Historically, travel plans were booked through an agent who specialized in knowing about all the hotels, flights and amenities in popular tourist destinations. Today, sites like Kayak, Expedia and Booking handle that automatically and empower users to make their own decisions with the help of reviews, photos and price comparisons. Booking.com is one of the post popular online travel sites with international availability. It’s a safe and reliable platform to book your next trip, for sure.
Is Booking.com Reliable? Should you use it for your trip?
In short: yes! You may be hearing about booking.com just now but they’ve been around for over 20 years and are just as reliable as Expedia, VRBO and other, more famous travel brands. With travel booking, there is always the possibility of a mix-up or unpredictable variable throwing a wrench into your plans. No booking agent is immune to those types of events and that’s why many of them, including Booking.com will receive poor reviews online sometimes. They have some money-back guarantees you’ll want to look into and their customer support team is there to help, or refund you if necessary.
Is Booking.com Popular and do they have ALL the Hotels and Flights I’ll need?
The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in over 40 languages, offer 1,642,073 properties, and cover 126,958 destinations in 229 countries and territories worldwide. Each day, more than 1,550,000 room nights are reserved on our platform. So yeah, they have a very comprehensive database of locations and hotels to choose from. In some cases we’ve noticed that they have a lot more international hotels than even Expedia.com. If you have a destination in mind you can fill out the form below and see for yourself:
In addition, Booking has offices all over the world to help support your trip in your language, on site. Here’s a list of Booking.com offices around the globe.
When I wanted a particular date in Brecon, four months ahead, Booking.com told me that every room in the whole of Brecon was full! I don’t know whether to believe it or not.
Do not. Booking.com is notorious for misleading clients to up sell them to nearby properties. Worst booking app ever.
Do not use Booking.com. If you read their small print in conditions they can legally do what they have done to me. They took my card details and I had several emails confirming my booking then after I had arranged the rest of the holiday, one week later they asked for a further €780 for the hotel. In their email they said if I did not pay in four days they would cancel the whole booking. Their customer relations were totally unhelpful so I would never use them again and am totally disgusted.
Double charges on my Bank Statement. I received 2 conformation emails for the same booking and was charged twice for same booking on my bank statement. I called Booking.com customer service, they contacted the hotel to cancel the unneeded reservation. Customer Service said it can take up to 30 days to refund charges. So the mistake payment rides on their books for 30 days. This will be the Last time I book with a 3rd party.
Our letter to the headquarters in Amsterdam was returned.
This is after failing to contact them by phone or online.
Issue is ongoing.
Yes. same thing happen to me. wow.
I will not use them again. They didn’t reserve a room at the hotel we booked with so we had to find another hotel. Then I see today, that I got charged for the room. Never book with them! Hbi
Be careful with your credit card. they are in Netherland good luck suing them.
Very true. Booking.com have zero customer service. They have an ability to attack your credit cards. Yet they are able block any kind of communication.
I want people to remember this when the world comes out of this.
Use Booking.com at your own Peril.
https://www.bbb.org/us/mi/grand-rapids/profile/hotel-reservation/bookingcom-usa-inc-part-of-booking-holdings-inc-0372-38133612/customer-reviews
Check out the BBB on this company. They rip people off constantly.
If you want the truth, look at trust pilot reviews of booking. Com customer service, you’ll be shocked.
Booking.com is unreliable and seems like takes no responsibility for refunds.
I made a reservation with them on the 20th of August, paid to booking.com and received a confirmation from them about the payment. The hotel declined the reservation, because the prices on booking.com were not correct, the hotel wanted more. I received another email from booking.com that my reservation was canceled and they were sending me a refund. Today, on 25th of October (!) after numerous emails to their customer service and after receiving numerous template answers, I still haven’t received any refund. They are still “investigating”. What do I have to do with their investigations?
Warning for everyone : DO NOT PAY TO BOOKING.COM
Booking.com does not support customer complaints. When I had a problem with a hotel that misrepresented their facilities, booking.com immediately took the side of the host guest site.
Booking.com made 2 reservations at a motel for me, but I was traveling on my own. Moreover, when I called its customer service number, the identification data Booking.com sent me was unrecognized!!! I couldn’t get through. That was my first and last time dealing with Booking.com
Is a completely risk.. Booking.com they leave you to sleep on the streets the don’t care about you even if you paid, get confirmation or whatever needed..
Used Booking for years and over 200 rooms booked, but now the have BASIC in their package.
And with BASIC you do not get an invoice for tax reasons. The service is poor and booking is hiding behind the BASIC label. I stopped using them.
A guest of mine made false accusation and low review score of my property. After communication with the guest it was agreed that the accusation was false and booking. Com also discussed with the guest and agreed with me. I then asked booking.com to please remove the the review because it was untrue. They refused and the guest took 2 months to change the review. This damaged my business and destroyed my faith in using Booking. Com as a partner and subsequently I don’t use them anymore. I have found b. Com to be a terrible company to work with do not recommend anyone to use them.
Booking.com took full payment from me and confirmed a booking in Toronto for 31st night and 1st Jan. On the 30th of December the host property sent me an email saying there was a mix up and that my booking had to be cancelled. This led me to call Booking.com and also email them. They were quite positive on the phone and reassured me that they would help find alternate accommodation and price-match rates were higher now. But in their emails there was no such price match guarantee. It seemed they wanted me to book another place, pay upfront and then submit receipts to them for possible refund!! I wasnt born yesterday and dont want to be involved in another disappointment so I decided to STOP USING booking.com
I think the host in Toronto simply had another guest at a higher rate and decided to cancel.mine. this must be happening often. Booking.com should be in the side of their customer, not their merchant!!
Do not use Booking.com I used this site to book a hotel in January 2002 for a booking in June 2002. When the confirmation came through they confirmed that there was no carparking which I required.
I cancelled within 30 minutes of making this reservation. They refused to repay and referred me to the Holiday Inn hotel who also refused. They said as it was not booked through us they would not give me a refund. Booking , com remarked the hotel had to refund. No loss at as the booking was over 12 weeks away and they could easily re book the room with no costs involved to them. That has cost me nearly ÂŁ100 . Not good customer relations. It has taken me several hours to try and recover this money and now I have referred this to my Credit card company
I have had the same experience with a property in Washington they took my money and it WASNT refunded I have been using booking.com for a while I will NO LONGER BE doing so THEY ARE STEALING YOUR MONEY with no answer as to why after the money is take there is no refund
Definitely not. Depends on location. Especially if the property owner doesn’t speak English. You will get the refund for the canceled booking quickly. And left alone with the search of the new accommodation (in high season), stress and bills for calls in the roaming. None of above mentioned is compensated.
Hello! I just had a situation when booking.com is not replying to a serious concern. They are advertising an accommodation on their website as TOTALLY UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS. The accommodation is in a refugee camp. Yes, you heard me right, refugee camp. Moreover, the accommodation reception was not present at the time of my arrival, I had to stop people in the street, asking where can I find the owner of the guesthouse and even then, when they arrived, the guy who came two hours later was not just rude, but was threatening. Imagine how would you feel as a woman who doesn’t speak Arabic, at about 8 pm in a refugee camp and only Muslim men passing by, some of them making comments. Before I cancelled, this being in the guest house, I was assured by the guest house that money won’t be taken out of the account. Instead, they have taken out from my credit card the money. I need you someone’s advice how to proceed. This happened both concerning the booking.com and the guest house.Thank you!!
Booking.com isn’t reliable at all. I booked a room with booking.com and after 2days I cancelled it and booking.com reduced 30£ and surprisingly I saw they reduced 28£ more again.when I called them they just passed me to hotel Wilson and hotel passed me to booking.com. But I know booking.com must be responsible about it because I trusted booking and inserted my bank account details. I don’t recommend using booking.com at all.
I am so confused trying to arange for different dates through booking.com, for i had on my cancelation, because of this pandemic that has arisen. Every were i call it is with no reply. First I was told i have to arange for other dates, then they said I have to call at the hotel propritor. The hotel told me to arrange with booking for they got the money. I am feeling like a ping pong ball. It so horrible. I thought that booking with them was such a garantee, that my money is secured, and we are a great group and it involves a lot of money.
Look for reviews of booking.com – loads of people in the same boat. They are essentially refusing to cancel bookings due to a scam they are working. Try to claim chargeback on your credit or debit card. Let’s bankrupt them!
Booking.com are a cowboy outfit who have behaved abominably to loyal customers during the covid19 crisis. They need to be called to account by legal means. They are perpetuating a vile scam: if you couldn’t travel during lockdown they are sending an email asking if you want to cancel. If you click yes, you have to agree that the cancellation fee will be the full amount of your booking so you’ve actually agreed to lose your money. If you don’t cancel, they record you as a no show and refuse to refund. Then claim that your no show does not come under force majeure regulations. It’s a joke! No one should ever use this company again. They need to go into administration. Use Uber or Airbnb. Don’t use these criminals.
I totally agree with Catherine. We’ve been passed from pillar to post trying to get our money back. The latest is an e voucher that has to be used this year. What use is that when we can’t travel unless its essential and there’s 14 days quarantine when we get back.
I also had a problem when they I said I booked a hotel in which I didn’t. I caught the transaction before the so called time I was suppose check in. I called the hotel to cancel because I didn’t book the room and told I had to cancel through booking.com. Booking told me I had to called the hotel. 3 months my bank says I booked the hotel and they charged me. Not secure at all
This is happening to me as we speak.
I agree. They completely ignored me when the hotel’s administrator refused to check me in because I was about 30 min late. I had booked three night and I couldn’t even check in the next day – it was all cancelled. It was paid way before the trip and the administrator didn’t want to give the money back. It was in ML Apartments at Santa Catarina in Porto and its administrator’s name is Miguel [removed]. Never again.
I made a reservation on April 23, 2020 on Booking.com for a July 17-19, 2020 rental stay for my daughter’s graduation. I thought I was placing that reservation directly with the property, “Indian Lady Lodge” but after pressing the confirm button on Booking.com, I was directed to a 3rd party vacation rental service called “Evolve”. They noted in their fine print that if I cancel up to 30 days before the reservation I would forfeit a 30% deposit, but that was all. I canceled this reservation on June 4th, 2020 (two weeks before the 30 day deadline) because the University canceled the graduation ceremony due to Pennsylvania’s strict Covid-19 re-opening mandates that wouldn’t allow large gatherings. That cancelation was confirmed on my Booking.com app and was a full 13 days prior to the 30 day advance notice window for cancelations. There should NEVER have been an additional charge for the rest of the amount because the reservation was canceled in ample time. I received an email from Evolve on June 14th saying my card will be charged $218.15 on June 17th for my stay on July 17th. I then tried calling Evolve multiple times but they did not answer their phone. This booking was canceled and I followed their instructions of canceling through Booking.com. I even went so far as to call the sales department number who then panicked and transferred me to the other department where no one answered the phone again. I then contacted Booking.com for help telling them that in 2 days my credit card is supposed to be charged for a charge that should not happen. They did not really help me and told me to try to contact Evolve, which in fact, is an impossible task. Then on June 17th, our credit card was in fact charged the $218 that was the remaining balance on the reservation. I contacted Booking again and let them know that this was a false charge and should be removed. They finally contacted Evolve who told them that this was a “soft hold” for the reservation. There should be no hold-no pending charges-and no posted charges for this reservation because it was canceled on June 4th! This charge has gone through and posted on my credit card account and is blatant theft by Evolve who have thwarted all my attempts at trying to contact them. Booking.com has the power to reverse this charge but really hasn’t followed through and I am seriously disappointed.
I am disgusted with Booking.com. My sister and I were due to go to Lanzarote on 2nd April but because of Covid19 we could’nt go and we still cannot get a refund. We are both over 70 and she has bad health having had cancer twice. The hours she has spent on her phone being passed from one person to the next. A deposit for the holiday should have been taken June 2019 but they took the full amount and then just before Christmas they tried taking the full amount again. I have emailed bbcwatchdog and am waiting for a reply.
Very poor service when trying to get a refund. Do not use booking .com, they have poor customer service. I hope they are put out of business as they are unreliable and do not care about the customer as soon as they have your money.
In my experience there’s no actual customer service of booking.com at all,
No one back to you except a robot who just reply to your e-mails and most specially concerning complaints,
No control on the advertised places,
Do not trust the published info at their website,
You can find cheaper and certainly better services at the hotel’s websites directly,
I will NEVER use Booking .com again! They were so mean to my employee. She (Kia Kirkelund) had booked her very first trip to Tofino for the August long weekend. But booking.com cancelled her booking because some other people were going to have a longer stay. It should be noted that Booking.com doubled booked the Medicine Farms. Are you kidding me????? They offered her “a tiny room with no running water and a compost able toilet” …..seriously???? She had Tofino t-shirts made for her friends because she was so excited. Shame on you!
Have noticed a few times that some places with glowing reviews don’t deserve them. Find booking.com to be untrustworthy, the reviews grossly inflated. Getting money back is impossible. Not going to use them again.
just had my first experience with booking.com … don’t even know how they ended up with my request. their so-called “partner” Agoda was used to create my reservation. i had to cancel my reservation last minute because of illness in family. they refused to refund. i then called the hotel, La Quinta, directly who didn’t even know what i was talking about. my plan is to dispute thCe charge of $190 on my credit card so, hopefully, that will work. i will NEVER USE booking.com or any other so called 3rd party booking website. in my experience going directly to hotel is best. if booking.com or any other site gives you a better price deal, it’s not worth the hassle. it would have to be free!!
BEWARE. Although I had a 100% money back guarantee of refund if cancelled before certain time frame, I never received my $467 refund. Booking.com even sent me emails saying my refund had been processed. No credit ever came to my credit card. All of my subsequent emails have been ignored. Complete theft and lack of honoring their guarantee. Will never use again.
I wanted to cancel a non-refundable booking (which from their terms I was entitled because of COVID-19 lockdown air and travel bans) because I couldn’t travel during restrictions from my country. They said I don’t qualify for that and my country has no restrictions (even if I can show proof from official ministry site that you couldn’t).
Also in that period Hotel where I supposed to stay CH-Hotel Luka Vienna (shoutout to them, please don’t go there) was closed and no one answered at phone or email. Long story short, after months of trying to get my money or get a credit for the amount I payed, booking.com wiped out all the messages from their system and gave me a official response that I will not get my money back because was non-refundable.
So if the Hotel was closed even If I could go there I would’ve end up sleeping under a bridge in Vienna, and Booking.com is fine with this and stay strong and proud. Just avoid Booking.com and hotel mentioned they scam you, and I am not the only one in this situation at the same Hotel. Also they keep that hotel listed on their site all the time.
I booked a room in Fayetteville with Booking. Com , I booked it for the wrong night , I tried to contact them but when I received the confirmation email I was not given a PIN number. Well apparently you cannot get ahold of them without this pin #. I tried calling the 800 # I could not get past the automated message without the pin # and I ran I ran into the same problem online. I called the hotel I was to stay at only to be told I had to contact booking.com . So where do you go from there, No live customer support, I sent emails requesting a change of dates only to a confirmation with the same exact night . How stupid can you get ? The worst customer service I have ever experienced, I will NEVER book will this company again an I will warn everyone I can against booking with them also. The day of my trip I received an email saying they had changed my hotel to completely different area an while they where at it booked me a room in NYC for December??? where the hell that trip came from? I have no idea but I strongly advise against giving them your credit card bro , you might be heading to Japan before you know it
DO NOT USE BOOKING.COM OR PRICELINE, THEY WILL NOT HELP. Was just on the phone with booking.com for 40 min talking to a manager about my issues with my airline tickets. They can not and will not help me. I was booked to leave on a plane that did not really leave the airport at the time they said (even 1 hour before my plane was supposed to leave and the airport had no more flights from this airline leaving today) and my return flight had me leaving and arriving at times the small airports did not have flights arriving or leaving. Because I got things fixed where I leave a day later and now end up with a 24 hour lay over, they can not help. I get nothing from them for inconvenience, I get nothing from them in form of an apology. They said “you should have called us to fix this, now it is out of our hands because the airlines changed your tickets.” DO NOT USE BOOKING.COM OR PRICELINE, THEY WILL NOT HELP.
BOOKING.COM WILL NOT HELP YOU. We booked originally through Southwest Airlines and assumed that they would offer reputable properties – wrong. They take you to booking.com, and the biggest problem with booking.com is that their properties are not vetted. Our money for a booking was taken, then we were denied entrance to the property after 10pm when our plane landed because of the fine print. On the second day of our booking, when we are let in, we find out that there was no key to the property in the first place, as a prior tenant had lost it. The door was wide open – and continued to be so as we were out and about. Additionally, we lost $150 on a deposit that the property wanted us to “zelle” to him – he didn’t return it because of damage to the kitchen… there wasn’t even a kitchen in the one room property we rented. Plus, there was no toilet paper, and no bath towels. Still, booking.com will not refund us the money for the first night or for the deposit. STAY AWAY.
(I have no problem with the airline – just the booking.com service)