Online booking portals: Tips for booking trips online

Booking portals: Who is my point of contact?

The operator of the booking portal is only your point of contact if you encounter problems related to the booking process. You should be able to find their address in the legal notice on the website.

However, if there is a problem with the travel service you have booked – for example, if your flight is delayed or your accommodation is filthy – this is generally not the responsibility of the platform operator. Instead, you must contact the party with whom you entered into the contract for the travel service.

In the case of defects in private accommodation, this would be the landlord. This applies even if you paid via the booking portal.

Comparison websites: How they work

Prices for the same service can vary significantly across different platforms. In such cases, price comparison websites can be of help. These sites search for the cheapest prices, primarily by scouring the offers on booking platforms.

This allows travellers to find out, for example, where a particular hotel can be booked at the lowest price.

Important to note: You cannot make a booking on comparison websites; instead, you are simply redirected to a booking portal or the provider.

Tips for booking on an online portal

• Book with providers you know and trust.
• Serach the provider on the internet via Google. This will help you find out what experiences other travellers have had with the site.
• Take your time. Read through everything carefully and work out the figures.
• Don’t let yourself be pressured. Providers often try to create a sense of urgency, for example: “Only 3 seats left”. This is designed to make it seem as though you need to book immediately.
• When searching online, adverts appear at the top of the results. Bear in mind that these are paid adverts and not necessarily what you were actually looking for.
• Compare prices. Small details can make a big difference to the price. For a flight, this could be the departure time; for a hire car, the (special) features; or for a hotel, the conditions under which the customer can cancel free of charge. Also, watch out for additional costs. Extra services can also affect the overall cost of your trip. It’s best to compare prices across different platforms and also check directly with the provider or your local travel agency. Prices there might even be cheaper.
• Check the final price before completing your booking. In the final step, fees may be added that you weren’t expecting and might therefore overlook.
• Risk of fake reviews. Bear in mind: positive reviews can be bought and are therefore misleading. It is difficult to tell whether a review is honest and credible. Trust your instincts and be critical.
• Clear your cookies. The devices or browsers you use may lead to different products and prices. It is therefore worth clearing your browser history and activating the browser’s incognito or private mode.
• Avoid double bookings. If the booking process was interrupted or froze, you should under no circumstances try to book again straight away. Instead, wait a while or contact the booking portal. Occasionally, the email with the booking confirmation is delayed. Also check your spam folder.

Booking portals for private accommodation and holiday apartments

Renting holiday apartments and holiday homes is very popular. However, cases of rental fraud are reported again and again. We explain what to look out for.

In search of a trustworthy offers

• Take a look at the reviews and the description of the property. The presence of many photos creates trust.
• Avoid bargains when you are asked to pay the full rent or a large deposit in advance.
• Be careful if an extremely cheap apartment is fantastically located and luxuriously furnished.

In case of doubt:

1. Can the address be correct? Is there a residential building there? Enter the address in Google Maps.
2. Has anyone already warned about the offer somewhere? Copy the ad text and enter it in the search engine.
3. Are the photos real? → Use the reverse image search on Google. Scammers like to use the same photos for different offers.

If you are already in contact with the landlord:

• Make sure that the booking and everything else only takes place via the platform. This is especially important for the paying process!
• Under no circumstances you should accept sending money with Western Union or MoneyGram, as these methods of payment allow to hide where the money is really going.
• Check with the landlord how you’ll get the keys. Do not participate if, for example, the handover should take place in a parking lot or if the key should be sent to you for cash by post.

Tips for paying an accommodation on online booking portals

1. Only pay via the booking portal.
2. At best, pay by direct debit or by credit card.
3. PayPal and paydirekt are also considered secure payment systems.
4. Avoid instant bank transfers and cash transfers (e.g. Western Union).

Online Booking Portals: What happens in the event of cancellations?

If the guest cancels the accommodation

Depending on the cancellation conditions and the time of cancellation, the host will charge cancellation costs.

This also applies to the event of illness. A travel insurance, taken out in advance, can help.

Saved expenses, e.g. for the cleaning of the apartment or the further rental of the accommodation (which is not always easy to find out in practice) must be offset.

At best, pay by direct debit or credit card.

The guest should reckon with service fees, paid at the time of booking, not being refunded. In addition, some online portals charge an additional processing fee in the event of cancellation.

If the landlord cancels the accommodation

The platforms provide information on what to do if the landlord no longer provides the accommodation.

Usually, the guest receives a full reimbursement and assistance in finding a replacement accommodation via the platform. In some cases, portals are also accommodating regarding additional costs for the replacement accommodation.

Online Booking Portals: Problems with private accommodation

When it comes to shortcomings we are not only talking about mold, vermin or dirty rooms.

The following applies: What has been promised must be kept. Request the landlord, in writing (e.g. by email or WhatsApp), to remedy the defect. The deficiencies must also be reported to the booking portal. Take photos.

If something gets broken during the rental period, the same applies: take photos / videos.

Contact the host and the platform. Do not wait until the trip is over. Request the repair of the damage in writing.

If the landlord does not remedy the defect, you have the right to reduce the rent. Reclaim money that is overpaid.

Damage and liability

Anyone who culpably causes damage to the rented apartment is liable for it.

There is no difference between renting a holiday apartment and renting a room in a hotel. It is advisable to take out a private liability insurance that covers the damage.

Before you travel, check whether your liability insurance covers such cases. If not, you should take out extended coverage or a separate policy with another insurance company.

Important: Always inform the landlord in the event of damage.

Evidence in the event of damage

Make a handover report with the landlord. This gives you something to rely on if he blames you for damage you did not do.

By the way: the liability insurance will check to what extent claims and demands are justified.

Damage caused by the landlord

If you come to harm or are injured, for example by a loose door that breaks off its hinges, the host is liable in any case.

German booking websites

If you are planning a holiday in Germany, it is possible that you’ll visit German booking websites to learn about the various package tours or travel deals that you can purchase.

If you are not cautious while using these sites, you may accidentally book a trip without realizing it. Even though they are just intermediary sites, you can still order travel packages through them.

If you enter the names of the guests who would potentially be traveling to a certain location, along with the dates of your travel and your current address, and press a button that says “Jetzt kaufen”, you are agreeing to pay for what you have selected on the website.

Once you click this button, the purchase is validated, and you will receive a booking confirmation and invoice for the trip.

Examples of these buttons include:

• Zahlungspflichtig bestellen
• Kostenpflichtig bestellen
• Kaufen
• Zahlungspflichtigen Vertag abschließen

If you want to cancel because you did not intend to book the trip, the travel agency may charge a cancellation fee of up to 50% of the total trip amount, or even more in some cases.

If you plan to travel in Germany and want to search and compare different trip options online, proceed with caution so that you do not accidentally book a trip!