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Booking.com Drops External Price Checks From Key Program Under EU Digital Rules

By  |  September 28, 2026
Booking.com Drops External Price Checks From Key Program Under EU Digital Rules

Booking.com has made additional changes to how it treats hotel prices offered elsewhere online, as European Union regulators push the travel platform to comply with rules designed to give accommodation providers greater freedom over pricing.

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    The company no longer considers prices offered outside Booking.com when determining whether a property may qualify for its Booking Sponsored Benefit program, according to a factsheet published Monday by the European Commission. The changes apply to properties across the European Economic Area.

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    The move follows discussions between Booking.com and the commission over compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, or DMA, according to the commission. The law imposes obligations on large digital platforms designated as “gatekeepers” and is intended to make digital markets more open to competition.

    Read more: Booking Loses EU Court Challenge Over Blocked ETraveli Acquisition

    Under the Booking Sponsored Benefit program, Booking.com can reduce the price displayed to a customer and absorb the difference itself. The accommodation provider still receives the amount corresponding to the rate it established, while its agreed commission remains unchanged, the commission said. Previously, prices found outside Booking.com could factor into eligibility for the program.

    The change is part of a broader effort to ensure hotels and other accommodation businesses can offer different — including lower — prices through their own websites or competing travel.

    Source: DMA