How booking writes off money. Booking debits money from the card after booking: conditions, terms. The best protection for money is an additional card

You saw that same hotel and decided to make a reservation. What should you pay attention to when booking?

What are the booking conditions?

Focus your attention on the cost of the room. Prices for the same room may vary, depending on the conditions of the reservation. Booking has two of them: there is the possibility of canceling the reservation, there is no possibility of canceling the reservation. And if two options are indicated, the second one is always cheaper (either the price of the room is purely symbolic or a 50 percent discount).

Cancellation of reservation if non-refundable option.

If you choose a more economical option, the hotel will deduct the entire amount from you (the hotel, not the booking) right today. Also, one of the conditions will be that canceling a room will become almost impossible and even force majeure circumstances in the form of illness, flight cancellation or bad weather will not help. But! It often happens that the hotel can agree to a meeting, resolve the problem amicably and cancel the reservation (in this case, you can refer to a service glitch). You shouldn’t rely on this option and I recommend booking on a “non-cancellation” basis only when you are sure that the trip will not be disrupted.

But if you want to cheat and block the card, the hotel has the right to demand that the bank write off these funds from you. And if the card is a debit card, then the bank can put it in the red using the agreement.

Blocking of funds.

If you take a room where the terms and conditions state that money will not be withdrawn from your account, the hotel may well block it. Hotels can check the card for validity and reserve a certain amount of money and, in case of no-show, withdraw it as a fine. Such a fine can be equal to the price of one night. But this is optional. Hotels may not check your card at all. And the blocked amount is returned after 30 days. You can also contact the bank and make a request to cancel the block.

In fact, all hotels behave differently: some block 1 euro, some block the cost of one night, and some block the entire amount of the stay (what if 20 nights?). And if you make a reservation on a naked card, after checking it, the hotel may cancel the reservation.

Can the hotel write off the money? Debiting funds from the card.

Also, the hotel may not block the funds, but write them off completely, although this is not correct. This can happen, but very rarely. If this happens, you need to contact booking support, call the Russian-language number, they will oblige the hotel to return the money. But if, despite such, to put it mildly, ugly behavior, you are still going to come to this hotel, then you can endure it.

Which card can I use when booking hotels?

Booking reservations can be made for both credit and debit card(this depends on the hotel). All hotels accept visa, mastercard, american express, not always diners club, jcb. Visa electron and mastercard maestro cards are not suitable. You can pay for the room in any currency. Funds are withdrawn in the currency of the country where you are going at the rate of your bank + percentage of conversion. If you are worried that the hotel may write off all the money, then top up your card for the amount of two nights of stay. But you need to be prepared to deposit the required amount into the account if the hotel wants to verify the card by withdrawing a larger amount.

What additional fees may the hotel have?

Some countries, namely the Netherlands, do not include city tax in the room rate. Let's say in Amsterdam it is 5 percent.

Breakfasts are also paid separately if they are not included in the room price. This information can always be seen when booking. But once a German city We were asked to pay for the already included breakfast (we paid online in advance). By the way, breakfast was not cheap - 15 euros per person. But we were so tired that we didn’t bother to look into it and just paid.

(archive) / Greece

Canceled. Contacted booking, they sent a fax to the hotel with an explanation and a request not to fine. The hotel did not answer their fax, but quickly began to try to charge me money- 600 euro penalty for late cancellation. I'm calling again booking, they got through to the hotel, but neither which one do not agree to forgive the fine. Between cancellations... . The card is a debit card, it can only be replenished from a bank deposit when I want to deposit it on it money. Booking advised me to reissue the card and was like, “then there won’t be any problems.” Have you talked to your...? Can they How- write off a fine if there are no funds on the card? The hotel is small - apartments - do they have which-opportunities to get at any cost money? 600 euros, so...

Brook... once I talked to booking asking them to contact the hotel and explain the situation to them. At the same time I reported booking that the card was blocked. We contacted, talked, the hotel agreed not to try again write off money, but I didn’t really understand the motives. According to the employee booking- "we said that your card is blocked." After booking sent me an official letter informing me that the hotel would no longer try to rent money. Hope...

06.02.18 116 478 3

Who at the hotel knows your card details?

Six months ago I was traveling around the USA and booked my last hotel using a friend’s American card.

Irina Nikolaeva

travels a lot

The hotel found it suspicious that the room was booked by one person and paid for by another. To confirm that everything was in order, we had to indicate in a special form all the card details, down to the CVV code.

I was sure that only scammers ask for CVV, so I called the hotel. The conversation with the hotel operator dragged on, she was tired of explaining and said angrily: “Well, in short, enter the numbers 578 in this field.” It was CVV bank card, which we entered an hour ago on Booking.

This is how I found out that Booking transfers all bank card data to hotels. I’ll tell you what else I found out about booking hotels and how I now protect my money.

The best protection for money is an additional card

In any unclear situation, pay and indicate the details of the additional card. Apply it to your main account, set a limit and relax.

Set the limit to how much you are willing to spend on a hotel. When the card is not needed, set a limit of 10 RUR.

If scammers get your card details and try to cash out, they won't be able to withdraw anything, and you'll receive an SMS.

Additional card is free. To be completed via Internet Banking.

How Booking works

Most of the client’s booking actions take place on the Booking website. Therefore, clients sometimes believe that they “booked a hotel from Booking”, “paid to Booking”. This is wrong. At Booking, two independent entities meet - the hotel and the client.

The hotel sets the cost and other conditions of stay, is responsible for the correctness and relevance of this data and receives information about the reservation from Booking. It is the hotel, and not Booking, that confirms the reservation, corresponds with the client about the conditions, reschedules or cancels the stay and accepts payment. Booking only provides a platform and tools for interaction between the hotel and the client.

Why does the hotel need your card?

If you don't want to pay right away, the concept of a "booking guarantee" comes into play. The hotel promises to provide you with a room in exchange for your promise to pay for the room.

The hotel's guarantee is supported by its business reputation and the Booking reservation system. The client's honest word, unfortunately, is not enough to guarantee.

If the client changes his mind and forgets to inform about the cancellation of the reservation, the room will remain empty and the hotel will not receive a profit. Therefore, hoteliers want to receive a financial guarantee: if the client cancels the reservation after the specified date, he will have to pay a fine.

To be able to collect a fine, the hotel needs your bank card information. Booking provides this data to the hotelier immediately at the time of booking.

Who knows your details

When you enter your card details on the website, Booking transmits them via an encrypted protocol - if an attacker intercepts them, he will not be able to read them. The vulnerability occurs when your data is received by a hotel.

Booking provides two-factor authentication for access to Personal Area hotel: only an authorized hotel employee can see the client’s data. Theoretically, he should only withdraw or freeze the amount due under the terms of the booking and cannot use the card data for other purposes. As a result, the fate of the money on your card depends only on the decency and responsibility of this employee.

In the agreement between the hotel and Booking, the hotel undertakes to process card data in accordance with the payment card industry data security standard. However, the contract does not stipulate either verification methods or sanctions for violating the safety standard.

If a hotel carelessly stores printed reservations, for example leaving them at the front desk, then card data may become available not only to hotel employees, but also to other guests. If, a couple of months after your trip, someone in China buys a bike with your card, you won’t even immediately understand where the attacker got your data from.

At the moment when the hotelier saves your data to his computer or prints it out, Booking declines responsibility.


How to book a hotel safely

If you do not want to transfer your card details to the hotel, you can do without it. I'll tell you about several methods that I tried.

Independent prepayment to the hotel. There are advertisements on Booking with the note “You can make a reservation without a credit card.” To find them, select the “Reservation without a credit card” filter from the menu on the left.

To guarantee your reservation, the hotel will offer to make a bank transfer, PayPal transfer or to a bank card. The reservation will only be confirmed upon receipt of such advance payment.

The advantage of this method is that the hotel will not recognize your card details.


Personal agreement. In some cases, in correspondence with the hotel it is possible to maintain the reservation without financial guarantees. After my letter, two guest houses in the Seychelles agreed to keep a room for me without prior transfers or freezing money.

Such a concession is a right, not an obligation of the hotel. If the hotelier has already encountered dishonest or unnecessary guests, he may refuse to book a room for another tourist without prepayment.


Separate card for booking. I chose this method because this way I don’t have to perform unnecessary actions every time and enter into correspondence with hotels. At the same time, I am completely confident in the safety of the money on the main card.

Before booking a room, I transfer the required amount to a separate bank card and make sure that there is no money left on it after the trip. Even if my data is obtained by an attacker, my savings will remain safe. I only use this card for hotel bookings.

The main thing in 30 seconds

Immediately after booking, Booking transfers to the hotel all the bank card details you entered. Even CVV, if you specified it.

This occurs regardless of the terms of payment and cancellation of the reservation. Even if the hotel does not withdraw or block your money, all your card data immediately appears at its disposal.

Access to card data is available to authorized hotel employees. If they neglect security rules, an attacker may find out the card details.

It is possible to book a hotel without a card, but this does not work with every hotel and will require more transactions than paying with a card.

A smart way to protect your money is to use a separate card for booking.

Online booking system is the most popular resource for independent search and registration of residence anywhere in the world. Almost all Internet users have visited at least once to find out about hotels, conditions, and prices. Hundreds of transactions are made through Booking every day. However, today we are interested in booking cancellations.

Booking.com is an advertising resource whose marketing techniques are aimed at getting you to immediately click on the “book now” button. Sometimes such a step is thoughtless, and the next day a person thinks about how to cancel the deal.

System advantages

Why today more and more people choose Booking.com instead of travel agencies?

  • Canceling a reservation on this resource does not entail unpleasant consequences for the user. But more on that later.
  • The database has a huge selection of hotels, hotels and boarding houses.
  • "Booking" is the optimal cost. Moreover, upon detection best price the resource undertakes to return the difference.
  • There is no risk of throwing away extra money if the trip does not take place.

The last point requires clarification. Why then enter credit card information when reserving a room? Very simple. So as not to end up with a client who books rooms left and right just like that, just in case.

Hotel guarantees

This side is also protected when placing data on Booking.com. Cancellation of the reservation is possible, but according to the conditions specified in the contract, the hotel can withdraw the agreed amount. Please note, not the entire amount of accommodation, but only the amount that was declared. Most often this is the cost of one night. By the way, this measure is only for the case when the client does not inform about changed plans.

In most cases, the hotel administration agrees, and the Booking.com system adheres to the same policy. Cancellation of a reservation is completely free no later than one day before check-in at the hotel. In some cases, the rules may become stricter to 3-7 days, but this is rather a necessary measure.

Data from your card

Every person worries when they have to enter their credit card information on various resources. Don't worry, they are completely protected here. Booking hotels online requires confirmation that the client has the required amount. In this case, the money will be debited from the card upon completion of the transaction.

Before entering data, you need to clarify the conditions of a particular hotel. If something seems unprofitable for you, it is better to refrain from the transaction. There is always the opportunity to contact the hotel administration and ask clarifying questions. Because when penalty interest is debited from your card, it will be too late to study the conditions of the chosen hotel. In some cases, the amount can be much higher than average, for example, staying 2-3 days in a room. And if you cancel your reservation on time, the hotel is obliged to return the money within five days. As you can see, booking hotels online is very convenient and quite safe.

How does payment work?

The withdrawal procedure looks something like this: Once you have completed the required forms, the hotel will send a request to your bank to withdraw the funds. Of course, through the described Internet resource. The bank rejects the application if there is not enough money in the account. In this case, you don’t have to think about how to cancel your hotel reservation on Booking; everything will happen automatically. A notification about this will definitely come from the resource. By the way, check with the bank in advance whether such an operation is possible with your card. In some institutions, money cannot be written off without the express permission of the owner.

Confirmation

Speaking about whether it is possible to cancel a hotel reservation, I would like to note that the easiest way is to avoid a mistake. For this purpose, Booking offers a number of confirmations.

Upon completion of the operation, the system sends an email with the ability to print it. Be sure to do this. The letter contains all the information about the hotel: name, address, telephone number and guest information. Please read the contents carefully. It is in this document that the hotel notifies you of the conditions under which the cancellation of the transaction will be carried out.

Checking your reservation

After receiving the above letter, do not forget to check again whether everything is correct. The letter contains a link to the booking.com page where you can view your reservation.

To check the conditions, date and other data again, you need to log into your account. On the top line of the screen you will see the “My Bookings” menu item. Data about all transactions made on this resource is stored here. Even those trips that were carried out or canceled earlier will also be reflected here. By the way, the booking.com resource receives information about clients in a certain way based on their history.

Manage your booking

You can select the “View booking” button. You are now redirected to the page with detailed information about cost and booked hotel. Here each client can adjust the order at his own discretion. If you are thinking about how to cancel a hotel reservation, then this is where you should start. On the page you can change your card details for payment and select a different hotel room. If you are completely satisfied with these measures, then click the “Save Changes” button and receive confirmation of the adjustments by email.

Cancellation

Sometimes life brings surprises, and you may not have the necessary time to make a trip. In this case, you must also go to your personal page. Please remember that this is a last resort and may result in fines. Therefore, check whether the free cancellation period has expired. It is marked on the indicator, which is located right in the center of the dialog box. In addition, the cancellation link was in the letter sent to you from the resource when completing the transaction.

Penalties

As a matter of fact, hotels display them. This measure is necessary, because the number was idle, waiting for you on a specific date. Sometimes there is no time to find new guests, and the establishment suffers losses. “Booking” is just a tool or a link between the client and the hotel.

But in general, fines are very individual. Some hotels are quite flexible about cancellations. Others, on the contrary, even if the client communicated his decision in advance, will still remove the fine. Therefore, before making a transaction, carefully read the conditions of each hotel. Then it will be much more difficult to refuse the agreement.

How to avoid a fine

How to cancel a reservation on Booking without any consequences? The only way to do this is to meet the free cancellation deadline. In this case, if money is debited from the card, you will have a reason to go to court. But it happens that a person remembers too late. The rhythm of life is to blame for this, but most often one’s own laziness and careless attitude. Then you can go one of the following ways:

  • Before canceling the transaction, transfer money from the card to another account.
  • If this is not possible, then go to the bank and set a ban on debiting without your consent.
  • If the write-off has already occurred, then it will no longer be possible to return the money.

These methods do not guarantee that the hotel will not find a way to charge you cash. Moreover, they are not very desirable. Therefore, it is much better to pay attention to the transactions you make and keep a diary so as not to forget anything. If there was emergency situation, then first of all go to the website and cancel the reservation, and then contact the hotel and apologize.

 

It might be useful to read: