel button as well. Click on it to cancel. You can also log in to your booking.com account and then cancel the booking.
Read on to find the cancellation terms and different ways to cancel your booking.
Terms and Conditions of a Cancellable Booking
Booking.com is a renowned platform and it has well laid out terms and conditions for cancelling a booking. You cannot simply cancel the reservation at the eleventh hour and expect a full refund. Let us have a look at the terms and conditions to know how to cancel the booking.
- You can cancel only within the specified time mentioned on the website. It differs for each hotel.
- If the hotel offers free cancellation, you will not be charged any fine if you cancel within the specified date.
- You may need to pay a fine if you cancel after that specified date.
- You will be charged on your valid credit card by the homeowner/hotel.
How to Find the Cancel Button
There are 2 ways to get to the cancel button. Let us have a look at both of them.
1. Canceling through the email
- Go through the confirmation mail that you received from booking.com after making the reservation.
- At the end of the mail, there is a ‘cancel your booking’ button.
- Click on the button and you will be automatically redirected to a pop-up window of the cancellation page.
- Select your reason for cancellation and then confirm. On the same page, you will also find a rescheduling option.
- Confirm that you are canceling the booking.
Things to take note of while canceling
- Not all bookings offer free cancellation. So, always pay attention to the fine lines while making the reservation. Also, if the hotel/place of stay’s owner agrees, then only you can cancel with a full refund.
- Mostly, the accommodations that offer free cancellation are expensive.
- Each place of stay has a time limit within which you can cancel for a refund. So, be sure to double-check the time.
2. Cancellation through the website
- Go to the booking.com homepage and log in to your account.
- Now, open your bookings and select the one that you wish to cancel.
- At the end of the booking details, there is a cancel button.
- Read all the terms and conditions and confirm your cancellation in the cancellation policy window.
- Fill in the details about your cancellation in the form and submit it.
Getting a reservation is pretty easy through booking.com. However, you need to pay extra attention to the cancellation policy as you might need to forego your reservation at the last minute. Check our article about asking refund from a hotel to know more about the cancellation process and how to do it like a pro.
What to Do For a Non-Refundable Booking
It is always advisable to go thoroughly through all the details of the booking. Be sure to look for the cancellation policy and if the hotel/stay destination offers any discount. But there are situations when you are forced to cancel it at the last moment. So, it might not be technically feasible to ask for a refund.
On the other hand, many hotels levy a fine for cancellation which you might not be willing to pay. Most of these mention the fine beforehand during the booking.
In such a case, there are 2 steps in which you try to get your money back. However, these steps don’t guarantee a refund. Let us have a look:
Step 1:
- Write an email to the hotel specifying your booking details.
- Inform them about the cancellation.
- Mention to them how you will be unable to pay the fine and why you can’t pay it.
- Be sure to tell them that it was your last-minute decision and you would love to stay at their hotel in the future.
Step 2:
- Most hotels reply within a few days telling you to either pay the fine (in most cases) or cancel through booking.com.
- Write another email to the hotel requesting them to get in touch with booking.com to waive your fine.
- Elaborate on your situation and don’t forget to mention your financial stress.
- Make it a point to mention that you will be staying there in your future tours.
In the post-COVID era, hotels and homeowners have grown more sensible of people’s issues. Most of the time, they either refund your amount or give you a voucher to make up for the loss.
Booking.com is big but not the only good brand for hotel booking out there. Here are 10 Booking.com alternatives you should check.
