Notes

Before you begin
Although Expedia Group won't charge the customer or partner agent a fee to cancel their booking, the property might. You may need to contact the property to request a fee waiver when the customer wants to cancel.

Immediately check:

Itinerary status (Pretrvl, Intrvl, Posttrvl)
Pay Later or Pay Now
Chase: All Chase bookings are Pay Now. Skip any Pay Later Steps. Fill out a BEAT form for any complaints about the booking change.
Inside or outside penalty
Refundable or non-refundable
For EPS agents: See Riu Vacations policies for specific process to follow
Inventory type (EPS/3PI/Vrbo)
When not to contact the property
Scenario

Notes

Property's Waiver contact status in Voyager Clssic says not to contact them

Use processes for when the property won't waive the fee.

Same/next day check-in, and
Pay Later, and
Made without a credit card
The booking didn't require a credit card, so the property isn't charging a fee.

Flexibility policy

Don't contact the property when a flex policy is in effect (unless the policy tells you to).
If the traveler has an in-stay or post-stay booking covered by the flex policy, see Cancel, change or refund lodging - Flex policy.
To find what reason codes to use, see Choose reason codes for lodging.
Automated (pre-approved) waivers

Properties can sign up to pre-approve fee waivers, which means you skip the step of contacting the property to ask if they'll waive cancellation fees. There are 2 possible auto-waive rules: Within 24 hours of purchase or 7 days or more prior to check-in.
When a booking falls into 1 of these time frames, you'll see messaging in the Voyager itinerary like: Property is offering free cancellation within 24 hours of booking. Do not contact the property to request a cancellation fee waiver.
Since it's approved, continue cancelling if the affiliate is on the call, if not, escalate or send an e-mail asking to call back and confirm the cancellation on the line; the Refund Source and property rep info are filled out for you.
3PI bookings
Do not apply automated waivers and do not contact the property. Follow the guidelines in Identify and service third-party (3PI) booking.






Call/chat got disconnected while in the middle of the cancellation process
Follow the guidelines below to know how to proceed.

If call got disconnected

Then

While securing a waiver approval

If the call gets disconnected while talking with the property and you were not able to secure waiver approval, send an email using the template Email to Vendor: Disconnected call - Waiver request from Email templates for Frontline Lodging
File a Waiver Service Request
While processing an approved cancellation without fees.

Call the traveler back and leave a voicemail if possible.
When you leave a voice message, it should direct the traveler to check his/her email to see additional instructions.
When unable to leave a voicemail, complete the cancellation as you already received approval upfront and send the cancellation confirmation using the template Email to traveler: Disconnected call while processing from Email templates for Frontline Lodging
While contacting the property for a waiver - waiver approved - Customer already approved cancellation without fees upfront

Call the traveler back and leave a voicemail if possible.
When you leave a voice message, it should direct the traveler to check his/her email to see additional instructions.
When unable to leave a voicemail, complete the cancellation as you already received approval upfront and send the cancellation confirmation using the template Email to traveler: Disconnected call - waiver approved - customer approval received upfront from Email templates for Frontline Lodging
While contacting the property for a waiver - not reached - Waiver SR created

Call the traveler back and leave a voicemail if possible.
When you leave a voice message, it should direct the traveler to check his/her email to see additional instructions.
If the callback attempt is unsuccessful, send an email to the traveler using the email template: Email to traveler: Disconnected Call - property not reached - SR creation confirmation from Email templates for Frontline Lodging
While contacting the property for a waiver - waiver denied

Call the traveler back and leave a voicemail if possible.
When you leave a voice message, it should direct the traveler to check his/her email to see additional instructions.
If the callback attempt is unsuccessful, send an email to the traveler using the email template: Email to traveler: Disconnected Call - waiver denied from
Email templates for Frontline Lodging
While contacting the property for a waiver - waiver partially approved/alternative offer - request for callback

Call the traveler back and leave a voicemail if possible.
When you leave a voice message, it should direct the traveler to check his/her email to see additional instructions.
If the callback attempt is unsuccessful, send an email to the traveler using the email template: Email to traveler: Disconnected Call - waiver partially approved/alternative offered from Email templates for Frontline Lodging


How, when, and whom to contact
If you determine you should contact the property, make sure to contact when they are available and to talk to the right person.

Email first, if an email address is available and it's not the traveler's day of arrival. If it's the day of arrival, you may need call the property.
Check Voyager Classic for an email address

In Voyager Next, check the Case History to see if another agent has already contacted the property for the same traveler.
If yes: Let the traveler know the decision that was made, or when they can expect to hear back.
If no: Go to step 3.
Contact the property
If emailing:
Create a Waiver SR. If the stay begins in the next 48 hours, schedule for right now.
Use template Email to vendor - Supplier waiver request - Pre-travel in Waiver, refund request, LCC, and ticket rejects email templates for Offline
Frontline Lodging agents (Voice and Chat): Use template Email to property: Property wants the request via email - Supplier waiver request - Pre-travel from Email templates for Frontline Lodging
If calling: Only call if it's day of arrival or no email address is listed.
Check if it's an appropriate time to contact the property.
Voyager Classic displays a warning message when it's outside approval hours.
Identify if there is someone responsible for waiver requests.
Properties list the names of staff who are "waiver approvers."
Ask for these people first when contacting the hotel. Generally, other staff are not allowed to offer waivers.
If the person(s) listed are not available, ask if someone is available to approve a free cancelation request.
Availability times and waiver approvers







Handle email requests from EPS A2A partners
Read about:

Post-stay: Follow Cancel lodging inside penalty (fee to cancel)

Pre-stay (A2A emails):

Refundable, no penalty
Refundable with penalty
Non-refundable
Additional scenarios (A2A emails): Partner claims they've obtained a waiver from the property

Refundable with no penalty
Advise affiliate partner to self-service the cancellation.
Exception: When partners claim they are having technical issue to self-service, go ahead and process the cancellation for them.

Non-refundable or refundable with penalty
Sometimes it's not clear in emails whether the partner definitely wants to cancel.

If
Then

Either:

Partner is clear that they want to cancel
Partner confirms cancellation over phone or email
Follow Cancel lodging inside penalty (fee to cancel).

The cancellation is not clearly stated – check-in day within 72 hours

Contact the partner to confirm the cancellation request.
If you can't reach them, email them and ask them to C us for the cancellation.
The cancellation is not clearly stated – more than 72 hours before check-in day

Email the partner to confirm the cancellation request.
Ask them to respond within 72 hours.
Partner claims they've obtained a waiver from the property
If

Then

Partner can provide a valid written waiver from the property

Make sure the waiver comes from a valid communication channel (property email address, owner's mobile phone, etc.) and includes:
The booking identifier
Approver's name
The clearly stated waiver
Use the property contact information provided by the partner to verify details with the property and make sure nothing is missing.
Proceed according to booking status:
Pre-stay: Cancel and refund as per the waiver.
In-stay / Post-stay: Refund as per the waiver.
Partner can only provide approver's name

Contact the property and verify the waiver.
If the property is still unreachable or doesn't respond after a full vendor not available (VNA) cycle:
Global English: Refund under the property (supplier waiving).
All other teams: Enforce the booking policy.
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Cancel lodging when EPS partner claims fraudulent booking—EPS Global English team only
This applies to cases Tier 1 agents receive via phone or email. For webform cases, see https://gco.expediapartnersolutions.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408423945746-Fraud-Case-Handling-.

How it works — Tier 1
Determine if the booking is pre-stay or post-stay status.

Pre-stay:
Immediately transfer the case to Tier 2.
Once Tier 2 takes over the case:
Notify the EPS partner that this case is under investigation.
Close the case.
Post-stay: Process the case yourself as a regular waiver request.
How it works — Tier 2
Follow steps in EPS Tier 2 call flow and tips—Global English.

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Cancel non-refundable lodging (standalone) — DE POS
When canceling a non-refundable standalone lodging booking of German Hotels on the DE POS, the traveler is not entitled to a refund of the full reservation. However, as per German law, they are entitled to a partial refund of the expenses the property saved by not having to accommodate the traveler.

The refund should generally follow these guidelines:

Room only, or bed & breakfast: 20% of reservation
Half board (room + 2 meals): 30% of reservation
Full board (room + 3 meals): 40% of reservation
What to do
When a traveler calls to cancel a non-refundable DE lodging booking:

Ask the property to refund the traveler for the expenses saved as per the above guidelines.
If the property refuses: Escalate to Laura Castro (ELCA) ([email protected]) and Lisa-Jayne Pickford (ELCA) ([email protected]).




Cancel lodging outside penalty (no fee to cancel)
no penalty fee, there's no reason to contact the property.

Let the customer know there's no penalty to cancel.
Open the itinerary and click Cancel for each room you're canceling.
Document the cancellation:
To pick reason codes other than Change of Plans, click Choose a different reason then Edit.
Choose Primary and Secondary reason codes that match the situation.
Update your case notes.
Click Done and finish canceling.
Note: For Pay Later bookings where the property charged the customer/partner agent a deposit, the property also processes the refund. The customer can check with the property about their refund.

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Cancel lodging inside penalty (fee to cancel)
Follow these steps to cancel inside penalty.

3PI bookings: Follow guidelines in Identify and service third-party (3PI) booking.

Let the traveler know there is a fee to cancel.
In Voyager Next, check the Case History to see if another agent has already contacted the property for the same traveler.
If yes: Let the traveler know the decision that was made, or when they can expect to hear back.
If no: Go to step 3.
Contact the property for a fee waiver.
Create a Waiver SR. If the stay begins in the next 48 hours, schedule for right now.
Email if an email address is available and it's not the day of arrival.
Use template Email to vendor - Supplier waiver request - Pre-travel in Waiver, refund request, LCC, and ticket rejects email templates for Offline
Frontline Lodging agents (Voice and Chat): Use template Email to property: Property wants the request via email - Supplier waiver request - Pre-travel from Email templates for Frontline Lodging
If calling, check if it's an appropriate time to contact the property.
Voyager Classic displays a warning message when it's outside approval hours.
Get the approver's first/last name and job title for documentation.
If the approver doesn't give you their name at all put Mr. or Ms. (as appropriate) as First Name and Not disclosed as Last Name in the Vendor Contact field.
If the approver doesn't give you a last name put Not disclosed
Note: We always need at least their title
Offline agents: If after sending a waiver request to a property by email, the property replies with an approval and no name is included in the email, you can process the refund and for approver name, use:
First name: Email
2nd name: Not disclosed
Hotel Rep Title: Not disclosed
In Voyager, use the Cancel or Refund button based on their answer:
If the property says…

Section link

Yes

EPS Pay Later (Expedia Partner Services)
EPS Pay Now and all other POS
Yes to partial waiver

All scenarios
No

Chase
All other POS
Vendor is not available or not replying to email

Follow your process for Vendor follow-up needed property car or activity.

Property says yes — EPS Pay Later (inside penalty)

Don't process the refund. Instead, direct the partner agent to do it on their side through Expedia Partner Central (EPC).
Note: Refunding in Voyager does not refund the partner/traveler so the property needs to action on their side and update EPC to reflect when it’s complete.
Upon canceling, the partner agent will receive a cancel email from us that says standard cancellation terms and penalties apply. They can ignore this message since the property was contacted and agreed to the refund.
If they have more questions, they should contact the property.
Property says yes — EPS Pay Now and all other POS (inside penalty)

Step

Action

1.

In Voyager, open the itinerary.

2.

Click Edit.

3.

Document the cancellation:

Pick reason codes that match the situation.
Choose Property as the Waiving Source. Include in the Vendor Contact Notes: Approved/(# nights approved)/(dates of nights not charged ).
otes for Pay Later bookings

The customer will receive a cancel email from us that says standard cancellation terms and penalties apply. They can ignore this message since the property was contacted and agreed to the refund.
If they have more questions, they should contact the property.
Property says yes to partial waiver (inside penalty)

If the customer/partner agent still wants to cancel the booking and pay what the property agreed to:


Step
Action

1.

In Voyager, use the Cancel button. Charge the full fee.

2.

Use the Refund button to give the customer back the difference.

3.

Document the refund:

Choose reason codes Other/property .
Include in the Vendor Contact Notes: Approved partial/(# nights approved)/(dates of nights not charged )
Notes for Pay Later bookings

The customer will receive a cancel email from us that says standard cancellation terms and penalties apply. They can ignore this message since the property was contacted and agreed to the refund.
If they have more questions, they should contact the property.
Property says no (inside penalty)
Let the Cardmember know the property isn't waiving the penalty fee.
If the Cardmember decides not to cancel their booking, click Inquiry only. Do not continue to step 2.
Before charging the fee, check if the Cardmember's situation qualifies for Chase Travel benefits assistance.
You can also transfer to RRD if both of these are true:
The Cardmember is significantly inconvenienced by circumstances outside of their control.
The Cardmember is threatening legal action or is otherwise highly escalated.
Make the cancellation.
Document the cancellation:
Choose No Waiver as Waiving Source.
Include in the Vendor Contact Notes: Waiver Denied
Update your case notes.
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Property says no (inside penalty)
Let the customer know the property isn't waiving the penalty fee.
If the customer decides not to cancel their booking, click Inquiry only. Do not continue to step 2.
Make the cancellation.
Document the cancellation:
Choose No Waiver as Waiving Source.
Include in the Vendor Contact Notes: Waiver Denied
Update your case notes.
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Cancel lodging when the customer's a no-show
When the customer never checked in to the property they booked, call the property to ask for a refund of the unused nights.

EPS Pay Later
3PI Pay Now
All other POS, and EPS Pay Now
For EPS Pay Later (no-show)
Take the same approach in reaching out to the property for cooperation in processing the refund and notify the EPS partner/customer of the results.
If the property approves: Do not process the refund yourself on Voyager. Instead, direct the property to do it on their side through Expedia Partner Central (EPC).
Note: Refunding Voyager can delay the EPS partner/customer receiving their funds, as the property still needs to go into EPC to reconcile the refund.
For 3PI bookings (no-show)
For cancellation request due to extenuating circumstances, reach out to the 3PI provider following guidelines in Identify and service third-party (3PI) booking. Otherwise, impose rate plan cancellation policy.
For all other POS, and EPS Pay Now (no-show)
Step

Action

1.

Call the property for a fee waiver.

Property denies: Follow steps to verify billing.
2.

In Voyager, use the Cancel button.

3.

If the property approves, refund the customer.

3.

Document the cancellation:

Use Customer error as the primary reason and No show as the secondary reason.
Update your case notes.
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Cancel a duplicate booking
Compare the bookings to confirm all the trip details match exactly, including price.

If the bookings aren't a perfect match, assume it's a customer error and use the normal cancel process.
If the bookings match, process the duplicate booking based on the trip status and who made the error.
For site/agent/content error cancellations before check-out, see the info in that tab.
Pre-stay (fee or no fee) (duplicate booking)
If before check-in:

Customer error: In Voyager, use the Cancel button and document the cancellation.
3PI bookings: Contact the 3PI provider for assistance.
Property error: Call the property and ask them to cancel the duplicate booking
3PI bookings: Contact the 3PI provider for assistance.
EPS - technical error: Submit a request to the Global Escalation Team (GET) so they can investigate. See Help Topic Escalate a case to the Global Escalations Team.
3PI bookings: Contact the 3PI provider for assistance.
In- or post-stay (duplicate booking)
EPS - technical/agent/content errors: Submit a request to the Global Escalation Team (GET) so they can investigate. See Help Topic Escalate a case to the Global Escalations Team.
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Cancel a booking due to extenuating circumstances
For US POS: Follow instructions in Cancel a booking due to extenuating circumstances — US POS.

The following reasons are considered extenuating circumstances. The property may allow for an exception to their policy if the customer wants to cancel their booking.

Death of the traveler or anyone related to the traveler
Any illness or hospitalization affecting the traveler or anyone related to the traveler
Court summons or jury duty of anyone on the itinerary
Military orders for any traveler
Crisis events not covered by a flex policy (weather, civil unrest) that disrupt travel
The property might request documentation proving the extenuating circumstance.

For 3PI bookings: Reach out to the 3PI provider following guidelines in Identify and service third-party (3PI) booking.

Before check-in (extenuating circumstances)
Call the property for a fee waiver. Explain the reason for the cancellation.
Use the applicable cancellation process.
Cancel lodging outside penalty (no fee to cancel)
Cancel lodging inside penalty (fee to cancel)
Choose the Extenuating Circumstance reason code.
During the stay (extenuating circumstances)
If the customer says the property approved a refund, you still need to call the property to make sure.

How it works

Call the property for a fee waiver. Explain the reason for the cancellation.
If the property says no: Use the process for an early check-out.
If the property agrees:
Step

Action

1.

In Voyager, use the Refund button.

2.

Create a Hotel Billing and Refund case form.

3.

Document the refund:

Choose Property as the Waiving Source.
Fill out Vendor Contact Notes.
4.

In the Hotel Cancel case form, enter the amount of the refund.

5.

Update your case notes.

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Cancel lodging due to poor service
Do not transfer to Relocations. Instead, see Handle lodging complaints

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Cancel lodging due to site/agent/content error
EPS
If

Instructions

No penalty fee

Cancel the booking using normal processes.

Penalty fee

Call the property for a fee waiver. For 3PI bookings: Reach out to the 3PI provider following guidelines in Identify and service third-party (3PI) booking.

Property says yes
Cancel the booking.

Property says no/approver not available
Submit a request to the Global Escalation Team (GET). See Help Topic Escalate a case to the Global Escalations Team.

All other POS
Follow steps in

Resolve an agent error
Resolve a site error
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Cancel lodging with applied coupon
Promo/marketing coupons
Customers can use these coupons again if their next booking meets the coupon rules.

Travel/credit coupons
Customers can use these coupons only once. So, when the booking is canceled, the coupon is gone.
You can re-issue a credit coupon if the booking you canceled:

Was refundable
Was canceled for an extenuating circumstance
Was canceled with a flex policy
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Suggested topics
Choose reason codes for lodging
Vendor follow-up needed: property, car, or activity
Contact the property
Vrbo bookings
When the vendor is not available
Cancel, change or refund lodging - Flex policy
How to handle lodging complaints