How to get a refund from a third-party booking site for a canceled hotel
Third-party booking sites often stall refund requests for natural disaster cancellations by escalating them to legal teams. This leaves travelers trapped in endless phone calls without knowing what reimbursement to ask for or what they can reasonably expect.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Filing a credit card chargeback dispute
- 2Relying on travel insurance coverage
- 3Booking directly with hotels in the future
- 4Searching online forums for guidance on separate ticket policies
- 5Accepting alternative economy rebooking through another carrier
- 6Filing a chargeback through the bank with supporting documentation
- 7Booking directly through the rental company instead of a third-party platform
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Well, I wish I could have booked directly.”source ↗
“Booked with them for an upcoming trip, however my hotel is closed due to a natural disaster.”source ↗
“Three calls in to Stay for Long and each is less promising than the last. Today I started hearing not sure if they can issue a refund and will have to run it by their legal team.”source ↗
“Looking for some assistance on how to request reimbursement, what to request, and what I can reasonably expect.”source ↗
“Booking a new ticket on ANA cost us $1,400 per person NRT-HNL. We are also out $120 in overweight baggage charge because of different baggage policies between JAL and PAL.”source ↗
“Europcar refused to provide the car because of an International Driving Permit requirement, so I never received or collected it, but the Europcar reception did not hesitate one second in issuing me a Refund PPB letter.”source ↗
“Despite this, Booking.com claimed the document only confirms that I did not collect the car, not that Europcar agreed to a refund. They initially offered €175.29, meaning I would lose around €259 for a car I never received.”source ↗
“When I rejected that amount and asked them to escalate the case, their attitude completely changed. Their latest response says that because I did not accept their proposed resolution, the case is closed and I will receive no refund at all.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to get a refund when an online seller won't ship or reply
- 8Guests dropping out after RSVPing yes for a wedding
- 3Why am I getting refund requests for orders from years ago?
- 2Having second thoughts after paying a wedding vendor deposit
- 5Why do sellers cancel orders and ask you to buy off-platform?
- 2Merchant says refund went to a closed card but bank has no record