Can hotels take your credit card?

Hotels may charge your credit card when you make a reservation, when you check in, or when you check out, depending on how and where you book the reservation. There's a lot of variation in the way hotels handle credit card charges, even within a single hotel brand or third-party booking website.



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No, hotels are not allowed to charge a credit card without your signature. This is because it is against the law for any business to process a payment without the customer's authorization.

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Typical Hotel Policy Regarding Non-Payment
Typically, hotels have a policy that requires guests to pay for all charges at the time of check-out. If a guest fails to pay, the hotel may charge the credit card on file or pursue legal action.

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Each hotel will have its own specific hold amount, generally $50-$200, on top of your room rate (including taxes and fees). While the hotel won't officially charge you until after you check out, the issuer will put aside the hold amount in the interim to ensure you are able to cover a potential charge.

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Hotel policies vary depending on the location, so it's best to call ahead to determine if you can pay cash. In most cases, you'll need a credit or debit card to reserve a room. Local, independently owned hotels or bed & breakfast locations may be more likely to accept cash as payment on check-in.

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Authorization hold Authorization holds are used to verify that the card works and has enough funds to cover a future transaction. Businesses like hotels and rental car companies commonly use credit card holds. So when you make a reservation or pick up your rental car, for example, you may not pay the bill right away.

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Or perhaps you need to send your credit card info to a hotel to reserve a room. Regardless of why you need to send your credit info to another party, using email isn't safe. They may write your credit card info on a pad, notebook, or computer document.

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Hotels typically require a credit card when making a reservation because it provides them with the assurance that payment will be made. A debit card does not offer this same level of security, as there may not be enough funds in the account to cover the cost of the stay.

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To cover these potential costs, hotels hold a refundable amount (usually called either an “incidentals deposit” or “security deposit”) at check-in.

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Only if the hotel has a credit card authorization on file. If the name on the ID and credit card don't match, the hotel should refuse to check you in.

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