How do you make use of free cancellation on Booking.com etc?

[HPFA]

I've always booked hotels with free cancellation but only used it once when Covid prevented us from going on the trip.

I've never used it to put holds on a few different places or anything like that.

Planning a short break to Paris in January and thinking about leaving booking to the last moment (as non-refundable prices are cheaper) but obviously will have less choice than if I book with free cancellation now.

I feel like it would be unethical to secure something on FC and then cancel it at the last moment if a better option came up but this might be something hotels just assume is going to happen?

I was just curious to know how other people used the facility. Hope this makes sense!

I do book hotels with free cancellation. It’s primarily because of elderly parents who might be unwell, but I do also check nearer holiday time to see if the rates have gone down or if there are any good bargains. The hotel offers the cancellation option and it’s usually more expensive than non refundable so I reckon they include the occasional cancellation into the equation.

I wouldn't risk last minute in paris on booking.com, prices will be quite high

I always use free cancellation, and I have cancelled if I change my plans, or if we find something cheaper. I have never considered myself ethically bound to pay more than I need to to stay at a hotel that I have changed my mind about.

We used to book hotels for gigs as soon as we knew they were announced and for football matches

With footie you quite often don't know you will get tickets until the last minute, so have no compunction of using free cancellation policy

If you're talking about big chain hotels, last minute cancellation will be all in a day's work for them. I take the view that they are big boys and girls who can look after themselves. If it was a much smaller set up (eg an owner of one holiday apartment) I probably wouldn't book unless I fully intended to go.

I booked a hotel with free cancellation for a UK weekend away recently. There seemed to be very little accommodation available and I wanted to make sure we at least had something. Found a little bungalow so cancelled the (rather grotty) hotel.

I never book without free cancellation even if it incurs a surcharge because I like to keep my options open till the last minute.

Equally, when I am booking at the last minute which is a fairly frequent occurrence, I sometimes find great hotels because last-minute cancellations release them for late bookers.

So for me it's a win-win and please be assured that your late cancellation will probably be snapped up by someone.

If they offer it it’s ethical. We just had our whole holiday refunded due to a accident and booked flex rather than pre pay no cancellation usually there are two or three prices - full flex (cancel 24 hours) semi flec( cancel 5 days before) and non refundable. “You pays your money you takes your choice”

This, plus booking with free cancellation usually costs more, so over time, they won't lose out, they'll also overbook sometimes, because they'll know that not everyone who books actually turns up, and they'll have contingency plans for the rare occurrence where they run out of rooms.

From a guests point of view, if you never book with free cancellation, unless you want to cancel regularly, or frequently stay in places where there's high demand, you'll probably spend less over time if you always book with free cancellation and lose money on the odd occasion where you don't go.

Have used it many times, the vendor doesn't have to have FC, many don't, the cost is a little more if they do, its up to them, all the major booking sites will offer FC.

However, i usually book months in advance & if i do cancel, its well in advance.

Paris in January isn't going to be rammed.

Thanks for all the thoughts - I think I may just be delaying the decision as I"m finding it really difficult to make my mind up on a hotel. I keep wavering between boring but functional aparthotel and nice romantic (but no lift!) shabby chic. Or just reliable old Ibis.

I like @MadridMadridMadrid 's idea about making a distinction between a big operator and a small independent.

I really don't concern myself with any sort of 'ethics'. The way I see it, no one is forcing them to offer such an option, whether it's a chain or an independent. If the option is available - I use it as I see fit. Usually book the flights and then book an accom, available at the time, straight away. Afterwards, periodically check for better deals or grab one the last minute, if it's available. And if everything works out - cancel the first hotel.

If they offer this option - I will use it.

I like to book hotels that offer last minute cancellations, I like having that option as I feel it means I can potentially avoid travel insurance claims, if something happened fairly last minute. I only book hotels abroad that I fully intend to use though. The only time I have actually used the cancellation was at Easter this year, I booked a hotel in Florence without the flights, as the flights were like £1,500 for the 4 of us and I was hoping the price would fall, eventually couldn't get any flights at all (from Northern England) and I had to pull the plug. I have occasionally booked Premier Inns in England as a plan B for school holidays and then cancelled it when we've booked something abroad instead.

Probably not in January (unless it's New Year). Paris is surprisingly good for affordable options- all hail Kyriad, Ibis and all the other reasonably priced hotel chains!

I won't do it willy nilly- and cancelling on a small operator at the last minute unless it's a genuine emergency is a bit of a dick move IMO- but I used the option loads when organising our Interrail trip this summer. "Oh, that night train doesn't run that day, so we won't be using that hotel then, OK, cancel about 3 hotels in a row and see if you can rebook them different days." "Actually Budapest looks nicer than Vienna, I'll cancel the hostel there and find one in Budapest instead" etc.etc. My booking.com history looks pretty wild!

The only place I paid for cancellation- free was in Strasbourg about 8 months in advance, and I wish I hadn't. As we got closer to our departure date better and more affordable options started to pop up on booking.com, and I tried really hard to cancel (and was unable to).

Typically, the difference between no cancellation and free cancellation is about £3- 10 per room per night (if you're looking for budget accommodation like me, anyway) and I think it's well worth it.

I wish people would stop saying that flights are always cheaper than the train. Getting to Florence and back with Interrail passes would cost a family of 4 about £900 assuming the DC are under 12 and you paid full price for the passes (there are regular sales). You would probably have to spend a night in Paris/Nice/Lyon/Zurich on the way, but is a mini city break really a bad thing?

I went this year at the end of January and the hotel I booked was 3 times the price to book it last minute. I think I booked it about 8 months in advance. Lots of the hotels on been looking at were the same. I'm taking my DD next January and got a great price on a hotel with a balcony that has a great view of the Eiffel Tower

It’s totally fine
hotels that don’t want to offer it don’t offer it

you will likely pay more this way but personally I like to not be committed

I think we are getting slightly off topic, but that's fine. I do like a good train trip, we went to France for the Olympics, LNER to London, Eurostar to Lille, bit of basketball and then did a loop round Northern France by train, but it was far from cheap. Not done actual inter-railing but unfortunately only one of our kids is under 12, paying adult price on European trains for the older one. We have just been to Florence in October half-term, return flights were £916 with seat reservations and one checked bag on each flight. I think with flights I have a mental block around the £1000 mark, I feel like I'm overpaying if it exceeds that for short haul travel. Some of that look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves going on in my head I think. Hence cancelling the Easter Florence trip.

I know, sorry, I'm such a ranter on the subject 😳. It would have been about £1080 with a "youth" pass for the older one then (12-26).

Booking a non-refundable room at the end of December for January is very unlikely to be cheaper than booking with free cancellation now.

After much dithering I finally got down to a shortlist and let my partner decide!

It really came down to a choice between having the breakfast or a larger room - he opted for the breakfast and I extracted a promise not to complain about the room size during the trip!

We stayed in the hotel a few years ago and I checked recent reviews to make sure it hadn't deteriorated.

£344 for four nights with free cancellation and breakfast included.

That’s a good price for Paris.
It’s a bit like London - rooms are notoriously small.
We had an odd stay in Paris where our room was absolutely sweltering- turns out the heating was on for winter and they couldn’t change it. We complained, came back after a day out and it was even hotter, they thought I had said it was cold . I went to have a shower and there was no hot water, as this was the final straw DH went down to remonstrate and they put us free of charge in a suite with perfect temperature and working hot water. Not sure what this has to do with anything, but thought I would share.

I got all sorts of discounts offered because I use booking.com fairly regularly.

But the price is lower than I was expecting to pay