Booking.com host asks to transfer money to his card. Should I comply?
I have booked a flat with the next conditions (get standard letter from booking.com):
Your reservation 3 nights, 1 room Change
Check-in Sunday 14 May 2017 (14:00 - 18:00)
Check-out Wednesday 17 May 2017 (11:00 - 12:00)
Prepayment
No prepayment is needed.
Cancellation cost
Until 29 April 2017 23:59 [Yalta]: RUB 0
From 30 April 2017 00:00 [Yalta]: RUB 6,000
And today I recieve a letter (through booking.com) to transfer part of the cost (30%) to the bank card of the host. This is done without using the booking service so I feel confused: looks like no garantee of reservation or even getting money back in some case.
What should I do in this situation?
Best Answer
I have booked accommodations in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) using booking.com before. The trouble is that the hosts have their own version of agreement in their respective language. You have it in English. Those two versions differ. I suggest contacting booking.com as your conditions clearly states: "No prepayment is needed". All such disputes were resolved to my satisfaction.
PS. On a different note, you are travelling to Yalta, Crimea. The fact that Crimea is a part of Russia is not universally recognized, and various enforcement agencies (e.g. Dept of State, FinCen) prohibit doing business (e.g. spending money) in Crimea. If you spent any in any traceable way (e.g. credit card), you may be in violation of your nation laws and/or subject to extortion later. I would advise to exercise extreme caution.
PPS. By your name and occupation you appear to be Russian National, so above may not apply to you personally.
Pictures about "Booking.com host asks to transfer money to his card. Should I comply?"
Can you get scammed on booking com?
The answer is yes, Booking.com can be a scam, and this site can scam you out of a lot of money. That might sound extreme, but this is not the case in every scenario.Does booking com charge your card right away?
While in-store purchases are immediately charged and deducted from your available balance, pre-authorizations are temporary holds.Can I pay for someone else on booking com?
During the reservation process we are asking the guest to choose whether they are the "main guest" or they are "making reservation for somebody else". If they are booking for someone else, they will have a section to add the name of the actual guest.How does payment work with booking com?
When and how will I be paid? When a guest makes a booking and pays for it online, we'll send you a virtual credit card (VCC) along with the booking details. This card gives you access to the exact amount for that booking, and you can charge it as you normally would. Just make sure you do so after its activation date.How can I pay my invoices? via UPI (Booking.com Partner)
More answers regarding booking.com host asks to transfer money to his card. Should I comply?
Answer 2
This is common for Yalta, Crimea. The booking.com are aware of this. Their response to my request:
Thank you for sending us your request.Apartments on Xxxxxxxx Yalta has been informed on your behalf.
Please note that your request is not guaranteed until the accommodation has confirmed it.
Request: Hello! I was notified from host to pay beforehand despite booking condition: "Prepayment: No prepayment is needed". Also prepayment is requested to be done outside of booking.com, so I have no garantee that my payment reserves the room. Hope this situation to be resolved soon. Thanks!
If you would like to verify your request before your arrival, please contact the accommodation directly. Their contact details are: TEL.NNNNN
I have booked 3 hotels and at every place I was asked to transfer money directly to the host. So at the last one I finally did that (after telephone call to check host identity/terms of stay), payed for one day beforehand.
UPDATE:
My staying at Yalta was fine. The room was as expected, clean, new and with a great view of Yalta.
But I strongly recommend to give a telephone call to the host before transferring money (and check they know appartment they rent).
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