Short answer: Usually not. Whether you get your money back for a non-refundable booking is decided by the property, not Booking.com — you can only ask it to cancel free of charge or move you to other dates. If you can’t make it because of illness, injury or illness in the family and you took out cancellation insurance in advance, it reimburses the lost amount after deducting the 10% excess. It costs 9% of the price, at least CZK 26.
One-minute summary
- Non-refundable booking: if you cancel, change it or don’t turn up, you pay the full price. The charges are set by the property and you’ll find them in your booking confirmation.
- You can ask the property to cancel free of charge or change the dates. You’re not entitled to it — the property decides.
- A booking you pay for at the property is binding too. If you cancel late or don’t turn up, the property charges the fee to your card.
- Cancellation insurance reimburses the lost amount after deducting the 10% excess. For a stay costing CZK 8,400, the premium is CZK 756, and if you fall ill it pays back CZK 7,560.
- More than 30 days before arrival, you can insure a booking at any time, even one you already have. Later, only on the day you pay for it.
Three types of cancellation policy on Booking.com
Each property on Booking.com sets its own cancellation policy, and Booking.com just passes it on. You’ll find it in your booking confirmation and under the booking in the app. It determines how much you pay if you cancel.
| Cancellation policy | If you cancel the booking | Cancellation insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Free cancellation | Up to the date in your confirmation, you cancel at no charge. After that, you pay a fee under the property’s policy. | You don’t need it until the free cancellation deadline. After that, it covers the fee you would pay. |
| Partially refundable | Part of the price is lost. How much is set by the property. | Covers the part that’s lost. |
| Non-refundable | You pay the full price whether you cancel, change the booking or don’t turn up. | Covers the full lost amount after deducting the 10% excess. |
A non-refundable rate is usually cheaper precisely because you carry the risk. If you choose it for the price, bear in mind that your money will only come back from the property as a goodwill gesture — or from cancellation insurance, if you can’t make it for a covered reason.
How to cancel a booking and what not to forget
- Check what cancelling would cost. The cancellation policy is in your booking confirmation and under the booking in the Booking.com app or website.
- Before you cancel, write to the property. A cancelled booking can no longer be moved to other dates. You’ll find how to write the request below.
- Cancel as soon as possible. With free cancellation up to a deadline, it pays to make the deadline. The insurer may reduce the payout if cancelling in time would have been cheaper.
- Watch for the cancellation confirmation. Booking.com says the email should arrive within 24 hours. If it doesn’t, check the cancellation directly with the property. Save the confirmation — you’ll need it for the insurer.
Asking for free cancellation or other dates
The property can waive the cancellation fee for a non-refundable booking. Booking.com explicitly allows for this in its rules for properties. But you’re not entitled to it — it’s the property’s decision. You’ll improve your chances if you get in touch straight away, give the reason and offer other dates.
You can also ask to change the dates of a booking whose policy doesn’t allow changes. The property accepts or declines the request. Some properties allow date changes for non-refundable bookings in advance: only once and only to dates at the same or a higher price.
If you can’t go but someone else can, ask whether the booking can be transferred to another name. According to Booking.com’s help pages, changing guest details depends on the property’s policies.
Save the reply. If the property declines, it’s proof for the insurer that you won’t get your money back. A chargeback through your bank usually won’t help here: the property can show that you agreed to the non-refundable terms and that it held the room for you.
Paying at the property? The booking is still binding
With many properties on Booking.com, you only pay when you arrive. Your card details are used to guarantee the booking. According to Booking.com’s help pages, the property only charges your card for a prepaid booking, or if you don’t keep to the cancellation policy — for example, if you cancel late or don’t turn up.
A confirmed booking is binding even without prepayment: the property holds the room for you and you commit to keeping to the cancellation policy. You can insure such a booking too, because the policy terms cover a booking contract or a binding order, not just prepayment. You insure the amount you would pay if you cancelled — for a non-refundable booking, the full price.
A booking with free cancellation is a different case. Until the free cancellation deadline passes, you’re not risking anything and don’t need insurance.
When cancellation insurance helps
Cancellation insurance reimburses the lost amount after deducting the 10% excess if you can’t make it for a reason listed in the policy terms, for example:
- illness or injury — a doctor confirms the diagnosis and length of treatment,
- illness, injury or death in the family or of the person you booked the stay with,
- caring for a sick family member who isn’t going with you, such as a child with a fever,
- stolen documents in the last 7 days before departure,
- a burglary or major natural damage at home just before departure.
What the insurance doesn’t cover
- a change of plans, bad weather or simply not feeling like it,
- the property cancelling the booking — it has to refund you,
- health problems you already had when you took out the insurance (except a stabilised chronic illness).
What to watch out for
- You have to insure before anything happens. The insurance only covers events that occur after it’s taken out.
- The 30-day deadline. More than 30 days before arrival, you can take out the insurance at any time, even for a booking you already have. A booking made 30 days or less before arrival can only be insured on the day you pay for it.
- When the reason must arise. Illness, injury, death and pregnancy are covered if they arise no more than 180 days before arrival. Other reasons, no more than 30 days before it.
- 10% excess. If the insured person is hospitalised for at least 24 hours or dies, no excess applies.
- Free cancellation. As long as you can cancel the booking at no charge, you have no loss and the insurance pays nothing. It’s mainly worth it for non-refundable and partially refundable rates.
The insurance is always taken out for that specific booking: you insure its price and everyone who’s going. It doesn’t matter whether you booked through Booking.com, another platform or directly. More on the accommodation cancellation insurance page; all the reasons and exclusions are in the overview what the insurance covers.
What insuring a non-refundable booking costs
A non-refundable hotel booking in Rome for a long weekend costing CZK 8,400: the premium is CZK 756. If you fall ill the day before you leave and the property refuses to cancel free of charge, the insurer pays you CZK 7,560. If you had to go to hospital for at least 24 hours, it pays back the full CZK 8,400.
The premium is 9% of the price, at least CZK 26 per policy, and you can insure stays from CZK 300 online. Work out your own amount in the price calculator.
We’ll email you an accommodation insurance quote: I’d like an accommodation insurance quote.
What you’ll need for the insurer
If you can’t make it and you have insurance, get the following ready:
- the booking confirmation with the price and cancellation policy, and proof of payment,
- the cancellation confirmation showing how much the property didn’t refund or charged you,
- the property’s reply, if you asked it for an exception,
- proof of the reason: a medical report with the diagnosis and length of treatment, a death certificate, a police report and so on.
Report the claim to the insurer without undue delay, always with your policy number. You’ll find the process and the online form on the how to make a claim page. Airbnb bookings have different rules — see cancelling on Airbnb. A cottage from a private owner is covered in the guide cancelling a cottage rental.
Frequently asked questions
Will Booking.com refund my non-refundable booking if I fall ill?
Booking.com itself won’t. The cancellation policy is set by the property, and only the property can waive the fee. Try asking it to cancel free of charge or change the dates. If it declines, cancellation insurance gives you your money back if you took it out in advance: after deducting the 10% excess, or the full amount if you’re hospitalised.
Can I change the dates of a non-refundable booking?
Only if the property allows it. Some properties allow one date change in advance, to dates at the same or a higher price. Elsewhere you can ask for a change, and the property accepts or declines it.
Can I withdraw from a Booking.com booking within 14 days?
No. The Czech Civil Code excludes withdrawal within 14 days for accommodation contracts for specific dates, even if you conclude them online. The booking’s cancellation policy applies.
Can I insure a booking I already have?
Yes, if there are more than 30 days until arrival and nothing has happened yet. A booking made 30 days or less before arrival can only be insured on the day you pay for it.
What if the property cancels the booking?
Then you don’t pay any cancellation fee, and the money you paid should be refunded to you. Cancellation insurance doesn’t deal with this situation — it only covers cases where you can’t make it.
Sources
We verified Booking.com’s rules and the wording of the law on 26/10/2026. The links lead to third-party websites.
- Booking.com — FAQs: cancellation, payment, non-refundable bookings (opens in a new window)
- Booking.com for partners — date changes for non-refundable bookings (opens in a new window)
- Booking.com for partners — booking changes and guests’ date change requests (opens in a new window)
- Booking.com for partners — commission and waived cancellation fees (opens in a new window)
- Czech Civil Code (Act No. 89/2012 Coll.), Section 1837(j) (opens in a new window)
- PP STORNO CZ 11/2025 policy terms — on the Documents page
Related
This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. The wording of the policy terms and your seller’s terms is what counts. The example scenarios are illustrative.