Smart Flex Reservations (formerly known as Risk-Free Reservations) is a Booking.com reservations programme that adds a level of guaranteed payment to your property if a guests cancels their booking within a certain time frame.
Please look at Smart Flex Reservations on Booking.com's Partner Hub for more information on how these bookings work.
What is the Smart Flex programme?
- It is a reservations programme by Booking.com that offers 'Smart Flex' to guests who have a low likelihood to cancel.
- If a guest cancels, then Booking.com looks for a replacement booking.
- If Booking.com can’t find a replacement booking, they’ll compensate you for these nights.
- Booking.com may automatically opt you in to the Smart Flex programme.
- If you are not and would like to join, click this link - Opting in the Smart flex reservations programme
How do Smart Flex bookings work?
- A guest that books on a Smart Flex policy has a free cancellation period based a specific number of days before arrival.
- The specific free cancellation period (number of days) is based on your Booking.com policies.
What if a guest cancels before the free cancellation expires?
- If the guest cancels before the free cancellation period expires, Booking.com will start finding a replacement booking.
- This guarantee will only remain as long as the specific room remains open and bookable.
- If Booking.com can't find a replacement, they will compensate you for the number of cancelled nights.
What happens if a guest cancels after the free cancellation expires on a Smart Flex booking?
- If the guest cancels after the free cancellation period has expired, the cancellation policy is applied.
- A 'modification of card details' is triggered and an email notification sent to you.
- This notification will inform you of either the activation of the virtual card or that the guests card details are now available to you.
- The email will specify whether the card details are of a virtual card or the guests card.
- Follow the same process for cancellation as you would for any other booking.
How can you tell that a booking is a Smart Flex booking?
You can identify Smart Flex reservations by checking the cancellation policy field or the comments and remarks area in the booking on Booking.com