Martin Lewis says 'cancel it' to people with holiday bookings this summer

Martin Lewis is urging people to cancel their hotel holiday bookings this summer if they can use a trick to rebook it for less money.

The money expert turned his attention to summer holidays with a raft of advice for people going abroad and those staying for a ‘staycation’ in the UK too.

It doesn’t matter whether you booked with your hotel directly or via a travel agent, you can still find a way to save money.

Often, booking far in advance is the cheapest way to get deals on holidays and hotels - but not always.

Sometimes hotels and holiday resorts will slash last minute booking prices to try to fill up the last few places and hit full occupancy, because a discounted room is still better than an empty one.

Many hotels and holiday resorts offer free cancellation (this is usually something you can check, and occasionally pay extra for) when booking.

If yours does, you may be able to cancel and rebook.

Martin Lewis’ MSE says: “To do this, simply cancel the original booking, then rebook at the cheaper price. Often this can work with the site you booked with.

Most booking sites and hotel websites give you a non-refundable and a free cancellation option for each room type. Non-refundable rooms tend to be cheaper, so you'll need to weigh up if paying more for free cancellation is worth it.

"Some sites offer price promises, guaranteeing to refund the difference if the price of the hotel you've booked drops before your stay, or you find it cheaper elsewhere. So even if you didn't book with free cancellation, you may still be able to get money back.

“The comparable hotel must be on exactly the same terms as your original booking. So the same room, hotel and dates, plus the same booking type – for example, bed and breakfast, non-refundable. It also must be available to book, in the same currency you originally paid in or booked using, and the price must include all taxes and fees.”

On his Martin Lewis podcast, Martin heard from one happy member of the public who managed to cancel his £600 hotel booking and rebook it for just £250, a saving of £350.