Expedia, Airbnb and Booking Comply With California Junk Fee Law — But in Different Ways

The Big Three travel booking sites — Booking.com, Airbnb, and Expedia/Vrbo — all appear to be complying with California's new junk fee transparency law. But the way they are doing it varies considerably.

The new law, which became effective this week, requires travel sellers and others to display the total price, including mandatory fees, upfront. They don't have to show taxes on first view.

However, Expedia.com is displaying the total cost upfront in bold, including fees and taxes, for hotels.

Source: Expedia.com

Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo do not show the total rate and fees upfront, including taxes.

Asked why Expedia.com shows the total cost for hotels but not for Vrbo's short-term rentals, an Expedia Group spokesperson said: “Regarding Vrbo, we are following an approach co