Booking.com: refund request

Collect

• confirmation number and PIN
• cancellation policy in the confirmation email
• cancellation confirmation
• card statement

Steps

1. Read the cancellation and no-show policy in the confirmation email.

2. Cancel in the booking; ask the property and Booking.com customer service for any refund owed.

   OnlineBooking.com Help Center (messaging to customer service after sign-in; 24-hour phone line shown in the booking) Sign-in required

3. If not resolved, send a written complaint (topic "Refunds") through the dispute resolution form and save the request ID.

   FormDispute resolution center (complaints, pre-dispute Internal Review Procedure, arbitration opt-out)

4. If the refund owed is not paid, dispute the charge with your card issuer (with the property if it charged you, or Booking.com if it charged you).

Facts you can cite

• Policy

  Booking.com's terms say any cancellation or no-show fee and any refund depend on the Service Provider's cancellation/no-show policy.

  Source: booking.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  For car rentals, Booking.com Transport Limited is merchant of record for payments taken at booking, and a car cancelled more than 48 hours before the rental starts gets a full refund.

  Source: booking.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  Booking.com's terms require binding individual arbitration administered by National Arbitration & Mediation under New York law, after a mandatory Internal Review Procedure of 60 days; small claims court is allowed.

  Source: booking.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Deadline

  An arbitration opt-out notice ("Arbitration -- Opt-Out Notice") must be sent through the Dispute Resolution page within 30 days after you first become subject to the agreement, by you personally.

  Source: booking.com, verified 2026-10-12

Rules in force

• DOT automatic refund rule for airline tickets and ancillary fees (2024)
  14 CFR part 260 and 14 CFR part 262 (89 FR 32760, April 26, 2024; amended 89 FR 65534, August 12, 2024)

  Airlines operating to, from or within the U.S. must give a full cash refund (to the original form of payment) when they cancel or significantly change a flight and the passenger does not accept the alternative. Refunds are due within 7 business days (credit card) or 20 calendar days (other payment). Airlines must also refund checked bag fees for significantly delayed bags and fees for paid extras that were not provided. Until July 7, 2027, DOT does not enforce the rule in one narrow case: a flight that is only renumbered, with no significant change or delay.

  Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  3 citable points

  • Policy

    The merchant-of-record carrier must refund the airfare, including taxes and ancillary fees, to a passenger with a nonrefundable ticket whose flight is cancelled or significantly delayed or changed, if the passenger does not fly the changed flight or accept rebooking and does not accept a voucher or other compensation. The refund is automatic when the flight is cancelled and no alternative is offered, when the passenger rejects the alternative, or when the passenger does not respond to the offer before the flight departs.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Deadline

    A "prompt refund" is made within 7 business days after the earliest date the refund was requested for credit card purchases, and within 20 calendar days for cash, check, debit card or other purchases.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    Refunds must be issued promptly in the original form of payment unless the consumer agrees to a cash equivalent, and the carrier may not keep a processing fee for a refund that is due.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

• FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (live-event tickets and short-term lodging)
  16 CFR part 464 (90 FR 2066, January 10, 2025)

  Since May 12, 2025, any business that offers, displays or advertises a price for live-event tickets or short-term lodging (for example hotels, motels and inns) must show the total price, including all mandatory fees, more prominently than other pricing information. Only government charges, shipping and optional add-ons may be left out, and those must be disclosed before the consumer pays. Misrepresenting any fee is prohibited.

  Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  1 citable point

  • Policy

    A business may not misrepresent the nature, purpose, amount or refundability of any fee, or the identity of the good or service the fee is charged for.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

If that fails, escalate

Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.

1. Customer service

   OnlineBooking.com Help Center (messaging to customer service after sign-in; 24-hour phone line shown in the booking) Sign-in required

   Contact the property or airline as well; it decides the refund.

2. Written complaint

   FormDispute resolution center (complaints, pre-dispute Internal Review Procedure, arbitration opt-out)

3. Federal regulator

   RegulatorU.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Aviation Consumer Protection +1-800-778-4838

   For air tickets bought through Booking.com.

4. Card or bank dispute

   Fair Credit Billing Act billing-error and purchase-dispute rights (Regulation Z)

   Electronic Fund Transfer Act error resolution and unauthorized-transfer liability (Regulation E)

5. State agency

   Your state’s attorney general. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON: states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).

6. Arbitration

   FormDispute resolution center (complaints, pre-dispute Internal Review Procedure, arbitration opt-out)

   The Internal Review Procedure (60 days) must come first; small claims court is allowed.

Watch out

Related

• Refund request at other companies
• How Booking.com complaints actually go (dossier, checked 2026-10-12)
• Online travel agencies — how complaints work
• Booking.com: reservation not honored
• Booking.com: flight cancelled or significantly changed