What is the PRICELINE *HOTEL charge?

Priceline or the hotel: who charged the card

Priceline's terms of service separate two kinds of bookings. Where Priceline is the merchant of record, you authorize Priceline to charge your payment method for the booking, its compensation for the booking service, and certain taxes and fees. Where the hotel or another supplier is the merchant of record, the terms say Priceline does not charge your payment method; it passes your card details to the supplier and may verify (pre-authorize) the card.

Priceline's help article on hotel taxes and fees says that for pay-now reservations you are charged at the time of booking, and the charge includes a line called Taxes and Fees. For pay-later reservations, and reservations where the hotel charges your card, the same article says the hotel bills you directly for the room rate and applicable taxes. A Priceline-branded line is therefore more consistent with a pay-now booking, but only your confirmation shows which type you chose.

Sources for this section: Priceline: Terms and Conditions · Priceline Help: What taxes and fees will I pay for my hotel?. See the claim limits below.

Why the amount may not match the room rate

The help article explains that the Taxes and Fees amount can vary with the type of reservation, the amount Priceline pays its supplier and the hotel location, and may include amounts Priceline keeps as compensation. Depending on the property, the hotel may also collect mandatory hotel-specific fees, such as resort fees, separately. Compare the total on your confirmation, not just the nightly rate, with the bank line.

A second, smaller line from the hotel itself can be a security deposit. Priceline's terms say a hotel may require a card at check-in to secure a deposit or hold for incidentals such as parking or minibar use, that the hotel sets the amount, and that releasing the hold or refunding the deposit is the hotel's responsibility. Ask the hotel about that line, not Priceline.

If you paid in a foreign currency, the terms note that exchange-rate movement between booking and posting can change the amount you see on the statement. With a Pay Later (deferred payment) option, the terms say you are charged on the later date shown during booking.

Sources for this section: Priceline: Terms and Conditions · Priceline Help: What taxes and fees will I pay for my hotel?. See the claim limits below.

Cancellation rules depend on the booking type

Priceline's terms say bookings made through its deal programs, including Express Deals, are non-cancelable, non-refundable and non-changeable unless checkout and your itinerary say otherwise, and that your payment method is charged for the amount shown whether or not you use the booking. Other rates follow the cancellation policy shown during booking and in the confirmation email, and some are non-refundable. Read your own booking conditions before expecting money back.

Sources for this section: Priceline: Terms and Conditions · Priceline Help: What taxes and fees will I pay for my hotel?. See the claim limits below.

If no booking explains the charge

Priceline's terms encourage customers to contact Priceline about a charge on their statement before filing a chargeback. Have the date, amount and the full statement text ready. If no one in your household made a Priceline booking and you believe the card was used without permission, contact your card issuer promptly through its official app or the number on the card, keep copies of what you send, and consider replacing the card. This page cannot determine authorization or the outcome of a dispute.

Sources for this section: Priceline: Terms and Conditions · CFPB: Watch accounts closely when card data is hacked. See the claim limits below.

Sources and evidence

Sources may support different parts of this page. A company homepage does not establish a statement descriptor, refund policy or contact detail. Check the claim notes and your own receipt before acting.

• Priceline: Terms and Conditions https://www.priceline.com/static-pages/terms_en.html

  Operator name priceline.com LLC, merchant-of-record vs supplier charging, Express Deals non-refundable rule, hotel deposits and holds, Pay Later timing, currency differences and contacting Priceline before a chargeback. Does not show the PRICELINE *HOTEL statement text. · Checked 2026-11-01

• Priceline Help: What taxes and fees will I pay for my hotel? https://help.priceline.com/what-taxes-and-fees-will-i-pay-rk45cyU6u

  Pay-now hotel reservations charged at booking with a Taxes and Fees line; pay-later and hotel-charged reservations billed by the hotel; mandatory hotel fees and check-in card requirement. Does not define bank descriptors. · Checked 2026-11-01

• CFPB: Watch accounts closely when card data is hacked https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/bank-accounts/watch-accounts-closely-when-card-data-is-hacked/

  Contact the card provider promptly about suspected unauthorized charges, replace the card and keep copies of correspondence. Says nothing about Priceline. · Checked 2026-11-01