Booking does not accept Sberbank cards. Purposes of booking requesting bank card data, security of data transfer. What is the best way to book a hotel without a card?

Online hotel booking system Booking.com() is the most popular online service for independently searching and booking accommodation in hotels around the world. More than 300 thousand days are booked on the resource every day.
Today we’ll talk about some of the nuances how to book a hotel on booking com things you should know before booking a hotel.

1. Cheaper does not mean better

If you choose a 1*-3* star hotel or inn, check whether the room has a toilet and shower. Otherwise, upon arrival, you will be extremely surprised to find out that you have one shared bathroom for the entire floor and you will need to stand in line to take your morning exercise.

2. Is breakfast included in the price

Before book a room on booking, please note whether the price of this room includes meals (usually only breakfast), and what kind: a buffet (a variety of dishes to choose from), for example, which is much preferable to a continental breakfast (we eat what we give).

Helpful advice: Take advantage Booking.com discount coupon, book your accommodation and after your holiday you will receive a refund from Booking to your card in the amount of 10% of the booking amount. You can also use the coupon by clicking on the image below.

3. Read the booking and cancellation conditions

To find out the booking conditions, move your cursor to the information icon (the letter “i” in a blue square). Most hotels offer the same room, but at different prices:

  • non-refundable tariff usually indicated at a lower price, that is, even in the event of force majeure, you will not be able to get the money paid back)
  • return tariff is indicated at a higher price, but in this case you can always cancel the reservation without financial loss.

Sometimes the difference in price can be very, very significant, however, before you book a room on Booking.com at a non-refundable rate, carefully weigh the pros and cons, and in the end you should be 100% sure of your plans and, if your trip is cancelled, be prepared to lose your money.

In addition, there are special rates with certain restrictions: when booking for a specified number of nights, only on a specific date range, and the like.
It is these restrictions that may also be responsible for the difference in price compared to other booking systems.

4. Check the class of your card to pay for the reservation

To book via bookingcom any hotel, you must have a personal credit/debit card, preferably not an entry-level one. That is, your Visa electron salary card may not be accepted for booking, while a Visa/Mastercard classic or Gold card with your data on it will definitely be accepted. It doesn’t matter what currency the card is in (hryvnia, rubles, euros, dollars), just keep in mind that there may be additional fees from your bank for converting the national currency into dollars or euros, or double conversion.

5. Payment is made at the hotel, and not on the Booking.com website

Even though you provide your credit card details when booking, they do not receive any money from you. You pay at the hotel, not when booking. Your card only serves as a guarantee of your reservation; you make full payment for your stay upon arrival at the hotel.
The hotel has the right to make a so-called pre-authorization - that is, to block the guarantee amount on your account. This means that the money is frozen until you pay the hotel in full upon check-in. And after that they defrost.

It is worth considering that sometimes the process of “unfreezing” money can take up to 30 days, and therefore, just in case, you should have a double supply of funds - for “freezing” on the card and for payment at the hotel.

6. Enter restrictions on the maximum amount debited from your card

uses your card details to transmit them to the hotel for pre-authorization. This means that all the data necessary to write off money will fall into the hands of strangers.
As a rule, there are no problems with expensive and trusted hotels. But if you book a little-known hotel, we recommend that you be very careful, because an attacker who has received your data can use it to pay for other services online.

At a minimum, it is worth introducing restrictions on the maximum amount that can be written off from your card.

7. Read guest reviews and hotel ratings on Booking.com

When considering options, be sure to pay attention to reviews from travelers who have already visited the hotel, which can be divided into categories:

  • solo traveler
  • married couple
  • group of travelers
  • and others.

Take into account not only positive, but also negative reviews (if any) - this will help you approach your choice more objectively, and will also give answers to questions that may not be covered in the hotel description.

8. Agree on additional requests in advance

Since the system is almost completely automated, your additional wishes (early/late check-in, number of floors, view from the room, type of beds) will not be taken into account when booking. This means that hotel staff will respond to them after the booking has been confirmed.
We recommend that you contact the hotel directly before booking and ask for written confirmation of the services you require. This is important if you are booking a hotel with a non-refundable rate. That is, if, say, the type of bed is important to you, and the hotel cannot provide it, it will probably be impossible to refuse the room.

9. Hotel booking for visa

A very important point - some European consulates may not accept a voucher from . This means that if you book a hotel on booking.com, the voucher cannot be used as evidence for obtaining a Schengen visa. In this case, you must have a notification of 100% prepayment (that is, at a minimum, a non-refundable rate is indicated and, preferably, a statement from your bank indicating that funds were debited from your account when booking).
After completing all the formalities, you will receive a booking confirmation by email, which can be used to apply for a visa. If you need to provide a booking confirmation in English or another language, select the desired language in the top panel. The page will automatically update and feel free to send it to print (in the English version this is “Print confirmation”).

In the “Manage Reservation” section, you can also make some adjustments before check-in: change the number of guests by clicking on the “Change guest information” button - suitable for those who are not traveling alone; you can ask for additional food or a smoking room, if available; change the check-in time (in case you plan to check-in earlier than the set time or, on the contrary, too late). Once again, you can familiarize yourself with the conditions of booking and accommodation in a particular hotel by clicking on the link of the same name, located directly under the address and phone number of the hotel.

If you are going to travel to Europe, be sure to check with the visa center whether a voucher from Booking Com is suitable for the consulate in order to protect yourself from wasting time and money.

10. How to book a hotel on Booking.com? The process of booking a hotel on booking.com

  1. Account registration (tab in the top panel “Account”):
    1. indicate your current mailbox
    2. Create a password
    3. Select the language and currency in which all prices will be displayed.
  2. Select direction:
    1. indicate the city or country
    2. Specify the dates of your desired trip
    3. click the “Find” button
  3. Use the filters to select the desired hotel:
    1. by hotel class
    2. by popularity
    3. ascending and descending prices
  4. Check out the hotel
    1. read hotel reviews
    2. read the booking rules
    3. select the desired tariff and price
    4. click “Book”
  5. Receive booking confirmation.

You can make a reservation without registering, however, it is better not to be lazy and still complete this procedure - this will make it easier for you to manage your reservation as needed.

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 using either a credit or 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 in a German city they asked us for money 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.

I was criticized, saying that I should have called the call center, where they solve all problems.

And just a few days later I had a problem again.

I tried to book a hotel in Warsaw, when booking I noticed that this was the last available room of this category.

I press “Book” and a message pops up on the screen informing me that someone has beaten me to it and there are no more available rooms in this category and I am asked to start a new search.

After some time, I decided to enter the address into the navigator and again I went to Booking and saw there that I had two reservations. It turns out that the first hotel is also booked. And thus I have two active reservations for one date.

Hotel Rialto, which I was refused to book due to lack of available rooms, and Hotel Bristol, which I booked next.

Without delay, I call Booking support and ask them to solve this problem. I tell you how it all happened, they recommended that I cancel my reservation at the Bristol Hotel, since it was my second reservation. I’m trying to explain that I didn’t make the first reservation, or rather tried to make it, but was rejected by the system and it would be more logical to cancel what was booked by mistake, without my knowledge.

To this, operator Dmitry assures me that there were no failures in the system. Then I realize that I am in a stupid situation, and later I find out that the Rialto Hotel (which I booked by mistake) has already written off the entire amount from me and again I call the support service.

Dmitry tells me that if the money has already been debited, then there is 0 chance of getting it back and recommends blocking the card to avoid being debited from the Bristol Hotel. Afterwards, Dmitry asks for time to contact the Bristol Hotel and ask them to make a free cancellation. After a while, I find out that it was possible to cancel, but the penalty for cancellation will be 100% and if I do not reset the card, then 35,000 rubles will be written off from me.

Of course, I cancel the card and ask that they try to solve my problem in a less radical way, since logically I’m just throwing money at the hotel and the exact hotel that I booked.

Upon arrival at the Rialto Hotel, we are informed that the rooms in the reserved category have run out, but they are ready to upgrade to a premium suite. This once again confirms the fact that the reservation was made due to a system error.

Upon arrival in Moscow, attempts are made to write off money from my empty card, an amount of 35,000 rubles, a fine for canceling a reservation at the Bristol Hotel, which I have not been to.

I call Booking again and ask them to solve this problem, since I’m waiting for a transfer to the card and it’s more than the amount of the fine. Booking promises to call me back and disappears. I didn't hear them again.

I go to Sberbank and reissue the card.

I don’t know yet whether the Bristol Hotel will continue to pursue me to write off the fine. But now I know for sure that Booking is completely unprepared to solve customer problems, especially those that occurred due to a failure in the application.

It’s good that the card is a debit card and has no overdraft, otherwise I would not have been able to avoid being written off. So think before you link your credit cards. And when you link debit accounts, try not to keep large sums of money on them, as failures can occur. And then it will be difficult for you to prove something.

How would you solve this problem if you encountered something similar?

As a result, I unlinked all the cards from the booking and am not sure that by linking a new one, they will not try to charge me a fine for canceling the reservation again. For now I will use the Agoda application, although it also belongs to Booking.

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Today, many travelers refuse the services of travel agencies, preferring to reserve accommodation on their own through numerous online services. One of the most popular sites in this area is booking.com, which offers the largest database of hotels, hostels, apartments and guesthouses around the world. If you have never used this site before, but want to finally master it, we advise you to carefully study our article. Here you will receive detailed instructions on how to book a hotel through Booking and learn about all the nuances of the service.

Step No. 1. Registration

In order to make a reservation on Booking, you do not have to register. However, we recommend creating your own account on the site: it will only take a few minutes, and registration will greatly simplify the management of future bookings.

After you have entered all the required data, click on the “Start” button.

In subsequent windows, you can specify the phone number and select your preferences. It is not necessary to enter this information, so feel free to click on the “Skip” button in the lower right corner for now.

At the final stage of registration, you need to go to your email address specified during registration and confirm that the information is correct. In a matter of seconds, you should receive a notification in your inbox with the heading “Confirm with one click”, in which you only need to click on the blue “I Confirm” bar. Now you have your own account on Booking.



Note!

  1. When registering, be sure to provide a REAL email address. Upon completion of any reservation, you will receive a code that you will need when checking into the hotel!
  2. When setting up your profile, we recommend that you indicate a telephone number and address at which the administration of the accommodation facility can contact you in the future if necessary. It is worth considering that many (but not all) hotels require prepayment, and to book a hotel through Booking, you may need your bank card details. Therefore, you can assign card data to your account in advance at the registration stage.
  3. In order to select the currency in which booking prices will be shown, go to the icon with the image of the currency in the top center. Here you will also find a shortcut in the form of a flag, with which you can change the language of the site.


Step No. 2. Finding a hotel

The second step is the most time-consuming, but also the most exciting, during which you will have to choose a hotel that meets all your requirements. To search for a hotel, you need to refer to the search blocks located both on the main page,

In the first search line you need to indicate your destination: the name of the hotel, country, island, city, resort, etc. Here you need to select the dates for which you plan to travel. If you haven't set your exact travel time yet, enter approximate numbers to get an approximate cost and check hotel room availability. It is important to indicate the number of expected guests, because the price directly depends on this factor.

After you have entered all the data, click on the “Check prices” or “Find” button. You will see a list of different accommodation options, next to which the cost of the reservation will be displayed for the entire period of stay at the hotel you specified. Check out the list of search criteria on the left. Using these parameters, you will filter your search and be able to book a hotel on Booking com that best suits your needs.

Apply filters on the left side of the page: here you can mark the criteria you are interested in, such as the star rating of the hotel, type of accommodation, attractions, your budget, food, etc.

At the top of the list of hotels there is also a filter that sorts options by stars, prices, proximity to the city center, ratings and service recommendations.

If you like any hotel from the list and want to find out more detailed information about it, just click on the photo or hotel name, or below on the “View our latest available rooms” tab.

To find out detailed information about accommodation, go to the table with room types (on the same page below), in which you will see the parameters of the rooms and how they are equipped, as well as the price of accommodation in various room classes.

And for more information about meals and cancellations, hover over the question mark in the blue circle. Here you will find out whether you can book a hotel without paying. To go to the photo gallery, just click on the name of the room type.

Note!


Step No. 3. Hotel booking

In this part of our instructions, you will learn how to pay for a booked hotel at Booking.com. After studying all the accommodation options on the website and choosing the hotel you like, you proceed to the third and final stage - booking a hotel room. To do this, you need to indicate the number of rooms in the table and click on the “I book” button.

Next, you go to a page where you need to enter personal data in a special block. Here you must indicate your first and last name, email address, number of guests and their full names, your wishes and preferences (optional).

You can also ask the hotel representatives any questions you have by writing a letter in the form below. It is advisable to indicate the approximate time of arrival: in this case, the hotel administration will meet you on time and check you in without any problems. After entering the required data, click on the “Next: final data” tab.

Then a new page will open in front of you, where you will be asked to indicate your country, phone number and card information (if you have not already assigned it to your account).

You must enter the owner's name, card type, card number, expiration date and CVC code. Then click on the "Complete Booking" tab.

Now you can be congratulated on your first booking! Once you complete your room reservation, a booking confirmation email will be sent to your email inbox. In the letter, you can check all the data again and use it to save the reservation electronically to your phone. From here you can proceed to cancel your reservation.

When making a reservation, please pay attention to the following details:

  1. You can always manage your booking through your Booking account. By going to your profile, you have the opportunity to book another property, change travel dates, request breakfast, increase/decrease the number of guests, cancel a reservation, etc. (unless this conflicts with the hotel's terms and conditions).
  2. If you have made a reservation and your plans change, you must notify the hotel in advance. As a rule, you need to cancel your reservation at least one day before your expected check-in. Some hotels require two days' notice in such cases. You can send a request to cancel a reservation from your personal account. After this, you should receive an email confirming the cancellation of your reservation.
  3. In some cases, it is impossible to book a hotel without a card: this happens when the hotel wants to guarantee timely payment. To do this, he sometimes blocks some of the funds on your card. This amount can be equal to either the cost of one day of hotel accommodation or the price for the entire booked period. If you cancel a reservation following the rules established by the hotel, then no penalties will be imposed on you. If there are not enough funds on your card, the facility has the right to cancel the reservation on its own.

How to book a hotel without a credit card

The service offers enough hotels in different parts of the world where a bank card is not required to book rooms. How to book a hotel on Booking without paying? In order for only such options to be displayed in the list for the destination you have specified, you need to refer to the filter on the left, where in the “Free cancellation and other” column you should check the “Booking without a credit card” option.

Note! This option will only be available if you specify travel dates.

Of course, situations may arise when you like a hotel that does not require prepayment, but you cannot book it without a card. And if you are also afraid to leave such important information on the site, then there is only one way out - try to indicate the details of a valid card on which only a small amount or no funds are stored. Often this option works quite well.

Conclusion

We hope we were able to give you a clear idea on how to book a hotel on Booking.com. If you have never used the service before, then following our instructions, you will quickly understand all the options and controls on the site. And if you have additional questions, we will always be happy to answer them in the comments.

Related posts:

It is no secret that the very famous booking.com service is most often used to book hotels abroad. Without exaggeration, it can be called the most famous and popular. The service is very convenient; it has a Russian-language menu, which makes the task easier. In addition, many note that the site offers very reasonable prices. In our article we want to talk about how to book a hotel on Booking and what you need to know for this.

Convenience of the resource

If you don’t yet know how to book a hotel on Booking, our article will be useful for you. Before using a resource, you need to know everything about it. Booking is used by all active tourists who prefer independent travel. If you do not want to overpay tour operators, then the site will be a real godsend for you. Firstly, it allows you to select and reserve hotels in a variety of countries around the world. The resource allows you to get a lot of information about hotels, compare their conditions and the cost of living.

Over 300 thousand nights are booked on the site every day. Information about hotels is reflected in real time on the resource. According to reviews, you need to book a hotel through Booking with a clear head, not paying attention to the cunning tricks of the resource. While looking at another hotel at the end of the world, you will notice that information will appear on the screen in front of you that someone has just booked a room in the place you are interested in. This forces the next client to hurry up in order to book a room for himself. After all, the imagination already paints a tempting picture of relaxation. Don't pay attention to such tricks. Book a room only when you are absolutely sure.

Benefits of the service

Booking a hotel through Booking is very convenient. You can name a lot of advantages of the site. Firstly, it is worth remembering the scale of the resource. Its reserves contain more than 200 thousand hotels in 164 countries. On the site you can find hotels not only in popular resorts, but also in remote parts of the world.

Secondly, Booking offers the best prices. The resource guarantees to return the difference if the client can find a more profitable accommodation. It is considered that the booking occurs without any additional surcharge. A very nice bonus is the ability to find great deals on the site. Every day, hotels appear on the resource where you can book rooms at half the price.

Blocking funds on the card

If you are just understanding the nuances of how to book a hotel on Booking, you will probably encounter a financial question regarding your bank card. No matter how convenient the site is, all users face the same problem. This is blocking the payment amount on your card. Active tourists often have difficulties in this matter.

During the process of booking an apartment, the site invariably asks you to enter your card details to confirm the procedure. By the way, it doesn’t matter at all whether you do this directly on the hotel’s resource or use the platform for this. The essence of the procedure is that you voluntarily give out a lot of information about your account. Of course, you are told that no one will withdraw funds from your account, but is this really so?

In fact, the hotel has the right to block part of the money on your card. This means that you have funds in your account, but you cannot use them. Whether the hotel will block part of the funds on the card is a rhetorical question. Different countries have different approaches to this situation. Hotels just use this simple way to insure themselves.

Please understand that there are at least four parties involved in the process of handling your card at the time of booking and thereafter. The first participant in the procedure is you yourself, since you voluntarily agree to the use of your banking information.

You also need to be mindful of the hotel you are booking at. This is the second participant in the process. And, of course, don’t forget about the platform itself, with the help of which you found the housing you need. It is she who provides the hotel with your banking information. And the last participant in the process is your bank, in whose account your funds are stored.

Using the website, the hotel receives your details to protect itself from possible changes in your plans. It is logical that representatives of the hotel you have chosen will want to check whether there really are funds in your account and whether you have indicated the correct coordinates.

Little tricks

How to book on Booking if you don’t have a bank card? It is important to consider that without a credit card you will not be able to book an apartment. Unfortunately, many remain unhappy with hotels gaining access to the account. Therefore, the question arises: how can this moment be circumvented? Enterprising fellow citizens recommend opening a special bank account, which you will use to make reservations on the site. It may contain some modest amount or no money at all. No one is stopping you from replenishing your account at the right time. When opening a card, please note that it can be used for an electronic payment system. Typically, such accounts are opened free of charge.

I have such a card, I can easily book a hotel through Booking. Having received your coordinates, the hotel sends you a confirmation of your reservation and awaits your arrival. You will be able to pay for your accommodation upon arrival at your destination.

But the situation may develop a little differently. It is quite possible that the hotel will want to check your solvency and block a certain amount on your card. By the way, this practice is typical for many European countries (France, Spain, Italy...). If hotel employees check your account and cannot block a certain amount, you will receive a message about this. In this case, you can top up your account with the required amount at any time, provide card details with money, or choose another hotel.

It is worth noting that different institutions have their own requirements for the amount that is blocked on your account. For some, it is enough to block the cost of living for one day to guarantee, while others require payment for the entire stay.

The most experienced tourists share their experience, recommending booking several hotels in one city if you have a separate card without money. Travelers believe that in this case you will not have to pay cancellation fees. You simply decide upon arrival where you prefer to stay. Whether it's worth doing this is up to you to decide. In any case, other people's experience is always useful. Now you know how to book a hotel on Booking if you have an additional card.

How to choose a hotel?

How to book a hotel on Booking? After all, it’s not easy to understand so many proposals. Working with the site is very easy due to the fact that the information on it is displayed in Russian.

How to book a hotel on Booking?

To simplify your work, you need to enter the desired city and date of your intended trip, then click the “Find” button.

You can also enter the city name directly in the search form. A large list of hotels will appear in front of you. To simplify the search, you can enter additional parameters - amenities, price, type of accommodation, star rating of the hotel, area, distance from the coast and much more.

First of all, you must indicate:

  1. Desired cost of living. Please note that Booking indicates the price of the room, not per person.
  2. Type of allocation. This point is important if you want to find not a room, but an apartment.
  3. The area in which you would like to live.

In addition, you can indicate other requirements that are important to you. For example, transfer, Internet availability, parking, distance from the airport, etc.... All this data will help you narrow down your search.

How to find a hotel at a discount?

How to book a hotel on Booking if you want to find the best deal? Each of us is looking for housing with a good discount. To do this, you need to find the “Smart Offer” function in the left menu. You need to check the box next to this item, after which the system will select all discount offers for you. All you have to do is evaluate all the options offered.

What does the price depend on?

Having figured out how to book through Booking, you can safely start searching for a suitable option. However, it is worth remembering that the resource offers different pricing options. What determines the cost of rooms?

The fact is that with instant payment the price of the apartment is lower. If you reserve the option to cancel the reservation, then the cost will be higher. In addition, breakfast is usually included in the price.

Many tourists wonder when is the best time to book a hotel on Booking? As a rule, it is best to reserve a room two months before your intended trip. But this option is not suitable for all travelers, since not every person can plan their time in advance. Some people's work schedules are quite unpredictable. When is it better to book a hotel on Booking if you are not sure about your future plans? If you cannot give the exact date of your vacation, book your hotel two days before your trip. If there are still rooms available by then, you will be offered the best prices.

Don't be surprised if the cost of apartments varies on different days. This happens often. If you are booking a room at the moment, its price is fixed for you. And it doesn’t matter when you pay for your stay.

Is it possible to book without prepayment?

Many tourists are interested in whether it is possible to book a hotel on Booking without making an advance payment? Most of the hotels on the site provide this opportunity. But be prepared for the fact that the room rate in this case will be slightly higher.

In general, it’s not difficult to figure out how to book correctly on Booking. Please note that room reservation conditions may vary greatly between establishments. Each hotel has its own requirements. Therefore, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the booking conditions of the establishment you are interested in. To do this, you need to hover over the question icon. There is one near every hotel. There you will find information regarding how long before you have the opportunity to cancel your reservation without penalty. You can also find out if the hotel requires prepayment and if tax is included in the price. This information will not be superfluous; it will allow you to sensibly assess the situation so that there are no unpleasant surprises in the future.

It is very important to familiarize yourself with the conditions put forward by the hotel. Misunderstandings can lead to you losing extra money or ruining your mood. After you have found a suitable option, indicate the required number of apartments and click the “Book” button.

After this, the resource takes us to a page where we will have to enter our personal data (our first and last name in Latin letters, email address, etc.). In this section, it is important to check the “Online access to booking” box. This item will be useful to you if you need to cancel your reservation or check-in date. Then click the “continue” button. The resource will take us to a page where we need to fill in address details and credit card information.

Is it safe to enter data?

Beginning travelers are invariably concerned about a very important question. Is it safe to book a hotel on Booking? As practice shows, the site is completely safe. This is confirmed by numerous reviews from tourists. Many people are confused by the fact that they need to enter their card details. We already talked about this at the beginning of our article. But this condition is mandatory, otherwise you will not be able to use the resource.

Another popular question asked by tourists: “Is it possible to book hotels on Booking using someone else’s card?” The resource allows you to use any credit card. You can use the account of your husband, sister, relative. The name of the person arriving at the hotel does not have to be the same as the name on the card.

Is it possible to book a hotel without a credit card?

If you don’t have a card, the question invariably arises: “Why doesn’t Booking book without a credit card?” In fact, the resource allows you to reserve a hotel without a bank account. But at the same time, you will have to very carefully study the requirements of each specific hotel (we previously mentioned the question mark next to each hotel).

Initially, those hotels that are marked “Non-refundable” are not suitable for you, since funds must be paid at the time of booking.

If you see that it is possible to cancel your reservation free of charge until a certain date, this means that you cannot do without a credit card. And the “free cancellation” icon does not guarantee that the hotel will suit you.

In general, it is very difficult to book a hotel without a card. You will have to look at many hotels, but there is no guarantee that you will find what you want. More often than not, it turns out that free booking is just a gimmick. In such cases, the administrator of the hotel where you are planning to relax will soon call you and ask you to deposit part of the amount into the account of the owner of the establishment. In our opinion, this is not the best option.

Without a card, you can reserve a hotel room if you see information that there is no deposit or penalty for no-shows or cancellations. This is exactly the option you were looking for! But it is very difficult to find.

How can I check my reservation?

Once you have reserved a hotel room, you should receive a booking confirmation email to your email address. You should definitely save this message. You may need it if your plans change unexpectedly. You may need to cancel your reservation or reschedule your arrival date. Before going on vacation, be sure to print the letter and take it with you. In case of an emergency, you can present it at the hotel reception. If you receive a message like this in your email, it means the process was successful. Your room is reserved and waiting for you.

Cancellation

When is the best time to book a hotel on Booking is up to you, since only you can judge your plans. But in unforeseen circumstances, you can cancel your reservation. To do this, you will have to find your reservation confirmation email and follow the link to cancel your reservation. In the same way, you can change your check-in dates or edit your details. By clicking on the link, you will be taken to your personal account on the resource and perform all the necessary actions there.

Sometimes tourists are faced with the fact that when booking a hotel, the information about it says that payment is made at the place of residence. However, not everyone wants to travel with an impressive amount of money. Many travelers prefer to deposit funds in advance to ensure that their room is waiting for them. What to do in this case? You can contact the hotel (contact details of the establishment must be included in the booking confirmation letter) and discuss the issue with its management. Many hotels will appreciate the opportunity to receive your money in advance, as this will ensure that your booking will not be cancelled. Difficulties may arise with small family-type hotels.

Very often, in search of great deals, tourists book rooms long before their trip. And everything would be fine, but some hotels at the same moment try to reserve a certain amount from your card. Not everyone likes this, which is logical. For example, you book a hotel in January, but the trip will take place only in May or June. All this time, your funds will not be available to you. If you are not satisfied with this option, there is a simple way out. You can cancel your reservation and find another hotel whose conditions are not so strict.

We hope that our article will help you understand all the nuances of working with Booking.