It’s aways important to know what the cancellation policy is before you book a hotel room. But with all of the variations, recent changes, and di�erent room rates, it’s not always easy to keep track of the cancellation policies for these hotels.
I’ll also show you a special loophole for advanced purchase stays that can help you avoid losing lots of cash when you need to cancel.
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Hilton will generally require you to cancel hotel bookings 48 to 72 hours before check-in but it depends on the type of room rate that you booked and the locations of the hotel.
Also, some rates such as the advanced purchase rates are not refundable and can’t be cancelled (though there are some workarounds for that).
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In the past, you could cancel your booking so long as you did it 24 hours before check-in time. But in 2017, Hilton followed suit from Marriott and changed their policy requiring cancellations to be made 48 to 72 hours before check-in.
: “All reservations – even those described as noncancellable (“Advanced Purchase”) – that are scheduled for arrival before April 30, 2020 can be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival.”
Not every Hilton property or Hilton brand follows the same guidelines — you can �nd properties that require cancellations further out than 72 hours and
some that still allow for 24 hour cancellations.
The cut-o� for cancelling also depends on what type of room rate that you book.
For �exible rates and Honors discount rates, you’ll often �nd the 48 to 72 hour limit. But for the semi�ex rates, you’ll sometimes have to cancel before �ve days before check in.
When you’re selecting your room type, you’ll see the cancellation terms.
Notice in the image below you can see the 48 hour (2 day) policy for the �exible rate and the Honors discount. Then, there’s the 4 day limit for the Honors Discount Semi-�ex. And �nally, there’s also the Honors discount advance purchase that o�ers no ability to cancel.
Be aware that some hotels, especially resorts, will sometimes have some cancellation restrictions that
are very far out.
For example, there is the Kings’ Land by Hilton Grand Vacations in Hawaii — notice it has a ! Even if you book with points, you’ll likely still be subject to the 30 day cancellation policy.
If you cancel a �exible fare after the cut-o� time, you’ll probably be charged the cost of the �rst night of your reservation (including taxes and fees). If you booked with points, you’ll likely lose the points for the �rst night of the stay.
My recommendation if you �nd yourself in this situation is to try to re-book your stay for sometime in the next month. Then after your stay has been pushed out, simply cancel the booking outside of the 24 or 48 hour window.
Resorts are known for having cancellation deadlines far out from your stay.
To �nd out more about the cancellation policy, such as the time you have to cancel by, simply click on the links with the name of the rate as seen in the photo below.
You then might be able to see the exact time of the cancellation deadline in a pop-up window. In this case, it tells the exact time and date for the free
You should note that the time for cancelling is in local hotel time.
Also, the cancellation time can be di�erent for di�erent hotels.
Always double check the exact time.
If you’re booking a non-refundable rate, you’ll be able to see the details related to payment so you can know whether they are going to charge your credit card immediately or later.
Note that sometimes pre-paid rates don’t actually charge your card at the time of booking for whatever reason.
As shown above, the cancellation policy for hotels booked with points will depend on the property. Typically, it will be that 48 hour to 72 hour window but as shown above it could be as much as 30 days.
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Hilton advance purchase rates are not refundable and you will be responsible for the entire stay. However, they do have a nice loophole-like exception that can end up helping you.
There will be either a $50 or $25 fee, depending on the hotel that you originally booked but if it means saving hundreds of dollars who wouldn’t pay that fee?
If you want to take advantage of this loophole you need to call their “advance purchase department” to process your request no less than three days prior to your scheduled check-in date. Their number is: (800) 236-7113 or (972) 726-3361.
Here are what the terms and conditions state
Price quoted applies to exact date(s)/nights/stay booked. Modi�cations to your reservation (including but not limited to name changes, date changes, etc.) are not permitted.
However, for bookings in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, a request to cancel an existing Advance Purchase/Non-Refundable reservation and book a new reservation may be permitted if at the time you are requesting a change to your reservation, you book a new Advance Purchase/Non Refundable reservation at any hotel in the Hilton portfolio located in the United States, Mexico or the Caribbean, subject to availability.
Upon receipt of full payment for the new reservation, Hilton will issue a refund for the cancelled reservation, less a service fee. It may take up to four (4) weeks for the refund to be re�ected on your credit card. For stays originally booked at the Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, Embassy Suites or Doubletree brand hotels, the service fee is $50.00 and for stays originally booked at a Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites, the service fee is $25.00.
For a cancellation and rebooking to be considered, you must call our Advance Purchase Department to request a change to your reservation at (800) 236-7113 or (972) 726-3361 no less than three days prior to your scheduled check-in date.
If there is some sort of natural disaster such as a hurricane you can expect Hilton to work with you
and be reasonable when it comes to cancelling even non-refundable fares. But if you’re cancelling because of an event like a wedding being cancelled, that’s typically not a good enough reason to cancel without penalty.
For weather related issues, I recommend calling into the property �rst to see how they are handling things with all of their guests rather then trying to work backwards
However, if you just screwed up and you need to cancel a non-refundable rate or you need to cancel after the cut-o� time, then you may want to contact Hilton Honors.
If you have elite status with Hilton such as Diamond status then I recommend that you call up the Diamond desk and try to reason with Hilton.
They usually handle these type of things on a caseby-case basis but if you have a legitimate reason for cancelling, Hilton might be willing to make a “one-time exception” for you and allow you to cancel without penalty.
The cancellation policy for Hilton properties can di�er based on how the hotel ownership decides to implement their cancellation policies. Generally, you can expect to see cancellation policies for 48 to 72 hours but it’s possible they could be shorter or longer depending on the location and the rate that you booked. And if you book a rate that is not refundable, you might be able to still save yourself some money by re-booking your room subject to the terms above.
Daniel Gillaspia
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as
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says: July 16, 2021 at 1:59 pm
I really want everyone to know that the “Advanced Purchase” phone number is a hoax. I’ve been on hold for over two hours. I believe this is just a number to send people o� to so that Hilton doesn’t have to deal with someone asking for modi�cation due to error. It’s really sad that such a high pro�le hotel who states that they care about their customers would do this to a person. Their beds are GREAT. Their Customer Service is really DISAPPOINTING.
Reply
says: August 6, 2021 at 8:34 pm
I agree! I spent 3 hours with them and decided to use my husband’s phone to call and they
apparently closed 1.5 hours earlier… There was no message or update, it just looped the same thing over and over again. Reply
says:
August 11, 2021 at 12:23 pm
Likewise, the phone line wait is endless. Two hours and no response. As a lifelong Hilton Honors Member and Honors credit card holder, I’m more than disappointed. The “special” Honors phone line switched me here and left me to die waiting. They obviously don’t value customer loyalty. Time for a change. Reply
says:
December 18, 2021 at 9:47 am
Do not book with Hilton. If you need to change or cancel your reservation, you will �nd out that they will not issue a refund, even if you try to cancel more than 24 hours in advance. I had no warning that this is their policy. I consider this policy no better than theft.