Some major hotel brands will accept a debit card for reservations, and some will accept alternate forms of payment like personal checks or wire transfers. But in general, most major hotel brands require either a credit or debit card in order to make a reservation.

While most modern hotels accept debit cards, they do have the legal right to refuse them in favor of credit cards, or to impose much stricter conditions on their use. The primary reason for this is "pre-authorization" risk; hotels prefer credit cards because they can place a temporary "hold" on a credit line without affecting the guest's actual cash balance. When you use a debit card, that hold—which often includes the full room rate plus a daily incidental deposit of $50 to $100—is physically withdrawn from your checking account. This can lead to overdrafts or leave travelers without access to their own funds for several days after checkout while the bank processes the release. Furthermore, some independent or luxury boutique hotels refuse debit cards entirely because they offer less protection against significant room damage or "skip-outs" compared to the established dispute and recovery protocols of major credit card issuers like Amex or Mastercard.