---
company: booking-com
title: Booking.com — how complaints actually go
last_verified: 2026-10-12
---

## In short

Booking.com is a platform, not the hotel: the property's own cancellation policy decides fees and refunds, and most flights on the site are sold through a third-party aggregator under the airline's rules. Message the property and Booking.com Customer Service through your booking (sign-in needed), and keep everything in writing. The biggest risk is fraud: criminals take over hotels' Booking.com accounts and send "confirm your card" messages through the real app. Booking.com says it never asks for card details by email, phone, text or WhatsApp.

## How complaints actually go

- Booking.com's terms say any cancellation or no-show fee, and any refund, depend on the property's cancellation and no-show policy. [Booking.com terms](https://www.booking.com/content/terms.html)
- Booking.com says most flights on its platform come through a third-party aggregator acting as intermediary to the airline, and the airline's contract of carriage sets the cancellation policy; there may be a fee to change or cancel. [Booking.com terms](https://www.booking.com/content/terms.html)
- The Help Center offers "Continue without an account", but messaging an agent about a booking requires sign-in; no phone digits appear on the public help pages. [Booking.com Help Center](https://secure.booking.com/help.en-us.html)
- Before arbitration, the terms require a 60-day Internal Review Procedure; arbitration is individual, administered by National Arbitration & Mediation under New York law, and small claims court is allowed. [Booking.com terms](https://www.booking.com/content/terms.html)

## What tends to work

- For a car rental booked on Booking.com, Booking.com Transport Limited is merchant of record for payments taken at booking, and a car cancelled more than 48 hours before pick-up gets a full refund. [Booking.com terms](https://www.booking.com/content/terms.html)
- For a flight the airline cancelled, DOT says the ticket agent that is merchant of record must refund airfare; check your card statement to see who charged you. [DOT: Refunds](https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds)
- A DOT complaint about a flight booking names the ticket agent; DOT directs the agent to respond to you and copy DOT. [DOT: File a consumer complaint](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint)
- The FTC fee rule (rule `ftc-junk-fees-rule`) applies to third-party platforms that advertise short-term lodging: the total price with mandatory fees must be shown more prominently than other prices. [FTC fee rule FAQ](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/rule-unfair-or-deceptive-fees-frequently-asked-questions)

## Traps and fine print

- You can opt out of arbitration only by sending an "Arbitration -- Opt-Out Notice" through the Dispute Resolution page within 30 days after you first become subject to the agreement, and only personally; opt-outs sent by others have no effect. [Booking.com terms](https://www.booking.com/content/terms.html)

## By the numbers

- July 2026: DOT received 47 complaint cases about Booking.com flight bookings, 33 of them about refunds. [DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, September 2026 (July 2026 data)](https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2026-09/September%202026%20ATCR%20revised%209-22-2026.pdf)
- ACSI 2026: Booking.com scored 77 out of 100, tied for the highest online travel agency score, down from 78 in 2025. [ACSI: Online travel agencies](https://theacsi.com/industries/travel/online-travel-agencies/)

## Scams that target customers

- Criminals take over hotels' Booking.com accounts and contact guests through in-app messages, email and WhatsApp to ask for payment or card details. The UK's Action Fraud logged 532 reports and £370,000 in losses from June 2023 to September 2024. [Travel Weekly, January 10, 2025](https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/action-fraud-issues-booking-com-phishing-alert)
- Booking.com says it will never ask you to share card details by email, phone, text or WhatsApp, or to make a bank transfer that differs from the payment policy in your confirmation, and that its Customer Service will only ask for your reservation ID and PIN. [Booking.com: safety for travellers](https://www.booking.com/trust-and-safety/travellers.html)
- Booking.com says it will never ask for a credit card or gift card number over the phone. [Booking.com Help Center: gift card scams](https://secure.booking.com/help/faq/31/aGNfc2VjdXJpdHlfYXdhcmVuZXNzX3NjYW1fZ2lmdF9jYXJk)
- Booking.com's safety page says to report a suspected scam to Customer Service, which passes the report to its Security team. [Booking.com: safety for travellers](https://www.booking.com/trust-and-safety/travellers.html)