Hotel cancellation policies explained

"Free cancellation" does not mean you can cancel at any time. It means you can cancel for free until a deadline. After that, the rate behaves more like a non-refundable one. Knowing the terms of the exact rate you choose is the simplest way to protect your money.

The three kinds of rate

Free cancellation

You can cancel without charge until a set date and time. After the deadline, cancelling costs part or all of the price.

Partially refundable

You can cancel, but part of what you paid is kept. The charge may grow as the stay gets closer.

Non-refundable

You pay less, but you do not get the money back if you cancel or do not arrive.

How deadlines work

Each rate has its own deadline, so two rooms in the same hotel can have different terms. Deadlines of one to three days before arrival are common, but some rates, especially at resorts and in busy seasons, ask you to cancel a week or more ahead.

Check the time as well as the date, and do not leave it to the last hour.

Charges after the deadline

After the deadline, the charge depends on the rate. It is often the first night, sometimes a percentage, sometimes the whole stay. Some policies have steps, where cancelling a week before arrival costs less than cancelling the day before.

On myhoteloffers.com, the rate details and your booking page show these steps in plain words, such as "Free cancellation until" a date, or "Cancelling from" a date "costs" a set amount. Before you pay for a partially refundable or non-refundable rate, we ask you to tick a box confirming you understand the terms.

No-shows

If you do not arrive and have not cancelled, the hotel treats the booking as a no-show. The charge follows the rate's terms and is often at least the first night, and many hotels cancel the remaining nights. If you are delayed, for example by a cancelled flight, contact the property as soon as you know so it keeps the room for your later arrival.

How to cancel a booking on myhoteloffers.com

Open your booking from the confirmation email or your account and choose the cancellation option. The page shows what cancelling costs at that moment before you confirm. Any refund the policy allows goes back to the card you paid with, and your bank decides how quickly it appears.

Flexible or non-refundable?

A non-refundable rate makes sense when your dates are fixed and the saving is meaningful. A flexible rate makes sense when anything could change, or when the difference is small. Flexible rates also let you switch if the price drops later, as explained in what to do when your hotel price drops.

To see rates you can cancel, browse hotels with free cancellation or use the free cancellation filter when you search.

One habit that saves money

When you book a flexible rate, put the free cancellation deadline in your calendar with a reminder the day before. That date decides whether changing your mind costs nothing or costs a night.