Does Hotels.com Price Match?

If you are booking a hotel, you probably want the best price possible. 

Third-party sites, like Hotels.com, are a great way to search for and compare the prices of hotels near your destination.

An advantage to sites like Hotels.com is they offer price matching if you find a lower rate for the same hotel on another site. 

Hotels.com price matches, but their policy varies based on your reservation type. If you booked a refundable stay, you will get a refund for the price difference. If you booked a non-refundable stay, the refund will be a coupon.

Does Hotels.com Refund For Price Matches?

Hotels.com does not offer a full refund for a price match but will refund the price difference

When you find a cheaper rate for the same hotel on Hotels.com or another website, you will need to file a price match claim to get a refund. 

If you booked a refundable hotel room, hotels.com will refund you the price difference to the payment method used for the reservation. 

If your hotel room is non-refundable, you will still get the price match difference, but different rules apply.

What Happens if My Hotel Room is Non-Refundable?

If your booking is non-refundable, you are still eligible for a refund under the Hotels.com price match policy. 

The difference is that you won’t get your money back. Instead, you will receive an email with a coupon code or gift card worth the refund amount.

You can then use the code to save money on a future booking on Hotels.com. 

If you have more than one coupon code (or gift card) from a series of price match refunds, you may be able to use them all at once to make a new reservation.

How Do You Request a Price Match Refund on Hotels.com?

The easiest way to request a price match from Hotels.com is to do it on their website. 

When you navigate to their Price Guarantee page, you will find a header that says, “3. Ask us to match the price.” 

Under that heading, just click “Submit Your Request.” 

They’ll ask ​​where you saw the lower price, and you’ll either choose “Hotels.com” or “Other” from the dropdown menu.

You will then need to enter your contact information as well as information about your original booking and the new booking. 

Hotels.com will investigate your claim, and if it’s approved, you will be notified via email and refunded according to your reservation type.

Does Hotels.com Price Match Special Rates?

Hotels.com will not match special rates that are only offered to select customers. 

This includes rates offered to AARP members, AAA members, blind booking, government membership rates, or rates that apply to loyalty program members only. 

Price matching is only available for rates available to the general public, which do not require special memberships.

How Long Do I Have To Price Match?

Hotels.com allows customers to price match up until the day of check-in. 

That means you can price match anytime from when you book your hotel on the site until you go to check in. 

Some hotels offer last-minute deals to customers when they check in to get them to stay longer. 

Hotels.com will not match these rates. 

Always check prices the night before your reservation to see if they have dropped. If they have, you can apply for a price match refund in the nick of time.

Conclusion

When booking a hotel through Hotels.com, you can compare the prices of different hotels to find the one that best fits your budget. 

Hotels.com intends to provide the lowest prices possible; however, you may get lucky and find an even lower rate on another site.

It’s why Hotels.com offers its price match guarantee to keep customers happy and loyal to the site. 

The type of refund you get depends on your reservation. Refundable bookings get refunds to the original payment method used, whereas non-refundable bookings receive their price match difference as a coupon code or gift card. 

You have up to the day of check-in to ask for a price match refund, and you can submit your request by visiting the Hotels.com website and completing the correct form.