What are hotel staff instructed to do when a guest cannot provide a physical bank card to go on file at check in?

Question

I'm not in possession of a physical bank card and will need to check in to several hotels in coming weeks. (my bank's shipping me a new card but their shipping times times are very slow).

I'm curious as to what will happen when I reach the check in counter, the clerk asks for a card to put on file, and I say I don't have one? One guess is they may ask for contactless (mobile) payment (e.g. Apple Pay) instead (which would be fine since I have a digital card on my phone). I believe the limits are smaller than with a physical card so they may not be content with that. It is also possible contactless/mobile doesn't allow for a "hold" to be placed, and a physical card must be used instead (thanks @CMaster for this information).

Curious whether hotel staff ever flatly refuse a guest who cannot provide a physical card to go on file.

Question

What are hotel staff typically trained to do in cases where a guest who has already booked but cannot provide a physical bank card to go on file at check in?

Answer 1

This is going to depend entirely on the hotel, so you should call up and ask.

Some will happily accept Google/Apple Pay, others will insist on a physical plastic card. Cash deposits are still an option in some places, especially cheaper ones, but many places will rather refuse your custom entirely.

If you plan on traveling regularly, it's worth getting two bank cards/credit cards from separate banks and storing them in different places when you travel, which minimizes the risk of running into problems like this if one of them is stolen/blocked/lost etc.

Answer 2

This exact scenario happened to me. Booked a hotel and promptly lost my only credit card. I immediately cancelled my credit card.

Arrived at the hotel, and, of course, they wanted a credit card. I explained the situation. They needed a physical card and would not accept my phone. They even asked for my cancelled card's number, which I explained didn't make any sense.

After a bit of a standoff, the duty manager was summoned, who seemed to dick around a bit on the computer before urging me not to cause any damage to the room and allowing me to check in.

My recommendation is to avoid being in that situation and contact the hotel beforehand to see if it's an issue.

Answer 3

This can vary widely from one hotel to the next, so the only way to know is to call each one of them. It also depends on how you booked (pre-paid/post-paid), if the hotel offers any kind of extras (calls, Internet, mini-bar, bars and restaurants, spa...) which could be charged to the room or not.

If the booking is pre-paid, the guarantee is only for the extras charged to the room.

Possibilities include:

• They don't have any extras whatsovever: no guarantee needed
• They have extras, but can block them (block the mini-bar, provide the room without one, or with an empty one, and not allow charges to the room): no guarantee needed
• They have extras and somehow can't block them: they will need a guarantee. They may be able to use your card in Apple Pay as a deposit. They may ask for an actual payment (to be refunded, less charges, at the end of your stay), either using a (virtual) card or in cash.

Depending on how you booked (especially whether there was some kind of 3-D Secure check or not), they may want to see the card used for the payment for security purposes (quite different from taking a deposit). No idea what they would do in this case since it's already been charged.

If you didn't pay in advance, the most likely thing is that they'll ask for you to pay for the room in advance (full stay or day-to-day), either using the card in your mobile or using cash (or other means).

Additional notes:

• If you make a payment in any form to act as a deposit, make sure you get a receipt, and that it says refundable deposit or something similar, and the amount.
• While most places will accept cash, I believe we've seen stories around here about hotels not accepting cash and insisting on a card.

As you see, lots of situations, so ask the hotel, referencing your specific booking.

Also, if your bank is so slow, any chance you could get a card quicker via Revolut for instance, or some other neobank providing cards quickly or immediately?

Answer 4

Last time I visited a hotel in the USA without a working plastic credit card, check-in worked like this: the receptionist wanted to reserve a deposit on a card, using a plastic card in their card reader. I was able to provide a card which worked for that, and they didn't mind that it wasn't a credit card. I was prepared for this, so just before my trip I topped up my card so that there was enough funds for the deposit (a few hundred USD). They released the deposit a few days after I left.

Answer 5

If you find old American Express commercials (for their non-credit card payment card products, from, I'm guessing, the 1970s), this was a scenario that they said they could handle. In a typical commercial, one spouse would lose a wallet, there'd be joint panic, and then the hotel person would say "was it American Express?" and everything would work out.

I've done exactly what would happened in the ad (lost my wallet at the start of a trip). Other than the car rental company refusing to believe that I had a driver's license, it worked out (it was a business trip - a coworker rented the car).

Talk to the credit card company. You've reported the issue to them and you are their customer. Have them work things out with the hotel. Don't expect a "smooth as silk" process, but I'd expect success.

Answer 6

Cash

Not quite your scenario but similar. My wife booked us a room in a Holiday Inn Express in Bangkok but, due to a change of plans, she could not come so I checked in alone. They asked for her credit card but I explained that she was not coming. I could have provided one but they asked for a cash deposit of 1000THB (23GBP / 30USD / 27EUR). They put my note in an envelope and gave me a receipt. When I checked out, they gave me the envelope. They did not check the room.