Does Booking.com’s Price Match Guarantee Work as Advertised?

The short answer is yes, but you may need to be persistent and navigate a complicated process.

Recently, I made a complex reservation on Booking.com with multiple rooms for adults, kids, toddlers, and babies. At the time of booking, I knew another website offered the same reservation for 22% less, but I opted for Booking.com due to their reputation and advertised price match guarantee (called “We Price Match”).

However, finding the link to request a price match was challenging, requiring a chain of hidden links and eventually resulting in a customer service request. While the agents were helpful and specific in their requests for information, they also seemed to be looking for reasons not to honor the price match.

Despite providing evidence with a link that the other offer was for the same property, number of people, room types, and dates, Booking.com asked if the other offer included the same meal plan. It did, and, for this property, there is only one bundled meal plan for all room types! Regardless, I provided a link and screenshot as evidence this time.

Booking.com then rejected the request, claiming that the other website’s offer was for a refundable package while they sold a non-refundable package. That was true, but I found it strange because refundable options are usually more valuable. I persisted and provided a non-refundable package option from the other website. To Booking.com’s credit, that was only 9% cheaper. Booking.com then requested the same information in a different currency, which I provided despite all information from Booking.com being displayed in my default currency (USD) so far.

Finally, Booking.com accepted the price match but informed me that I would need to ask for the discount after my trip and that it would be given as credit unless I requested a refund.

Here are four tips to save money, if you plan to try this process yourself:

• Check for prices on multiple websites. I used TripAdvisor, but you can easily do this on any travel aggregator site.
• The price match could easily be rejected for a minor difference. If you see this as a bonus, give it a try. If a lower price is an absolute must, consider going with your cheaper option.
• Make sure everything (big or small!) matches exactly.
• Provide evidence with links and screenshots.

In conclusion, while Booking.com’s customer service is reliable, their price match guarantee requires persistence and navigating a complicated process. However, as a happy customer who was able to save money thanks to the price match guarantee, I would highly recommend giving it a try if you’re looking to book a stay with them. By following the tips mentioned above and be prepared for some back-and-forth with customer service, you could potentially save a significant amount of money on your booking. Overall, I was happy with the experience, and would not hesitate to book with them again in the future.