Question about hotel payment
I've read several times on the FAQ page and around the forum that it is 'not' recommended to pay for the hotel using a debit card due to the hold it will place on the ammount in your account. However just to be sure about a few things I asked some questions about the subject at my bank today where they told me that it should be ok to use a debit card to pay, and that I will still be able to use the card and take out money etc as normal while the hold is in effect.
But just to be absolutely sure I thought I'd ask around here too from people who may have had experience paying in this way in the past. Even though it is not recommended to pay in this way, should I go ahead and book the hotel using a debit card since I currently have no other method of payment?
That, or be well prepared for the hold that will be placed. The hotel needs to be certain that when you check out, they'll be paid what they are owed. The last thing they want is to have you leave and then find they have a worthless credit card.
The hold is typically the full amount of the room ($123), plus tax (17.22), plus $50 (in case you charge for room service or break a lamp or somesuch). That comes to roughly $200 for each night. If you are staying for 5 nights, the hotel needs to be sure that when you drop off your key and walk away, there is going to be $1000 in your bank account. The way they do that is to ask the bank to place a hold on that $1000 so that it can't be given to anyone else but the hotel. If they did not do that, you could go and empty out the account and when you left, the hotel would be left holding the bag.
So when you check in, if you must use a debit card, make sure it has at least $1000 in the account, and that there is enough on top of that to cover the rest of your bills and any purchases you might make FOR THE NEXT MONTH. Why? Banks are notorious for leaving those holds on for weeks after the hotel removes them. In that time the money effectively belongs entirely to the bank, and they can make quite a profit off of that. Even if the hotel calls up on Sunday and says, "OK, he only owed us $600 in the end, so please release the rest of the funds," the bank is going to make up all sorts of excuses to hang onto that money for every single minute that they can squeeze out of it.
A serious question, Dr. Conway: What would happen if the person who wants to use a debit card pays the hotel, let's say, $400 cash at check in, on a bill estimated at $420.66 (three nights with no room or damage charges) and uses the debit card to cover the balance? How much of a hold would the hotel apply then? $50 per night plus the $20.66 that hadn't already been paid?
If that's the case, a person might be better off extracting cash from their debit account, paying the cash and having a much smaller hold placed on their debit account. I ask because I do something similar with my credit cards: I pay most of the bill in cash when I arrive and the credit cards gets the minor amount of the unpaid room costs and any other additional room charges...
Do you think this is worth checking out with the hotels? Or have you done so already and I'm just blowing wind... as I so often do?
I think I see what you mean now, using a credit card would make things quite a lot easier.
If I'm reading it right it means that as long as I have all the money I'd need for the hotel and anything else I may expect to spend in my account I should be alright, but I should still be prepared for quite a big freeze on my account.
Since I've been saving for a trip to AC for at least a couple of years I've should have more than enough set aside for the cost of the hotel with a bit more left over, so hopefully using a debit card won't be too much of a hassle.
However I will take Giza's advice and try to get a credit card before the con, that way I can use my debit card to book the room, then use the credit card to pay when I check in/out right?
At the very least if I am unable to get a credit card I could still use the debit card as a last resort.
There was only one more thing that I'm not too sure about, however if I think back it has probably already been answered before. Is it possible to book the room using the debit card, then when I arrive use a seperate credit card to actually pay for the nights I stay?
There was only one more thing that I'm not too sure about, however if I think back it has probably already been answered before. Is it possible to book the room using the debit card, then when I arrive use a seperate credit card to actually pay for the nights I stay?
Yep, that's pretty much what I recommended earlier in the thread.
Another reason I recommend credit cards in general is fraud. At least here in the US, if someone gets your debit card number, the money is GONE. You have to wait for the bank to credit it back. With a credit card, you just get a big bill at the end of the month that you can dispute.
I has a debit card too and it's the only form of payment I got really. I don't ever use a credit card because I don't trust. I noticed something funny in my account as the payment has not seemed to have gone out yet. Taking ages unfortunatly.
Every year we have people come into Ops and complaint that the hotel authorized their card for an obscene amount.
Since you have no other method of payment, in the interest of time, I would suggest booking the hotel, and then seeing about obtaining a credit card before the con to present at checkin. Good luck!
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