Booking.com is a convenient tool – but you should always have a few tricks up your sleeve to make it work for you. We’ve travelled a lot, so we’ve used just about every booking site out there. Here’s our guide to finding the right hotel for less, including top tips to save money when you book with Booking.com.
What is Booking.com?
Booking.com is a handy place to book a hotel, as the site lists multiple hotel deals for your selected dates. You can also book your flights and excursions. We have just booked flights from Vegas to LA for a day trip. We could have done this directly with Spirit but doing it throug booking.com meant we could use Amex, earnign Avios.
There are a few benefits if you book with Booking.com.
- Free cancellation on many hotels – Make sure to double-check before you book, as not all hotels offer this option.
- Convenient mobile booking options – This is great if you’re booking last-minute accommodation on the road.
- Save time – Like the tour booking site Viator, instead of browsing lots of different hotel websites, you can find everything you need to know in one place.
- Genius loyalty scheme – Become a member to get extra perks every time you book.
- Affordable rates and a huge range of properties – Compared to other hotel services, Booking.com has relatively affordable rates and a variety of different hotels.
My tips for using Booking.com
There are a few ways to use Booking.com to your advantage and save a little money along the way. So when you’re deciding whether you can afford ridiculously-priced gelato on your holiday, just remember how much you saved by getting the best deal for your hotel.
Definately secure your booking and the keep an eye out for price changes. Then you can cancel for free and rebook cheaper. Or feel happy that you’ve got a great deal. We have found for this Vegas trip, the prices now as we get nearer to our travel dates are more than double what we paid.
There is often an option to pay later for no extra cost, great for budgeting. We have booked our Cyprus villa for next Summer, and the balance is due 4 weeks before we arrive. Your money is much better in your pocket.
Make the most of free cancellation
Typically, I first book through Booking.com, but I always keep an eye on the price as the trip gets closer. Then, if the hotel price goes down, I cancel and rebook. You might be able to get as much as 70% off your accommodation!
This is a great way to sort out your hotel so you don’t have to leave everything to the last minute – but you can also save a little money, too. Choose properties with free cancellation to make the most of this policy.
Filter, filter, filter
The Booking.com filter is your best friend! You can use it to filter hotels by property type, location, amenities, customer reviews, parking, price and much more.
Use this filter to adjust the budget for your trip or plan your ideal holiday. For example, if you’re heading to Las Vegas and you want to stay on the strip, in a 5 star resort, or a room with a balcony, you can choose your your filters. Or if you’re travelling to Cyprus, select a few filters to get a villa with a swimming pool or free WiFi.
You can also set your budgets so you are not tempted by out of budget properties (though its fun to look!)
Look out for flash deals
Booking.com always have mobile only deals, often short term. So if you are deciding between a couple of options, make sure you check on the app. One of them may have a mobile offer on.
And keep checking the prices. A place that is out of your budget when looking first may well have a price change that makes it affordable.
Think about your dates
If you’re not set on your travel dates, try to find the best dates for your money. You could book Sunday-Tuesday to save money on weekend night rates, or you could plan your trip during term time if you’re not travelling with kids.
When you book through Booking.com, it is so easy to change dates and compare the prices and availability. Adding an extra night can sometimes bring down the price, so make sure to play around a bit before booking your holiday.
Booking.com loyalty scheme
If you regularly book with Booking.com, consider joining the Genius loyalty scheme to get more for your money. Depending on your level, you can access:
- Up to 20% off your hotel stay
- Free breakfasts
- Free room upgrades
Anyone can join this programme for free. Each time you book a stay, you’ll unlock more travel rewards to use on future bookings. Unlike other points schemes, once you unlock a new Genius Level, you can actually enjoy your rewards forever.
Cashback with Booking.com
If you’re a member of the Avios British Airways loyalty scheme, you can also collect points towards flights whenever you book with Booking.com. This is also the case for Virgin Points. Maximise joy and maximise value by making the most of all your holiday purchases.
There are often cashback offers with quidco and topcashback. You can easily check the offers via CashbackAngel.
However, I’ve often found that prices are higher when you choose to book through Avios, Virgin or another portal, even taking the cashback / points value into account. Make sure to double-check bothbefore you book your hotel to get the best deal.
Booking.com: FAQs
How can I get 20% off on Booking.com?
You can get up to 20% off your hotel stay with Booking.com by signing up for the Genius programme. Once you unlock level 3, you’ll get 20% discounts at over 390,000 properties.
What are the cheapest days to book hotels?
There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to booking your hotel dates, so make sure to browse around and check Booking.com on multiple occasions. According to a NerdWallet study, the ideal time to book a hotel room is 15 days before your holiday.
Is Booking.com better than Hotels.com?
There are pros to both Booking.com and Hotels.com, so it never hurts to check if you can get a better deal elsewhere. Booking.com tends to have a wider selection of affordable, budget-friendly properties and it offers lots of filters for finding suitable hotels.
Do you use Booking.com? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments.
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I use Booking.com quite a bit, but I had no idea about the free cancellation hack to rebook if the price drops. Genius! Also didn’t realize that adding a night could sometimes bring the price down – that’s a great little trick I’ll definitely try next time. I’ve just joined the Genius programme too
Really useful tips! I’ve used Booking.com for years and only recently started rebooking when prices drop—game changer. Has anyone else tried adjusting dates slightly to unlock cheaper rates? I’ve noticed adding a Sunday night sometimes drops the total cost. Would love to hear how others save on accommodation.