Orbitz Waives Hotel Change and Cancellation Fees

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

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Add Orbitz to the list of online travel agencies (OTAs) that no longer charge change and cancellation fees for most hotel bookings. After a brief lag, Orbitz has caught up to Expedia and Priceline, both of which had already waived their hotel change and cancellation fees.

Though these OTAs are no longer charging fees to cancel or change a hotel booking, individual hotels still can (and often do so). For the best chance at avoiding those fees, familiarize yourself with your property’s policy before booking. Additionally, it’s a good rule of thumb to change or cancel hotel bookings as far in advance as possible.

While the airline industry seems to come up with new fees every other minute, this year has seen a reduction of fees from the OTAs. A few months ago, Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity removed most of their airline booking fees, a move that prompted SmarterTravel’s Sarah Pascarella to declare a victory for consumers.

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