Quick answer
How much does a hotel cost on StaySats?
StaySats shows each hotel price as the total of the stay in US dollars, found live for your dates. You pay in crypto from a balance topped up from $25. At checkout the total is held, not charged. We book on request and confirm the final total with the hotel before you are charged.
Hotel pricing at a glance
| Hotel price | The total of the stay: the price found live for your dates, in US dollars, for the whole stay. Taxes and fees are included when the hotel publishes them; the final total is confirmed with the hotel before you are charged |
|---|---|
| Extra fees | No booking fee or card surcharge on top |
| Main price on every rate | The total of the stay, for all nights and rooms, in US dollars |
| How we book | On request: we book the room with the hotel and confirm the final total before you are charged |
| If the confirmed total is higher | You accept the new total, or the full amount is released to your balance |
| Taxes paid at the hotel | City tax or tourism fee, confirmed with your booking |
| Deposit for extras at the hotel | Still possible: paying ahead does not remove it |
| Price in each coin | The same US dollar total, whichever coin you top up with |
| Minimum top-up | $25 |
| Coins | BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC (USDT on TRC-20 or ERC-20, USDC on ERC-20) |
| Network fee | Paid by the sender, on top of the top-up |
| When the balance is charged | Only when the hotel confirmation number is issued |
| Unused balance | Never expires |
What is included in the price on a rate?
The price on a rate is the total of the stay, for every night and every room, in US dollars. Taxes and fees are in it when the hotel publishes them. It also covers what the rate itself includes, such as breakfast when the rate says so. We book on request, so the final total is confirmed with the hotel before you are charged.
Three things are not in that total:
- Local taxes paid at the hotel, such as a city tax or a tourism fee. The law makes the hotel collect them on site. They are confirmed with your booking.
- Extras you choose at the hotel, such as the minibar, parking or room service.
- A deposit for extras, which many hotels take at check-in by card or in cash. Paying ahead with StaySats does not remove the hotel's incidental deposit at check-in. It is a hold by the hotel, not a price, and the hotel releases it under its own rules. See check-in without a credit card.
What do I pay at the hotel, and why is the total shown first?
At the hotel you pay only local taxes collected on site, if the city has one, and your own extras. Those local taxes are confirmed with your booking, together with the final total of the stay.
The law asks for this order in the United States and in the European Union:
- United States: the FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (16 CFR Part 464) has applied since May 12, 2025. It covers short-term lodging, including travel agents and booking platforms. The total price must be shown more prominently than any other price. Government charges may be left out of the total, but their nature, purpose and amount must be disclosed before you agree to pay.
- European Union: under Article 7(4)(c) of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (2005/29/EC), the price inclusive of taxes is material information in an offer.
That is why the total of the stay is the largest number on each rate. Before you are charged, we confirm the final total with the hotel. Any local tax paid at the hotel is confirmed with your booking.
What if the confirmed total is higher than the price found?
You decide. Bookings are made on request: after checkout, we book the room with the hotel and confirm the final total. If it is higher than the amount held, you see the new total and choose. You accept it, or the full amount is released to your balance.
Nothing extra is ever taken from your balance without your agreement. If we cannot confirm the booking in time, the full amount is released too. The steps are on how it works.
How does StaySats earn money?
From the hotel bookings it sells. There is no booking fee or card surcharge on top of the price found live, and we accept no card. There is no fee for paying with one coin rather than another.
The amount charged is the final total confirmed with the hotel. It is never more than the amount held, unless you accept a higher total. We have no token of our own and no paid membership.
Does the coin I pay with change the hotel price?
No. Hotel prices are in US dollars and are the same whether you top up with USDT, BTC, USDC, ETH, SOL or LTC. Your only extra cost is the network fee, which you pay as the sender. It is paid in the fee asset of the network, such as TRX on Tron or ETH on Ethereum.
For BTC, ETH, SOL and LTC, the payment page locks the crypto amount and its rate for 30 minutes. Once the top-up is confirmed, your balance is in US dollars and no longer moves with the coin price. Each coin has its own page: pay for a hotel with crypto.
Can I get my top-up back if I don't book?
Not as a rule. Unused balance never expires and can pay any later stay. Two kinds of amount can be withdrawn in USDT or USDC. The first is an amount released because a booking failed or you declined a price increase. The second is a refund because the hotel could not host you. The rest of the balance is not refundable, so top up what you plan to spend.
The minimum top-up is $25. If a stay costs more than your balance, top up the difference before checkout.
How do I top up my balance in crypto?
Top up $25 or more
Choose the amount and the coin (BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC). The crypto amount and its rate are locked for 30 minutes.
Send it to the address shown, on the exact network
The payment page shows our deposit address for the coin and network you picked: BTC on Bitcoin, USDT on Tron (TRC-20) or Ethereum (ERC-20), USDC on Ethereum (ERC-20), ETH on Ethereum, SOL on Solana, LTC on Litecoin. Send only that coin on that network: funds sent on another network or in another coin can’t be recovered. The network fee comes on top of the amount.
Send the exact amount shown, then click “I’ve sent the payment”
Each top-up has its own exact amount (down to the last decimals): that is how your payment is found and matched to your account automatically. Nothing else to send us.
Credited after the network confirmations
Your balance is credited once the network has confirmed the transaction. Usual times:
Crypto Network Confirmations Usual time BTC Bitcoin 2 ≈ 20 min USDT Tron (TRC-20) 20 ≈ 1 min USDT Ethereum (ERC-20) 12 ≈ 5 min USDC Ethereum (ERC-20) 12 ≈ 5 min ETH Ethereum 12 ≈ 5 min SOL Solana 1 ≈ 1 min LTC Litecoin 6 ≈ 15 min One balance for all your stays
Your balance pays your bookings: the amount of a booking is held at checkout and charged only when the booking is confirmed. What is left stays on your balance for your next trip. Unused balance stays on your account and never expires. Amounts released when a booking can't be confirmed, or refunded when the hotel can't host you, can be withdrawn in USDT or USDC; the rest of the balance is not refundable.
Closed the tab? The pending top-up stays under Billing in your account: open it to see the address and the exact amount again.
What do I get back if a booking is cancelled?
| Situation | What you get | How | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking not confirmed (room no longer available, time limit passed, our error) | 100% | Released to your balance; withdrawable in USDT or USDC on request | Immediately |
| Price increase declined | 100% | Released to your balance; withdrawable in USDT or USDC on request | Immediately |
| The hotel can't host you (overbooking, closure) | 100% of the stay | Your choice: USDT or USDC, or balance credit | Within 7 days of your request |
| You cancel a refundable rate | The amount refunded by the hotel, minus its penalty | Balance credit | As soon as the funds come back |
| You cancel a non-refundable rate | Nothing, under the rate rules | — | — |
| No-show | According to the rate rules (often nothing) | Balance credit | — |
The cancellation rules of your rate are confirmed with the hotel when it confirms your booking, and printed on your voucher. Until then, treat the rate as non-refundable.
Hotel prices: FAQ
Is the price on StaySats the final total?
Not until the hotel confirms it. The price is found live for your dates, and taxes and fees are in it when the hotel publishes them. Because bookings are made on request, we confirm the final total with the hotel before you are charged. If it is higher, you accept it or the amount is released. A local tax collected on site is confirmed with your booking.
Is there a booking fee or a service fee?
No booking fee or card surcharge is added on top of the price. The amount charged is the final total confirmed with the hotel before you are charged. There is no fee per coin; the network fee of your top-up is paid by you, to the network.
Why is the price in US dollars and not in crypto?
Because your balance is kept in US dollars once a top-up is confirmed. A dollar price stays the same whichever coin you used, so a BTC move after your top-up does not change what a stay costs you. We pay the hotel in local currency.
Will the hotel ask me for more money at check-in?
Only for a local tax collected on site, confirmed with your booking, and for your extras. Many hotels also take a deposit by card or in cash for extras; it is released under the hotel's rules. The rules vary by chain: see check-in without a credit card.
Is StaySats cheaper than Booking.com or Expedia?
We do not claim it. Our price is the price found live for your dates. We have not yet run a dated price comparison with other sites, so we publish no claim either way. When we measure one, it will be dated and listed in the changelog.
What does a crypto top-up cost me?
Only the network fee, paid by you as the sender, in the fee asset of the network you use. The hotel price is the same in every coin. We have not measured network fees yet, so we give no figure: your wallet or exchange shows the fee before you confirm. The minimum top-up is $25.
Can the total go up after checkout?
Only with your agreement. At checkout the total is held, not charged. We then book the room with the hotel and confirm the final total. If it is higher, you choose to accept the new total or have the full amount released. Nothing extra is ever taken from your balance without your agreement.
Do you publish prices for a city or a hotel?
Not yet. Prices on StaySats are found live for your dates when you search. We will publish dated price statistics per city only once we have measured them. Until then, check the live price for your dates on the hotels page.
Sources (checked October 12, 2026) (5)
- 16 CFR 464.1: Definitions (total price, short-term lodging) — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (2026-10-12)
- 16 CFR 464.2: Hidden fees prohibited — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (2026-10-12)
- Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (Federal Register, January 10, 2025) — Federal Register (2026-10-12)
- Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees: Frequently Asked Questions — Federal Trade Commission (2026-10-12)
- Directive 2005/29/EC (Unfair Commercial Practices Directive), Article 7: misleading omissions — EUR-Lex (2026-10-12)