Viator’s Free Cancellation Claims

Viator – an online platform where consumers can book tours and other travel experiences with other companies – claims to offer free cancellation. According to Viator, this gives travelers “ultimate flexibility” and makes planning trips “stress-free.”

But what this unqualified marketing doesn’t tell you is that free cancellation is not a sitewide perk, and whether you can actually cancel your reservation for free depends on the specific event that you’re signing up for.

In fact, the company’s terms and conditions, linked at the very bottom of Viator’s website, state:

Once a Product has been purchased, your Booking cannot be changed by you or cancelled with a refund, unless otherwise stated in the terms and conditions applicable to such Product.

Viator also inconspicuously discloses on its website that free cancellation is only available with “most” events listed on its site.

And indeed there are many Viator tours that are “non-refundable,” as the following sampling shows.

TINA.org asked Viator what percentage of tours on its site offer free cancellation and what percentage are non-refundable. We did not receive a response.

In addition, if Viator categorizes an event as having a “strict” cancellation policy, consumers must cancel their reservation at least seven days, not 24 hours as stated on the homepage, before the start time in order to receive a full refund. That’s according to terms that are only accessible by clicking “non-refundable” in listings such as those above and then clicking on another link to “learn more about cancellations.”

It’s also worth noting that a number of consumers have complained to the BBB about Viator or the specific tour company canceling events last minute and, in some cases, not issuing a refund.

Viator’s average customer review rating on the BBB is just over 1 star, which is about the same rating it has on Yelp.

The bottom line

Despite the company’s marketing, you may not be able to cancel for free with Viator. When making an online reservation, make sure to read all the fine print and consider what consumers may have to say on a variety of third-party review sites.

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