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How to claim a price drop on Expedia

2 verified ways to get your money back, ranked from easiest to most involved.

Price guarantee ended

Expedia ended its Hotel Price Guarantee on July 28, 2026.

The methods below still work for getting a price drop back.

Or let Plot watch your Expedia rate and tell you the moment a drop is worth claiming.

A hotel room in Paris, the bed by tall windows onto a wrought-iron balcony

Plot · now

Your Expedia rate dropped $89

Here's exactly how to claim the difference.

The rules of the game

The fundamentals

Four things every traveler needs to know about hotel price drops before deciding whether to claim one.

Refundable vs non-refundable rates

Every hotel reservation falls into one of two buckets. A refundable rate can be cancelled up to the property's free-cancellation deadline for a full cash refund to your card. A non-refundable rate cannot be cancelled at all once booked. Only refundable rates can be repriced via the cancel-and-rebook path. Non-refundable rates are stuck with whatever you paid unless the brand offers a price-match program.

The free-cancellation window

Refundable bookings are cancellable up to a deadline set by the property, typically 24 to 72 hours before check-in. Inside that window you can cancel for free and rebook at the lower rate. Once the deadline passes, the booking becomes effectively non-refundable. Always check the exact deadline on your confirmation email before you commit to a swap.

Best Rate Guarantee programs

Most large hotel brands run a price-match program: Hilton's Price Match Guarantee, Marriott's Best Rate Guarantee, IHG's Lowest Price Promise, Hyatt's Best Rate Guarantee, and similar. These programs let you claim the difference (or a free night) when you find a lower public rate within the program's window. Each program has different rules around timing, qualifying rates, and payout format.

Direct booking versus OTAs

Brand price-match programs almost always require a direct booking through the hotel chain's own site or app. OTA bookings (Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com) are usually ineligible because the OTA owns the reservation, not the hotel. If you booked via an OTA, your refund path runs through the OTA's own policy, not the hotel chain's BRG. Check both before you give up on the drop.

Decision check

Is it worth claiming?

Answer four quick questions about your reservation to see whether cancel-and-rebook, a price-match claim, or nothing at all is the right move.

Worth claiming

Cancel and rebook. The free-cancellation window is still open and the new rate is refundable, so you can pocket the full price difference in cash.

Hotel rates change daily. Plot watches your booking and tells you the moment a refund or price-match claim becomes worth filing.

How to claim a price drop on Expedia

2 methods ranked by ease and success rate. Verified as of 2026-09-24.

Recommended
  1. 1

    Rebook the hotel at the lower rate on the lower-priced listing

  2. 2

    Log in to Expedia and go to "My Trips"

  3. 3

    Find your original hotel booking and click "Cancel"

  4. 4

    Confirm cancellation -- refund within 5-10 business days to your card

Open Expedia website

Only works for free cancellation bookings. Book the new reservation first to lock in the lower price. Non-refundable bookings cannot be cancelled for a refund.

All claim methods

  1. 1

    Rebook the hotel at the lower rate on the lower-priced listing

  2. 2

    Log in to Expedia and go to "My Trips"

  3. 3

    Find your original hotel booking and click "Cancel"

  4. 4

    Confirm cancellation -- refund within 5-10 business days to your card

Open Expedia website

Only works for free cancellation bookings. Book the new reservation first to lock in the lower price. Non-refundable bookings cannot be cancelled for a refund.

  1. 1

    Go to expedia.com/service and start a live chat

  2. 2

    Provide your itinerary number

  3. 3

    Reference the lower rate and ask if they can adjust the price or assist with a cancellation

An infinity pool and wooden deck meeting a turquoise sea

$89

back on your Expedia stay, in four simple steps.

With Plot

Or let Plot watch it for you

Stop checking Expedia prices yourself. Forward your confirmation once, and Plot watches your rate continuously and tells you when it drops.

  1. SFOJFKplans@plot.travel
    01

    Forward your confirmation

    Forward your Expedia booking confirmation to plans@plot.travel. That is the only thing you need to do.

  2. YOU PAIDRate dropped
    02

    We watch your rate continuously

    Plot keeps measuring your exact Expedia room and rate against the market, and reads the cancellation terms so a drop only counts when you can act on it.

  3. PlotPrice watch

    Your Expedia price dropped

    How to claim your savings

    1. 1.Rebook the hotel at the lower rate on
    2. 2.Log in to Expedia and go to "My Trips"
    3. 3.Find your original hotel booking and click "Cancel"
    03

    Claim your money back

    When the rate drops, we tell you the savings and the exact Expedia steps to rebook or claim the difference.

Price Watch is part of Plot Pro.

Questions

Expedia price drop FAQ

Common questions about Expedia price drops and refunds.

Yes. If you have a refundable booking, you can rebook at the lower rate and cancel the original reservation. We have documented 2 verified methods on this page.

No. Expedia ended its Hotel Price Guarantee on July 28, 2026. Rebooking at the lower rate and cancelling a refundable reservation is now the way to get a price drop back.

For cancel-and-rebook, you will receive a full cash refund to your original payment method. For price match claims, Expedia typically adjusts the reservation price directly. See the specific methods above for details.

Plot watches your Expedia rate continuously after you forward your confirmation email to plans@plot.travel. When the price drops, we send you the savings amount and step-by-step instructions for Expedia's policies, so you know exactly how to claim your refund without doing any research. Price Watch is part of Plot Pro.

For cancel-and-rebook, Expedia refunds typically arrive within 5 to 10 business days to your original payment method. Price match claims may be processed faster but depend on Expedia's review timeline. Travel credits or loyalty points are usually available within hours.

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More guides

Price drop guides for other hotels & platforms

Stop checking Expedia prices manually.

Forward your booking confirmation and Plot watches your rate continuously.