Expedia Host Cancellation Policy: Everything You Need to Know

Last updated: March 2024

Whether you’re a guest or a host, everyone’s worst vacation nightmare is having to cancel your trip and reservations. Each of Expedia’s cancellation policies differs slightly depending on what category you’re listing or have booked under—hotels, short-term rentals, flights, rental cars, package deals, etc.

The Expedia cancelation policy and corresponding Expedia cancellation policy refund for vacation rental owners are clearly defined by the large travel group (and we’ll explore each of their cancellation policies below), but vacation rental business owners can set their own policies that guests also have to abide by when canceling.

Does Expedia have a 24-hour cancellation policy?

Yes! The main Expedia cancellation policy across all products is its 24-hour free cancellation policy. This means that the main Expedia cancellation policy for hosts also falls under their standard 24-hour policy.

Within this timeframe, guests can cancel or change reservations without any fees or penalties. After the first 24 hours, generally, there is no Expedia cancellation fee, but hosts can create their own policies where guests may be penalized for canceling their reservations. Within your own cancellation policy, you can set terms and conditions, including any specifications regarding an Expedia cancellation policy refund.

Expedia puts its cancelation policies in place to protect its partnered businesses and hosts. For vacation rental owners, the policy changes depending on the booking window at the time of the reservation. When browsing a listing, prospective guests will see if the booking is partially refundable or fully refundable.

What is Expedia’s cancellation policy?

Expedia empowers hosts with various cancellation policy options, each tailored to meet different business strategies and guest expectations. However, they also have other types of cancellation policies in place depending on the type of reservation you’ve made (car rental, vacation package, etc.).

Let’s start by reviewing the Expedia cancellation policy for hosts of vacation rentals before exploring some terms and conditions to consider if you need to cancel another type of reservation on Expedia. While you might not have to deal with other types of Expedia cancellations as a host, understanding those policies can help you better serve your guests, as they might have questions related to general Expedia cancellations.

Expedia cancellation policy for hosts

• Fully Refundable: This policy ensures that guests receive a full refund if they cancel their booking within a specified time before check-in. Typically, guests can cancel their stays before 12am the same day they book to receive a full refund—a timeline in line with Expedia’s 24-hour cancellation policy.
• Partially Refundable: A middle-ground option, the partial refund policy enables guests to back out of a reservation within a specified timeframe and still recoup part of their payment. Guests get three days to cancel their stay and receive a 50% refund, with the rest of the money going to the host. Note that the time of cancelation is based on the property’s local time.
• Non-Refundable: For hosts looking to secure revenue upfront, particularly during high-demand periods or events, opting for a non-refundable booking policy is a common strategy. Under this policy, guests do not receive a refund upon cancellation, creating certainty in revenue but potentially deterring risk-averse travelers.
• One-Night Penalty: Some hosts may implement a policy that charges guests for one night’s stay if they cancel. This approach compensates the host for a portion of the potential loss while imposing a moderate cancellation fee.
• Free Cancellation: To attract guests with the promise of flexibility, the free cancellation policy allows potential guests to cancel their booking without incurring financial penalties within a set period. If you’re a host and choose this custom cancellation policy, you should define the cancellation period with precision to protect against last-minute changes that could lead to revenue loss.

Expedia’s cancellation policy for hotel bookings

For vacation rental owners listing on Expedia, it’s also beneficial to understand Expedia’s hotel cancellation policy. Although these policies may not directly apply to vacation rentals, you may find yourself in a position where you need to advise guests on various aspects of their travel plans, including hotel stays.

• When booking a hotel through Expedia, each establishment sets its own cancellation policy, which dictates the terms for refunds.
• During the reservation process, Expedia clearly outlines the hotel’s cancellation policy so that guests can make informed decisions.
• Typically, should guests cancel their reservation within the hotel’s cancellation window, they may qualify for a refund.
• If guests cancel outside of the hotel’s cancellation window, they could incur a cancellation fee or, in some scenarios, the loss of the entire booking cost.
• Service fees imposed by Expedia for hotel bookings are generally not reimbursable.

Expedia’s cancellation policy for vacation packages

Often, guests may complement their rental stay with a vacation package that bundles flights and hotel accommodations. Although the responsibility of handling vacation package cancellations won’t typically fall on you as the rental host, being well-versed in the policy’s framework makes it easier for you to offer guidance and support to your guests.

Vacation packages cater to travelers seeking a streamlined booking experience, but it is the individual airline and hotel cancellation policies that dictate the terms of any possible refunds. Just as with standalone flight reservations or hotel bookings, the conditions for receiving a refund or incurring a cancellation fee depend on the specific policies laid out by the airline and hotel involved in the package.

Expedia’s cancellation policy for car rentals

What if your guests booked an Expedia car rental and need to cancel that too? Again, it’s not your responsibility to help them cancel other Expedia reservations or solicit an Expedia cancellation policy refund, but it’s helpful to know.

Just like with vacation packages, flights, and hotels, Expedia cancellation policies for car rentals vary based on the type of deal selected at checkout. Guests looking for more flexibility should filter their car rental search on Expedia by looking only for deals with “free cancellation.” Pre-paid Standard car rentals are often non-refundable.

How to prevent Expedia cancellations as a host

As a host on Expedia, reducing cancellations is important for maintaining a stable income and ensuring a consistent guest experience. Too many frequent Expedia cancellations can lead to angry guests, bad reviews, and revenue loss. Here are some tips for preventing cancellations.

Update your booking calendar

Ensure your listing availability is always current by maintaining an updated calendar. Utilizing an Expedia channel manager can ensure automatic synchronicity across different platforms. This way, you can manage your bookings more efficiently and prevent double bookings, which lead to cancellations and frustrated guests. When using Lodgify’s channel manager, for example, if a guest blocks out dates on one calendar, it will automatically block out that date on all other platforms, too.

Clearly state cancellation policies

Transparency about your cancellation policies in both your house rules and listing description is also important. This clarity helps set guests’ expectations from the outset and reduces last-minute misunderstandings that could cause cancellations. While those Expedia cancellation policies are mainly for guests, you can also clearly state your host cancellation policy to provide them with peace of mind and assurance that you also won’t cancel last-minute.

Set custom rates in advance

Many vacation rental owners take advantage of peak times like holidays or local events to raise prices and profit a bit off the higher demand. If you do this, you should set your rates long before the expected increase in demand, or else some early birds might book before you have a chance to set the special price. If you miss the window for, let’s say, the Fourth of July weekend and someone books at your standard price, you’ll have to cancel the current booking, reset the price, and hope someone rebooks at the new price point.

Communicate proactively

Engage in proactive communication with your guests from the moment they book. A welcome message, reminder emails about their stay, and providing information on local attractions show attentiveness and can reduce the chance of guests changing their plans. Using vacation rental property management software can help you automate and improve guest communications with tools like AI messaging assistants, custom replies, and more.

Encourage longer stays

Implementing a minimum stay requirement or offering a discount for longer stays can incentivize guests to commit for more extended periods, thereby reducing the frequency of cancellations. Longer stays often translate to less turnover and fewer gaps to fill in your booking calendar.

Become a better Expedia host

Being successful as an Expedia host doesn’t stop at just understanding how the platform’s host cancellation policy works. You’ll also need to consider other factors, such as host fees, how to optimize your listings, and how to effectively (and efficiently) update your account. For all of those tips and insights, download our full Step-by-Step Guide to Listing on Expedia below!