Expedia Automatic Rate Match: Check If It Was Switched On Without You

At several of the properties we manage, Expedia’s Automatic rate match was switched on in mid-April or mid-July 2026, and neither the hotels nor we agreed to it. Since then, we have seen Expedia sell their rooms a few euros below the other OTAs. If you sell on Expedia, check your extranet today.

Expedia Group Partner Central logo next to the Automatic rate match summary: Status Opted in, with a start date

What Automatic Rate Match Does

It adjusts your rates on Expedia Group sites to match the rates it finds for your property on other OTAs, such as Booking.com and Agoda, for the same room, rate plan and dates.

The name says match, but what we saw was undercutting: Expedia stayed a few euros below the other OTAs, and on some dates even below the hotel’s own website. We could not find which rate it was matching, and Expedia does not show it.

Why It Matters

  • Lower price, same commission

    Expedia’s commission stays, so every adjusted booking brings in less net revenue.

  • Direct bookings lose

    Guests who compare see Expedia cheaper and book there, not on your website.

  • Other OTAs follow

    Booking.com checks prices too and may push you to match, so the cut spreads.

Expedia’s Fight for Market Share

Expedia lost almost a quarter of its share of European OTA bookings between 2019 and 2021, and in 2025 it was only just back above its 2019 level. Booking.com’s group still holds more than two thirds. The quickest way to win guests back is to be a few euros cheaper, and rate matching does that at your expense.

Expedia Group: share of OTA bookings in EuropeAlmost a quarter lost by 2021; in 2025 just 0.3 points above 2019
Under each year: change against 2019, in percentage points. The scale starts at 10%. Booking Holdings held 68.4% in 2019 and 68.8% in 2025. Source: HOTREC European Hotel Distribution Studies 2024 and 2026.

Rate matching is one lever. Member discounts and stacked promotions are the others; see what Expedia’s Member Only Deals and stacked discounts cost you.

Where to Find It

In Expedia Partner Central, open Rooms and rates (1), then Automatic rate match (2).

Expedia Partner Central with Rooms and rates and Automatic rate match marked in the menu; the page shows Status Opted in and a start date
Expedia Partner Central: Rooms and rates (1), then Automatic rate match (2). Property name and figures blurred.

Opted in means it is on, and the start date shows since when. To switch it off, click I’d like to opt out.

What We Recommend

  1. Check every property today

    Take a dated screenshot of the Automatic rate match page.

  2. Opt out if you never chose it

    Ask your Expedia market manager in writing when and why it was switched on.

  3. Check your promotions

    Member Only Deals and stacked discounts, under Marketing. Then look again every month.

Your prices are your decision, not an OTA tool’s. Checking extranet settings like these is part of our Online Distribution Management. Not sure what is switched on in your extranets? Book a free Performance Assessment Call.