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Hilton Advance Purchase, also known as Non-Refundable rates, can be more affordable than Flexible rates. Moreover, some Hilton Promotions and Offers also require that you book an Advance Purchase rate to qualify for the promotion. In these cases, booking a non-refundable rate with Hilton may make sense; however, when your travel plan changes, the non-refundable reservation becomes a financial loss, as you already paid for the reservation.
It turns out that Hilton has a generous policy for its non-refundable rates plus a small fee in certain countries. Hereโs how to cancel a Hilton non-refundable reservation.
Hilton Advance Purchase Non-Refundable Rate Policy
Each time you make a booking with Hilton, thereโs a fine print in the Rate Details section. It is important to read that fine print carefully. You will be surprised to see that Hiltonโs non-refundable rates are actually refundable!
Below is a non-refundable rate policy example from a sample booking of a Hilton property in the United States:
Modification of Reservation:
Price quoted applies to exact date(s)/nights/stay booked. Modifications to your reservation (including but not limited to name changes, date changes, etc.) are not permitted. However, for bookings in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, a request to cancel an existing Advance Purchase/Non-Refundable reservation and book a new reservation may be permitted if at the time you are requesting a change to your reservation, you book a new Advance Purchase/Non Refundable reservation at any hotel in the Hilton portfolio located in the United States, Mexico or the Caribbean, subject to availability.Upon receipt of full payment for the new reservation, Hilton will issue a refund for the cancelled reservation, less a service fee. It may take up to four (4) weeks for the refund to be reflected on your credit card. For stays originally booked at the Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, Embassy Suites or Doubletree brand hotels, the service fee is $50.00 and for stays originally booked at a Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites, the service fee is $25.00.
For a cancellation and rebooking to be considered, you must call our Advance Purchase Department to request a change to your reservation at (800) 236-7113 or (972) 726-3361 no less than three days prior to your scheduled check-in date.

How to Cancel a Hilton Non-Refundable Reservation
Based on the policy above, you can get out of a Hilton non-refundable reservation. However, your reservation must satisfy the following conditions:
- Your non-refundable booking is in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
- You must book a new non-refundable reservation at ANY Hilton property in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean in order to cancel the existing non-refundable reservation for a refund.
- The new non-refundable reservation has no minimum nights or cost required.
- Finally, you must pay the service fee based on the Hiltonโs hotel brand in your existing non-refundable reservation:
- Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, Embassy Suites, or Doubletree brand hotels, the service fee is $50.
- Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, Homewood Suites, and Home2 Suites, the service fee is $25.
As you can see, this Hilton policy is beneficial, especially if your existing non-refundable reservation is very expensive. You can potentially call the Hilton reservation department at 1-800-236-7113 or 1-972-726-3361 and cancel the expensive reservation by changing it to an inexpensive Hilton hotel for a new one-night, non-refundable reservation. You will then receive the refund minus the cost of the new reservation and the modest service fee.
Should You Book Hilton Advance Purchase/Non-Refundable Rates?
Now that you know the Hilton non-refundable reservation is actually refundable with a small cost in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean, do you still think itโs a good idea to book a Hilton non-cancellable rate?
The answer varies by each person.
Generally speaking, I always avoid prepaid or non-refundable reservations because of the hassles and headaches I may have to deal with when my travel plan changes. More importantly, I also enjoy the flexibility of canceling and rebooking when the price drops. If you ask me, my answer would be โavoid non-refundable rates.โ But what works for me does not essentially work for your situation.
Fortunately, though, using Hilton Honors points redemption *always* comes with a flexible cancellation policy.
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