Booking.com complaints: cancellations and missing refunds

Find the cancellation policy in your confirmation, including the date, time and any stated time zone. Compare it with your cancellation confirmation. Keep the original wording rather than relying on the property's current listing, which may offer different rates or conditions.

Booking.com's terms say cancellation charges and refunds depend on the provider's cancellation policy. A non-refundable rate and a rate allowing free cancellation before a deadline are different agreements.

The general 14-day online cooling-off right does not apply to accommodation booked for specific dates. The CCPC expressly lists this exception. If you are relying on free cancellation, explain how you complied with the policy attached to your booking.

Compare the card statement, receipt and booking confirmation. Ask whether the charge was collected by the property, Booking.com or another named payment business. The name on a bank statement helps identify the payment, but it does not by itself settle every question about legal responsibility.

Booking.com's accommodation terms describe the accommodation booking as a contract with the service provider. Booking.com also has its own platform and support role. If support separately promises reimbursement, save that message and ask who will make the payment, in which currency and by what date.

If you are being sent between the property and platform, put both reference numbers and both replies in your next support message. Ask each to explain the part it is handling. Do not assume that naming the platform in a court claim is correct simply because you booked through its website.

Ask exactly what is missing: the transaction date, merchant name, amount, currency or proof that the account belongs to you. A statement and an app screenshot may show different details. Ask support what alternative document it will accept before repeatedly uploading the same file.

If the currency is missing, ask your bank whether it can provide transaction confirmation or a signed letter explaining the account currency. Ask Booking.com support to confirm whether that document, together with the statement, will meet its requirement. This is a request for an alternative, not a guarantee that support will accept it.

Keep bank-issued documents unchanged. Put explanations in a separate message; do not add a currency symbol or other information and present the altered document as an original bank statement. Use the official support channel and ask what unrelated information can be redacted. Never share your banking password or card security code.

My reservation is [reference], for [property and dates]. The booking allowed free cancellation until [deadline]. I cancelled on [date and time] and attach the confirmation. [Named business] charged [amount and currency] on [date]. Please confirm the refund amount, who will pay it, whether it has been processed and any reference my bank can use to trace it. If you need further payment evidence, please specify the missing information and acceptable document format.

If you already received a promise of reimbursement, include its date and reference. Keep following the same support case where possible so earlier documents and replies remain connected.

Report the problem promptly to the property and Booking.com support. Save the listing, booking confirmation, photographs and replies. Explain the specific difference, such as an unavailable room or a promised facility that was missing.

If alternative accommodation is offered, record what was offered and any price difference before accepting where practical. Keep receipts for additional costs. Those records support a request for an explanation or reimbursement; they do not establish that every additional expense must be paid.

Ask your card provider about the relevant dispute process and deadline while support investigates. Supply the cancellation terms, confirmation, payment record and refund promises. A chargeback request is not a guaranteed refund.

For cross-border help, identify the business and country involved before choosing a complaint or court procedure. The domestic Irish small-claims procedure is not automatically available against an overseas business. Use the linked cross-border guide to prepare those details, and get advice if responsibility between the property and platform is disputed.