I was charged but my booking was not confirmed - what happens to my money?
When a booking cannot be confirmed, no money is taken from your account. Understanding the difference between an authorization hold and an actual charge will explain why an amount appears on your statement even when no booking went through.
Authorization holds vs. actual charges
When you complete checkout, ReserveTheNight places a temporary authorization hold on your card for the booking amount. This is a standard payment process - it reserves the funds while the hotel confirms your reservation, but does not move any money out of your account.
Your bank may display an authorization hold as a pending transaction, which can look identical to a real charge on a statement or banking app. However, a pending authorization hold is not a completed payment.
An actual charge only occurs once the hotel confirms your reservation. At that point the hold is converted into a captured payment, and the amount is settled on your statement as a posted transaction.
What happens when a booking is not confirmed
If the hotel cannot confirm your reservation, the authorization hold is cancelled immediately on our end. No money is taken and no charge is finalized.
The hold will then clear from your bank statement on its own, typically within 5 to 7 business days. This processing time is set by your card issuer.
How to confirm your booking status
To verify whether your booking was confirmed or not:
- Account users: Sign in and go to My Bookings. A booking that could not be confirmed will show a Booking Failed status. A confirmed booking shows Confirmed.
- Guest users: Use the secure link in your booking attempt email, or visit /guest/bookings/recover with your confirmation number and email address.
If your booking shows Confirmed, the payment was captured and your reservation is active. A confirmation email should have been sent to your address - check your spam folder if you have not received it.
When to escalate to support
Contact our support team at /contact if:
- The pending amount has not cleared from your statement after 7 business days and your booking was not confirmed.
- Your statement shows a posted (settled) charge - not a pending transaction - for a booking that was not confirmed.
When contacting support, include the approximate date of the booking attempt and the last four digits of the card used.