Snapshot of the source text at fetch time — not a live mirror of the policy page.
Plain-English summary
Booking.com requires you to agree to mandatory, binding individual arbitration for most disputes, which means you cannot sue them in court or have a jury trial, unless you opt out within 30 days (risk_flags-1, risk_flags-2). Before initiating any dispute, you must complete an internal review process with specific requirements for your complaint (risk_flags-3, risk_flags-4). The use of automated means or AI-powered assistants on their platform without express written permission is prohibited (risk_flags-5). Booking.com may provide personalized marketing based on your interactions and preferences, and will store your payment details for future transactions if you consent (data_use-1, data_use-2). They also have the right to use any reviews or pictures you upload for commercial purposes indefinitely (data_use-3), and your personal data for the Wallet program may be shared with Group Companies or Service Providers (data_use-4). If you pay for a Travel Experience in advance and the Service Provider cannot collect the balance, your booking may be canceled without notice, and refunds for non-refundable payments are at their discretion (cancellation_renewal-1). Finally, while Booking.com attempts internal dispute resolution, they are not obligated to use independent alternative dispute resolution services (gotchas-1).
90% confidence
Risks of Using This Service
Critical issues with high impact on the user, such as limitations on legal recourse, unusual data sharing practices, or other significant risks.
high95% confidence confidence
Mandatory arbitration for disputes
You agree to resolve most disputes through individual, binding arbitration instead of court, unless you opt out within 30 days.
Why it matters: You will be required to settle most disagreements with Booking.com through arbitration, which means you cannot sue them in court or have a jury trial, unless you choose to opt out within a 30-day window.
Unless you opt out of the agreement to arbitrate within 30 days: (1) you will only be permitted to pursue disputes or claims and seek relief against us through binding, final arbitration, with limited exceptions, and you waive your right to participate in a class action lawsuit or other representative proceeding or class-wide arbitration; and (2) you are waiving your right to pursue disputes or claims and seek relief in a court of law and to have a jury trial.
Customer terms of service, paragraph 3 · Citation strength: strong
high95% confidence confidence
Waiver of class action and jury trial
You waive your right to participate in class action lawsuits, other representative proceedings, or class-wide arbitration, and your right to a jury trial.
Why it matters: You cannot join a class action lawsuit or have a jury trial for disputes with Booking.com.
Unless you opt out of the agreement to arbitrate within 30 days: (1) you will only be permitted to pursue disputes or claims and seek relief against us through binding, final arbitration, with limited exceptions, and you waive your right to participate in a class action lawsuit or other representative proceeding or class-wide arbitration; and (2) you are waiving your right to pursue disputes or claims and seek relief in a court of law and to have a jury trial.
Customer terms of service, paragraph 3 · Citation strength: strong
high90% confidence confidence
Requirement to complete an internal review procedure before arbitration
Before starting any dispute resolution, you must first submit a written complaint to Booking.com through their Dispute Resolution page and complete an Internal Review Procedure.
Why it matters: You cannot directly go to arbitration or small claims court; you must first try to resolve your complaint with Booking.com through their internal process.
e unable to include any of the Required Information), then you have not effectively begun the Internal Review Procedure, which you must do before initiating any arbitration or an action in small claims court Booking.com.
Strict requirements for Internal Review Procedure initiation
Your Internal Review Procedure message must start with "Request Under Arbitration Agreement" and contain all Required Information, or it will not be considered effectively started.
Why it matters: If your complaint does not meet specific formatting and content requirements, your attempt to start the internal dispute resolution process will fail, potentially delaying your ability to seek further relief.
Additionally, the message must start with “Request Under Arbitration Agreement.” If your message does not start with this text, or if it does not contain all of the Required Information (or an explanation of why you are unable to include any of the Required Information), then you have not effectively begun the Internal Review Procedure, which you must do before initiating any arbitration or an action in small claims court Booking.com.
Use of automated assistants without permission is prohibited
You are not allowed to use automated means or assistants, including AI-powered ones, to access the platform, copy information, or make bookings without explicit written permission from Booking.com.
Why it matters: Using bots, scrapers, or AI assistants to interact with the Booking.com platform, extract data, or make reservations could lead to legal action, as Booking.com considers this unauthorized use and a cause of irreparable harm.
Whether or not you have a commercial purpose, you’re not allowed to access, monitor, copy, scrape/crawl, download, reproduce, or otherwise use anything on our Platform using any robot, spider, scraper, other automated means, or automated assistants (including, but not limited to, those that operate by interacting with or otherwise making use of your browser, such as AI-powered assistants) for any purpose without the prior, express written permission of Booking.com.
How the service collects, uses, shares, and protects your data. This includes information on data retention, anonymization, and your rights regarding your personal information.
low85% confidence confidence
Personalized marketing messages based on interactions and preferences
Booking.com may enable features and offer personalized services, including marketing messages, based on your interactions with their Platform and your personalization preferences.
Why it matters: Your activity on the Platform and your account settings may result in you receiving customized marketing messages and personalized services.
Based on your interaction with our Platform and your personalization preferences (which you can access in your account settings under the [Customization preferences](https://account.booking.com/mysettings/preferences) section), we may enable features intended to make your experience more convenient and offer you personalized services (including personalized marketing messages) to enhance your experience and make it easier for you to book your ideal Travel Experience.
A6. Your experience with our Platform, paragraph 1 · Citation strength: strong
low90% confidence confidence
Storage of payment method details for future transactions
Booking.com will store your payment method details for future transactions after collecting your consent.
Why it matters: Once you give your consent, your payment information will be saved by Booking.com for future purchases.
We’ll store your Payment Method details for future transactions after collecting your consent.
Use of uploaded reviews and pictures for commercial purposes
By uploading a review or picture to the platform, you allow Booking.com to use it on their platform and for any other commercial purposes, including promotional contexts, everywhere, forever.
Why it matters: Any review or picture you upload can be used by Booking.com for promotional and commercial purposes indefinitely.
we’re allowed to use it on our Platform and for any other commercial purposes (including in a promotional context), everywhere, forever (when you let us know we can no longer use it, we will consider any such reasonable request)
All data, including personal data, will be processed according to their Privacy Statement and data protection laws, and shared with Group Companies or Service Providers as required by the Wallet program.
Why it matters: Your personal information associated with the Wallet program may be shared with Booking.com's Group Companies or Service Providers.
All data, including personal data, will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Statement and applicable data protection laws and regulations. It will be shared with Group Companies or Service Providers as required by the Wallet program. Lost, stolen, or expired Rewards will not be replaced.
Wallet, paragraph 1 · Citation strength: strong
Cancellation and Renewal Terms
Conditions under which users or the service can cancel or renew agreements, subscriptions, or bookings. This includes refund policies, notice requirements, and automatic renewals.
medium85% confidence confidence
Booking cancellation without refund for unpaid advance payments
If you book a Travel Experience by paying in advance and the Service Provider cannot collect the balance by the specified date, they may cancel the booking without notice. Any non-refundable payment you made will only be refunded at their discretion.
Why it matters: Your booking, if paid in advance, can be canceled if the remaining balance isn't paid on time, and refunds for non-refundable payments are not guaranteed and are at the Service Provider's discretion.
If you book a Travel Experience by paying in advance (including all price components and/or a damage deposit if applicable), the Service Provider may cancel the booking without notice if they can't collect the balance on the specified date. If they do cancel, any non-refundable payment you’ve made will only be refunded at their discretion. It's your responsibility to make sure the payment goes ahead on time (that your bank, debit card, or credit card details are correct and that there's enough money available in your account).
Potentially overlooked clauses, surprising conditions, or other contractual nuances that could catch users unaware.
low80% confidence confidence
No obligation to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
Booking.com tries to resolve disputes internally but is not required to submit to alternative dispute resolution procedures handled by independent providers.
Why it matters: While Booking.com attempts to resolve issues internally, they are not obligated to use third-party alternative dispute resolution services if their internal process doesn't satisfy you.
We try to resolve disputes internally, and aren’t obliged to submit to any alternative dispute resolution procedures handled by independent providers.
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