Credit Card Pre Authorisation

Hi all,

We are travelling to Holiday Inn Golden Gateway on 2nd August this year and was wondering as to their policy on credit card pre authorisation.

We have fully paid for the room up front, but do they request pre authorisation for extras on arrival and if so, does anyone have any idea as to what that charge per night would be?

I Stayed at The Bellagio in January and even though the room was paid for they still requested $110 per night pre auth. on CC when checking in!!

Cheers,

Alex

Credit Card Pre Authorisation

Would it be a good idea to get the answer to your question directly from the hotel? Perhaps a quick email to them would provide you with the difinitive answer.

Credit Card Pre Authorisation

Its almost standard practice in US hotels for what they call sundries etc.

I doubt it will be as high as the Bellagio.

As previously mentioned email the hotel.

At the Chancellor Hotel, we do $30/day credit card authorization for possible incidental charges for guests that have pre-paid bookings. I would imagine that the HI Golden Gateway would be closer to what we authorize than the Bellagio.

Keep in mind, the authorizations go on instantly, but the unused authorization amounts take days to come off. That%26#39;s the banks, not the hotels!

I guess it is good to learn new things. I do not understand this pre authorization on a credit card. Perhaps I have never pre-booked the whole amount but what is the purpose? Is it because if you book ahead then the hotel doesn%26#39;t have a copy of the credit card? I cannot imagine being charged for something I MIGHT buy and then having to take the charge off afterwards. Why can%26#39;t the hotel just ask to see the credit card when you check in and make a copy so if you leave without paying for something they can then charge you for it?

This happens all the time. A business cannot charge anything to your card without an authorization, but once they have an authorization they can change the amount to whatever charges you actually incurred.

This is what happens when you run a tab on your card at a bar. They get an authorization for the amount your first drink order, then add subsequent drinks to the tab.

When you rent a car, they will typically get an authorization for several hundred dollars.

All these authorizations go to your credit limit, so you can max out your card without actually spending anything.

I really don%26#39;t like doing this as i had a bad experience with my CC in a UK hotel. I%26#39;m staying at 3 hotels in the US in September (In SFO, LA %26amp; Vegas), all are paid for up front. What would happen if they asked for a swipe of a credit card and i said i didn%26#39;t have one? Will they refuse to check me in, or will they just accpet that i wont charge anything to my room?

It really depends on the hotel. When I%26#39;ve prepaid, sometimes they insist on a credit card imprint for ';incidentals,'; and sometimes they say it%26#39;s not necessary if I don%26#39;t intend to use the phone or room service or pay-per-view movies. I would be prepared with a credit card if they insist upon getting an imprint. If they do take an imprint, ask for a final statement when you check out and make sure it says zero balance due. Keep this statement.

If someone does not have a credit card, we would require a cash deposit...A large cash deposit. As far as I know, that would be very typical. Try to rent a car without a credit card.