How does Booking.com work?

You don’t pay booking.com directly. You put in a credit card to secure your reservation. Also, in case you don’t show up and do not cancel you can be charged. When you receive your confirmation email, you will be advised how to make payment at the hotel. Some want cash and will tell you what is accepted, like euro or local currency. Others will tell you which credit cards they accept. You then pay at the hotel, usually at check out. When you check in, you give your card so there is no skipping out on the bill, just as you would anywhere. We have been using them for years in the US and overseas, no problems.

You guarantee the booking through booking.com with your credit card. Some listings require a deposit that you pay at the time of making a reservation though booking.com and some properties will specify that you pay at the property. For others the balance due is payable through booking,com some days or weeks before you arrive. The CC you give to booking.com will be used if you default on a reservation, I.s., fail to cancel or do not show up. Note the cancellation terms in the listing as they vary. Some are cancellable up to three days before arrival but many are not cancellable even a month out. Be sure you know the terms, which in my experience are clearly explained.

Never agree to pay online outside of the system booking.com has set up.

Booking.com handles reservations for a variety of lodging types, some of which have more restrictive policies (non-refundable rooms which are charged immediately) and very flexible policies (using a credit card simply to hold the reservation and a generous cancellation policy). So the answer is that you have to pay attention to the rules of that establishment. It will be very clearly stated before you book, but if you're not used to it, then be more cautious and take your time reading everything thoroughly. I've booked about 50+ rooms with the site and a vast majority of them were refundable up until almost the time of the trip and payment was made via credit card right at the property. Some mom and pop type places may prefer cash but I don't typically deal with those. So the short answer is that there are instances where Booking.com takes your payment immediately but, more often than not, it just transmits your credit card info to the hotel to hold the room for you. Ultimately, you have to abide by the payment policy of that hotel.

I've had very good experiences with it, as I don't have the patience to call or e-mail overseas properties directly or fill out their online request forms and wait until they respond. I like getting confirmation in writing and being able to cancel right on the site (within the free cancellation window), if I need to.

If you decide to use it, you'll see that it's very intuitive. You can also use many filters to search across properties based on your needs and preferences. Just be aware that European hotel rooms are not like those in the US - you won't see two queen beds (or a king bed) as the default choice. Rooms are a lot smaller and you have to designate how many people are staying without assuming anything about the room configuration (photos really help though).

People will have different thoughts, but I always try to book directly with the property. This saves the property money and helps the small, local charm type establishments survive. It also can mean some perks for the customer (free breakfast, lower rate, good view, etc.) Whenever I get the property out of a RS guide, I say so. That has gotten me free breakfasts, on occasion, and I think often a better room. I establish a relationship with the property before I even arrive. I'll often email requesting touring suggestions, directions to the property or details about the room or breakfast. I always reconfirm my reservations a week or two prior to arrival. On an occasion or two, the property has requested I book thru booking.com and I have done that as well.

I highly recommend it. They have a program when you refer someone you and that person will receive a $20 credit.

I have either paid when I got to the property after reserving or they charged it before my stay. Usually the non-refundable bookings or cheaper.

A lot of the smaller mom pop hotel that don't have the man power to maintain their own websites list their properties there to reach more customers in the age of the internet as Booking.com is in multiple currencies and languages.

Just read the reviews that only travelers that have actually stayed at a place can submit.

In my experience, Booking.com and its rivals such as Hotels.com frequently offer rooms for less than the hotel itself quotes. They may have preferential access to rooms in a bloc, although that's just a guess. On the other hand, one big booking agency may list a property as sold out while other sites are still selling rooms. These comments apply to hotel rooms; apartment rentals could be different, especially on the issue of who holds the deposit (if any).

It works great for me but the policy on payment varies by property.

Often you pay the property (hotel, apartment, bnb, etc) directly, on arrival or departure. Some are cash only, some take credit cards. But sometimes they charge your card through the site on a specified day (say a deposit the day you book, or a % a week before arrival). It’s all spelled out before you book, but each property is different so you need to look carefully. In addition, sometimes they will offer you a lower rate to pre-pay, non-refundable. Only select this if you are completely sure.

I have noticed that it’s harder to figure this out in the app. Use the website, it’s much clearer.

I use them mainly for apartments and houses - places where you can’t book directly. But I have used them for big hotels, too because it’s easy.

Agree with Jules, use Booking.com as a search engine but try to book directly with the property whenever possible - you can sometimes get better deals (and better rooms) than those offered on the booking.com website.

We've always had pretty good luck with them, and in fact that's where I usually start our searches for accommodation.

I have used Booking.com for several years and have always been completely pleased with them and also the hotels and apartments I've reserved through them. I do always check the "Travelers Photos" of a place on the TripAdvisor site before reserving any place.

There's also a message link where you can send a question or answer a question from the hotel anytime after you've reserved a room.

Some of the no-cancellation reservations will be paid ahead of time; others are paid at the hotel with a credit card. I keep a spreadsheet for my entire itinerary and mark whether I've already paid for a room, etc. I've never had an issue with any double-payments or the hotel receiving incorrect information.

I have to disagree with Andrew. Look closely at the property, their rating scale most times will reflect mine, after a stay, but I seldom book one under an 8.5, check out their reviews. Unlike other sites ONLY those staying at the property can review the lodgings. Have only had one property, out of at least 100, last September, where host gave away our apartment, the weekend of the Rome Marathon, to someone willing to pay a much higher rate. A quick call to booking gave us a refund and quickly found us a much nicer one for the same rate.

I also like the fact you can contact the property thru booking to ask questions. It alloweds you to keep all info in one location on your phone.

As have some of the posters above, I've used booking.com for quite a number of our accommodations and never had an issue. You DO have to read the specifics on each property selection, such as any extra fees, cancellation period/penalties (if any), how/when you'll be paying the bill, etc.

But I use multiple sites for my research. While I lean most heavily on booking.com for written feedback, I cross-check those with candid guest photos posted on Trip Advisor. It's helpful to see what properties really look like versus the meticulously prettied-up shots used in hotel/apartment advertising.

I too have used Booking.com extensively, and never had the first problem. I usually will filter my search from low price to high price accommodations and then look for cheaper properties with extremely high customer ratings versus other properties of the same price. I've never been dissatisfied.
I also go online to see what others have to say about the properties. Sometimes that takes me to TripAdvisor. It's not difficult to get an idea of how they run their business.

Once again, I will sound like a RS groupie. Usually I start with his guides for recommendations. I almost always will look other places to get an idea of pricing and sometimes I will compare the prices I get directly from the property to booking.com, expedia or tripadvisor. Sometimes I will say directly to the property, "It looks as though I can get the property cheaper on. . .XXX", sometimes they will match, sometimes they will not. When they won't, I sometimes will then book with booking.com or whatever. I almost always work directly with the property, but a few times the property has requested that I use booking.com. As someone who really values the smaller properties with local flavor, I try to help them survive.

Yes, when I went to book Rick's recommended Mescanka lodging in Ljubljana (which has only seven rooms/apartments) their booking button took me directly to Booking.com.

I use booking.com or hotels.com a lot. Hotels.com often has secret rates which can be a substantial savings. Also, these sites snobs what the cost is in your currency. Sometimes when looking at the hotel rate, it is in Euros or whatever and when doing the exchange, it works out to more than the rates on these sites. Sometimes the hotel will offer a perk for booking directly with them. This can be an upgrade on arrival, if available. These are hardly ever available in my experience.

Hmmm, that really felt condescending. I don't need a lesson on how to book accommodations. This sounds like one of those hot topics in which some people seem to think there is only one way to do things and seem to somehow have some kind of vested interest in their method. I actually travel a lot, both domestically and internationally. I have all my rooms booked and confirmed before I leave. I don't waste hardly any time moving from one city/property to another. I both plan and travel quite efficiently. Depending on time of day of course, I typically have a response within a couple hours. And I would never be standing at a hotel counter asking someone to match a rate, because that would have been done before I arrive. I actually have had great luck with RS suggestions, but its not like I don't do a little research on my own. We absolutely LOVED the properties we just stayed at in Sevilla, Grazelema, Granada, Cordoba and Madrid. We got a free breakfast (Hotel Anacapri) in Granada for mentioning RS. My other rooms, had prime views, often with balconies. I will admit to being pretty surprised at how well the hotel folks could communicate in English. I have never had a problem communicating with hotel staff via email. I have not yet stayed at a property in Europe that we have not really enjoyed. I don't think that working directly with the hotel takes much time at all and again, I'd like to do what I can to make sure the local places can hang on and I have received comments from some inns that they do value customers that use their website or some other method to book directly with them. I also really value any kind of personal interactions I have with local people, whether it be in a restaurant, a store or at the hotel. People can make all kinds of decisions about how they want to travel and who they want to support in the process. Whenever possible I book directly with airlines and hotels and I always know what I'm getting.

Thank you for all of the detailed responses, I really appreciate it. I just booked my flights, gulp, now we are definitely going. I will look in to some of Rick Steves hotel recommendations too, as I have the 2019 Italy book. Grazie!

I now book almost exclusively through Booking.com, have never had a problem. I have made reservations at hotels, B & Bs, and once in a while, apartments. I generally look for moderate-priced, well-located lodging, with very high customer ratings. I always read a lot of the customer reviews, which will mention highlights or potential problems. Once I choose, I will often book a room up a notch in terms of a larger room, balcony, etc. Often I will contact the lodging staff through the Booking.com message process, before I arrive, just to confirm my arrival time, ask for the best way to get there, inquire about baggage storage or whatever.
I once had a room at a nice small hotel in Spain, and discussed the booking process with the desk clerk. She said almost all guests use some booking service, and while many of the services have periodic problems or confusion, there are never problems with Booking.com.

Gotta admit that we've never stayed in a RS recommended hotel, or at least not that I'm aware of. It's less about them not being OK places to stay as being potentially booked up and/or just wanting some different things. Anyway, there are oodles of great places out there; you just have to find the best fits for the location/price/amenities/ratings that you want.

Have used Booking.com for years and been very happy with their service. I am also confused by Andrew's comments. I always do my due diligence and never use one source for reviews. If that sounds like too much work, so be it but I won't just trust one source for anything

As for payment - they have several methods. For some deals, you pay Booking in advance while others, you use a CC to hold the reservation but pay at the establishment