Booking.com Refer a Friend Program Terms

Under the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program, customers of Booking.com who made a booking (the “Advocate”) are invited to earn Referral Bonuses by inviting Referees (as described below) to make use of the Booking.com online reservation services. The following Booking.com Refer a Friend Program Terms apply to the Advocate and Referees (together referred to as the “Participants”) participating in the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program.

Booking.com may suspend, terminate or change the terms and requirements of the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program Terms at any time and for any reason. A Referral Bonus already earned in accordance with the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program Terms before such change, suspension or termination, will be honored.

Information About the Referee:

By participating in the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program, the Referee acknowledges that Booking.com may at its sole discretion, share the Referee’s first name and status of the Eligible Reservation in the Advocates user account setting to inform the Advocate about the status of the earned Referral Bonus. Booking.com will not share the accommodation name or specific check-in/check-out dates. If you do not want the Advocate to receive the information about you, please do not finalize the reservation after clicking on the Referral Link. Your participation in the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program will be stopped.

1. Eligibility

Participants (both Advocates and Referees), have to be at least 18 years old. People from the states of New Mexico, California, Kansas, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Hawaii, staff members of Booking Holdings Inc. and its affiliates, as well as participants (including their representatives and staff members) of the Booking.com Affiliate Partner Program are all excluded from participation. Participants need to be natural persons.

2. Referral Bonus

• A Referral Bonus can be earned as follows:
  • The Advocate shares the referral link as provided on the Booking.com website (the “Referral Link”). The Advocate is not entitled to use the Referral Link in or for paid promotions, including online advertising;
  • A person, receiving the link (the “Referee”), creates an Eligible Reservation through the Booking.com website by clicking on the Referral Link; and
  • The stay of the Referee as part of the Eligible Reservation is confirmed by the booked accommodations to Booking.com; and
  • The Advocate and the Referee have created a user account within a reasonable time after the stay and saved a valid credit card in the account settings, in case the Referral Reward is paid out on the user credit card.
  • Advocates and Referees must at all times be different people.
• A reservation is considered an "Eligible Reservation" when the Referee made it by clicking on the Referral Link and the total costs of the reservation made through Booking.com (excluding any additional costs incurred during the stay directly at the accommodations) is greater than the minimum spend communicated to the Referee. Booking.basic bookings won't be considered eligible. Booking.com will only recognize one Eligible Reservation per Referee to count for a Referral Bonus.
• The Advocate can only earn the Advocate’s Referral Bonus a total of 10 times. Each Referee can only use a Referral Link one time to create an Eligible Reservation, regardless of whether the Referee received or had access to separate Referral Links from different Advocates or not. Per credit card, or per unique Wallet, a maximum of 11 Referral Bonuses can be earned (one as Referee, 10 as Advocate).
• The Booking.com Refer a Friend Program can only be used for personal, non-commercial purposes.
• Booking.com will, if it has determined in its sole discretion that Advocate and Referee have complied with and fulfilled the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program Terms, confirm that the Advocate and the Referee have earned the bonus (“Referral Bonus”) as described in the invitation to participate in the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program. Participants who are meant to receive the Referral Bonus as a credit to the credit card saved in the user account setting for the purpose of the Refer a Friend Program will receive the Bonus automatically. Booking.com will send an email to either the Advocate or the Referee, if necessary, as a reminder that the creation of the user account and the storage of a valid credit card is needed to obtain the Referral Bonus. Participants who are meant to receive the Referral Bonus as a credit to the Booking.com “Wallet” will also receive their Referral Bonus automatically.
• A Referral Bonus not redeemed within 14 months after communicated as "processing" by Booking.com will automatically expire. The Referral Bonus cannot be transferred, exchanged, for sold for any cash or money.
• The Advocate may only earn the Advocate’s Referral Bonus 10 times in total.
• Each Referee may only make use of a Referral Link once, also if the Referee received or had access to separate Referral Links from different Advocates.
• The Participants will be responsible for any taxes or charges that may arise due to the earning and payout of the Referral Bonus.
• The calculation of the Referral Bonus is an automatic procedure based on the use of the Referral Links and the creation of Eligible Reservations through Booking.com online reservation services. Booking.com retains the right to, at its sole discretion, review the compliance with the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program Terms.

3. Displaying Referral Links

The Advocate will not share or publish the Referral Links where there is no reasonable basis for believing that recipients are genuine travelers, and appreciate the invitation stated through the Referral Link, and not in violation of applicable anti-spam laws. The Advocate will indemnify and hold Booking.com, its directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents and successors harmless, from and against any claims that may arise from any unlawful forwarding or sharing of the Referral Link.

4. Anti-Bribery

By sharing the Referral Link, creating an Eligible Reservation, and in order to be eligible for the Referral Bonus, each Participant agrees to and accepts the following anti-bribery terms: You are not a government official. “Government officials” include any government employee; candidate for public office, and any employee of (a wholly or partly) government-owned or government-controlled company, public international organization, and political party (including any official or representative thereof). Government officials are not eligible for the referral bonus. You must immediately inform us if you are a government official. In respect to (or as an award for) the referral activities (including the solicitation of new users, accommodations, and/or the promotion and marketing of Booking.com) and the Referral Bonus, you will (i) not directly or indirectly (a) offer, promise, or give to any third party (including any governmental official or political party('s official, representative or candidate)), or (b) seek, accept, or get promised for itself of for another party, any gift, payment, reward, consideration, or benefit of any kind that would or could be construed as bribery or an illegal or corrupt practice, and (ii) comply with all applicable laws governing anti-bribery and corrupt gifts and practices (including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Anti-Bribery Act).

5. Miscellaneous

• Booking.com retains the right to investigate participation in the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program for any fraudulent activities and take any measures to end them. These measures may include that Booking.com can at its own discretion cancel an Eligible Reservation. Referral Bonuses earned through fraudulent activities or activities in violation of these Booking.com Refer a Friend Program terms will be null and void and repayment may be requested by Booking.com.
• Booking.com may suspend, terminate, or change the terms and requirements of the Booking.com Refer a Friend Program Terms at any time and for any reason.
• The original English version of this Agreement may have been translated into other languages. The translated version of this Agreement is a courtesy and office translation only, and the Participants cannot derive any rights from the translated version. In the event of a dispute about the contents or interpretation of these terms and conditions in this Agreement or in the event of a conflict, ambiguity, inconsistency, or discrepancy between the English version and any other language version of this Agreement, the English language version will apply, prevail, and be conclusive and binding. The English version will be used in legal proceedings.
• If any provision of these terms is or becomes invalid, unenforceable, or non-binding, you will remain bound by all other provisions hereof. In such an event, invalid provisions will nonetheless be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and each participant will at least agree to accept a similar effect as the invalid, unenforceable, or non-binding provision given the contents and purpose of these terms and conditions.
• To the extent permitted by law, these Booking.com Refer a Friend Program Terms shall be exclusively governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Netherlands. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these terms shall be exclusively submitted to and dealt with by the competent court in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
• The Booking.com Refer a Friend Program is organized by Booking.com B.V., Herengracht 597, 1017 CE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.