Booking.com Free Cancellation

If you’re planning a summer getaway, you may be interested in using Booking.com, an online platform that connects consumers to vacation rentals and claims to have “something for everyone.”

And in the event you have second thoughts after making a reservation, Booking.com offers free cancellation. In fact, in the ad above, which debuted during the Super Bowl earlier this year and is still airing, Booking.com suggests you can cancel for free with a single click.

But the reality is not that simple. And whether you can actually cancel your reservation for free depends on the owner or operator of the property you booked (aka the “Service Provider”), not Booking.com.

That’s because Booking.com doesn’t have an actual cancellation policy of its own. The website’s terms and conditions state:

When you make a Booking, you accept the applicable policies as displayed in the booking process. You’ll find each Service Provider’s cancellation policy and any other policies … on our Platform, on the Service Provider information pages, during the booking process, in the fine print, and/or in the confirmation email or ticket (if applicable).

The terms go on:

If you cancel a Booking or don’t show up, any cancellation/no-show fee or refund will depend on the Service Provider’s cancellation/no-show policy. … Some Bookings can’t be canceled for free, while others can only be canceled for free before a deadline.

This is in stark contrast to the company’s claims that you can cancel for free the day before your reservation.

Where is this important information in the national television ad featuring those lovable Muppets? Tiny, inconspicuously placed fine print that appears on screen for less than three seconds states, “Check property cancellation policy before booking.”

On its website Booking.com encourages consumers to “book now, pay at the property,” claiming there is free cancellation on “most” rooms. But most does not mean all. And if Booking.com cannot guarantee that consumers will get free cancellation, they shouldn’t advertise that they will.

Booking.com did not respond to TINA.org’s request for comment.

The bottom line

Consumers who make reservations through Booking.com should make sure to research the specific rental property’s cancellation policy before they complete their reservation if free cancellation is important to them.

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