Sorry really dumb question but im Just wondering if anything sounds odd. I booked a hotel in lisbon and paid 30$ right away which makes sense. My trip is not until March so I didnt except them to take the rest of the money until later but they took 80$ the next day. The total cost for 5 nights is 115$ there is also a tax for 20 euros but that makes sense as it's the city tax for 5 nights. I just find it weird as I have booked on here before and they have never taken the full amount of money the day after I booked unless the trip is like next week.
Did you book a non refundable room? that might have been why.
Yeah i did book non refundable
I think it’s up to the hostel, and they just charge your card at some point between now and your booking date. I’ve had similar happen to me.
Doesn’t sound odd; this is mentioned on the checkout page and yes this can be normal
Yes, exactly. I once had a hostel then email me, asking me to send my credit card details via email. It „would be safe“. I cancelled and booked a different hostel.
That hostel was in Milan, Italy.
it depends on who's selling you the hotel. they're just an online broker, the hotels make the rules. sometimes you pay in full, sometimes you pay a bit first and the rest after a while, sometimes you just pay a small deposit so they know your creditcard works - and sometimes, you get scammed.
It's best to verify with HW directly by chatting to their AI monkeys through the app. Good luck!
Not Hostelworld, but in all my accommodation in Portugal, Spain and France, I didn't pay the local tourist tax until when I was at the front desk checking in. Is this different from others experience?
Yeah im pretty sure I don't pay untill i get to the desk. I haven't been charged the 20 euros yet
In Lisbon I paid everything including city tax through booking.com, while in Porto I paid city tax in cash when checking in.
Sounds perfectly normal to me especially if you booked a non refundable room. Some places I’ve stayed in have taken payment in advance, others I’ve settled the outstanding balance upon check in.