At a glance
- 1Booking.comMost travellers who want one site for every kind of stay
- 2AgodaTravellers who want to pay later or at the hotel
- 3ExpediaPeople booking flights, hotels and cars together
- 4Hotels.comFrequent hotel guests who want rewards on every night
- 5Trip.comTravellers who also book flights, trains and transfers in one place
How we picked
We searched the same two-night stay in Lisbon on all five sites on October 19, 2026 and recorded which filters each one offers for cancellation and payment. We then read each site’s own terms, loyalty pages and price guarantee rules, and ranked them on how much flexibility and protection they give a typical traveller. Every feature listed was checked on the provider’s own site that day.
Before you book on any of them
Sign in first, since member discounts on Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com only show to members. Compare the total for the whole stay with taxes and fees, read the cancellation deadline on the checkout page, and check the hotel’s own website for the same room and terms. If you stay often with one hotel chain, booking direct may earn points that a booking site will not. Our guide on how to book hotels without overpaying covers these steps in more detail.
No. 1, our pick
Booking.com
Best for most travellers who want one site for every kind of stay
The most complete all-rounder, with a clear free cancellation filter, a Genius discount from your first booking and a written promise to refund the difference if you find the same stay cheaper.
What we like
- Free cancellation filter, plus "No prepayment" stays at some properties
- Genius gives 10% off select stays from Level 1, up to 20% at Level 3
- We Price Match refunds the difference for the same stay found cheaper
- No reservation fee charged by Booking.com
Keep in mind
- Commission and Genius membership can lift a hotel in the default ranking
- Price match may be paid as an after-stay refund
- Free cancellation filter
- Yes
- Pay later option
- Some stays (No prepayment)
- Loyalty program
- Genius, 10% to 20% off
- Price match
- Refunds the difference
- Apps
- iOS, Android
No. 2
Agoda
Best for travellers who want to pay later or at the hotel
The most flexible payment options of the five and a price guarantee that names the competitor sites it will match, with claims open until the night before check-in.
What we like
- Filters for free cancellation, pay at the hotel, book now pay later and book without credit card
- Best Price Guarantee covers Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Trip.com, Airbnb and more
- Claim until 11:59 PM the day before check-in (property local time)
Keep in mind
- Pay later bookings are converted on the payment date, so the final amount can change
- Price match is paid as a rate match or AgodaCash, at Agoda's discretion
- Free cancellation filter
- Yes
- Pay later option
- Book now pay later, pay at hotel
- Loyalty program
- VIP program tiers
- Price match
- Match or AgodaCash
- Apps
- iOS, Android
No. 3
Expedia
Best for people booking flights, hotels and cars together
Strong filters and totals shown with taxes and fees, plus One Key rewards you can also spend on Hotels.com and Vrbo, though its price protection covers flights rather than hotels.
What we like
- Filters for fully refundable properties and reserve now, pay later
- One Key Member Prices of 10% or more on select stays
- OneKeyCash usable on Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo
Keep in mind
- Price Drop Protection is for flights, and only for Gold and Platinum members
- Blue members earn 1% in OneKeyCash on eligible bookings
- Free cancellation filter
- Fully refundable property
- Pay later option
- Reserve now, pay later
- Loyalty program
- One Key, 1% to 3% OneKeyCash
- Price match
- Flights only (Gold, Platinum)
- Apps
- iOS, Android
No. 4
Hotels.com
Best for frequent hotel guests who want rewards on every night
Same filters as Expedia with a better base earn rate for hotel stays, but its price guarantee is now closed to new One Key members.
What we like
- Earn 2% in OneKeyCash on eligible hotel stays from the first tier
- Filters for fully refundable properties and reserve now, pay later
- Totals shown with taxes and fees in search results
Keep in mind
- Price guarantee only for One Key members who joined before October 31, 2025
- Price matches are paid in OneKeyCash, not cash
- Free cancellation filter
- Fully refundable property
- Pay later option
- Reserve now, pay later
- Loyalty program
- One Key, 2% on hotels
- Price match
- Members who joined before Oct 31 2025
- Apps
- iOS, Android
No. 5
Trip.com
Best for travellers who also book flights, trains and transfers in one place
A capable option with free cancellation and pay at hotel filters and a room guarantee, but its hotel price match is still a limited trial paid in Trip Coins.
What we like
- Free cancellation and Pay at Hotel filters
- Room guarantee covers the price difference up to the first night if the hotel cannot house you
- Free loyalty program with six tiers earning Trip Coins
Keep in mind
- Hotel price match is a trial with limited regions and only on bookings that show the label
- Price match refunds come as Trip Coins, not cash
- Free cancellation filter
- Yes
- Pay later option
- Pay at Hotel (some stays)
- Loyalty program
- Trip.com Rewards, Trip Coins
- Price match
- Trial, in Trip Coins
- Apps
- iOS, Android
Compare all five
| Our pickBooking.com | No. 2Agoda | No. 3Expedia | No. 4Hotels.com | No. 5Trip.com | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free cancellation filter | Yes | Yes | Fully refundable property | Fully refundable property | Yes |
| Pay later option | Some stays (No prepayment) | Book now pay later, pay at hotel | Reserve now, pay later | Reserve now, pay later | Pay at Hotel (some stays) |
| Loyalty program | Genius, 10% to 20% off | VIP program tiers | One Key, 1% to 3% OneKeyCash | One Key, 2% on hotels | Trip.com Rewards, Trip Coins |
| Price match | Refunds the difference | Match or AgodaCash | Flights only (Gold, Platinum) | Members who joined before Oct 31 2025 | Trial, in Trip Coins |
| Apps | iOS, Android | iOS, Android | iOS, Android | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
