Booking hotels in Spain

Scotbot

I tried to book some hotels in Spain via booking.com using the pay later option.  Shortly afterwards my credit card was frozen due to a suspicious transaction. The name on the transaction was not booking.com nor that of the hotels or their parent group.  The transaction was made in Switzerland but booking.com is based in Amsterdam. Neither booking.com nor the hotels responded to my emails to ask if they were responsible so my card ended up being cancelled as I could not verify the transaction. Used both hotels. Com and booking.com before and never had this happen

A week later have my new card and still need to book a hotel. How should I book it to avoid the same thng happening ? If I pay when I book does that stop my  card details being passed on?

eskbanker

Book direct with the hotels?

Penguin_

I'm not 100% sure on this but I think I have used paypal in the past on booking.com - can you do the same?

Scotbot

Penguin_ said:

I'm not 100% sure on this but I think I have used paypal in the past on booking.com - can you do the same?

I prefer to use credit cards as the protection is better. I get regular emails from PayPal asking for payment which are clearly scams as I don't have an account 

Penguin_

Scotbot said:

Penguin_ said:

I'm not 100% sure on this but I think I have used paypal in the past on booking.com - can you do the same?

I prefer to use credit cards as the protection is better. I get regular emails from PayPal asking for payment which are clearly scams as I don't have an account 

But if you're only "booking" the hotel, as you're paying later, could you not create a PayPal account & make the booking using PayPal. When your card arrives, log onto Booking.com & pay using your credit card?

Scotbot

Penguin_ said:

Scotbot said:

Penguin_ said:

I'm not 100% sure on this but I think I have used paypal in the past on booking.com - can you do the same?

I prefer to use credit cards as the protection is better. I get regular emails from PayPal asking for payment which are clearly scams as I don't have an account 

But if you're only "booking" the hotel, as you're paying later, could you not create a PayPal account & make the booking using PayPal. When your card arrives, log onto Booking.com & pay using your credit card?

I don't think you can reserve with PayPal but pay with card and I wouldn't get section 75 protection with PayPal. TBH I  avoid PayPal like the plague

Penguin_

Only way you can be certain of being safe then is booking direct.

eskbanker

Scotbot said:
I wouldn't get section 75 protection with PayPal.

You're unlikely to get section 75 protection if booking via agents such as those you mentioned earlier either, as it's generally considered to break the debtor-creditor-supplier chain needed to sustain a s75 claim.

daveyjp

Booking.com to research, hotel website to actually book.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6606640/credit-card-scammed-after-using-booking-com#latest

Questions already answered in your other thread...

jimjames

Penguin_ said:

Only way you can be certain of being safe then is booking direct.

Not sure even that can be said to certainly be safe. I'd expect Booking.com to have more security than individual hotels.