A hotel wants my card details (for payment). Is this safe? [closed]

I reserved a hotel for my vacation. They sent me a mail with this information:

We would require a deposit to hold this room. If you wish to go ahead with this booking please call us with your card details.

What card details do they need? How would they be able to take a deposit if I do not reveal my PIN code? Is it safe to give them my card details?

I would be much happier to pay the deposit myself. Would it be rude to tell them so?

hotels

Best Answer

No, it is not safe but is common practice because most people have no other way to pay the deposit. The hotel wants to make sure it gets paid for at least the first night which is why they are asking for a deposit. Otherwise, some hotels overbook instead, just like airlines, expecting a certain number of cancellations. That they want a deposit is good news because your room is usually guarantied.

Hotels generally ask for a credit-card number and expiration which they want to use in case you do not show up at the date of your reservation. There is a time cut-off when they usually do this (Say 8 PM for example). So, if your flight is late, you want to let them know, to avoid the case where they charge your card and then book the room to someone else.

The reason this is not secure is that hotel usually write your information down somewhere, sometimes on paper in their system and both can leak your information. It may be used fraudulently just like any of time your credit-card information is leaked. There is some amount of protection from your card company but that varies between cards and jurisdiction.

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Is it safe to pay with card number?

Credit card transactions that you make over the phone have the same protection as those you make online or in person at a store. The law limits cardholders' liability to $50 under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) for any unauthorized transactions on your account so you will want to make sure you report them.

Is it safe to give credit card number without CVV?

While it is generally safe to give your CVV number to trusted merchants, it's not always necessary. If you're using a card in person, the CVV code typically isn't required. In general, providing a card security code when you're shopping online is safe, as long as you're making purchases from trusted websites.

What card details are safe to give out?

It's generally considered safe to give out your account number and sort code, but you should always use common sense and avoid sharing your bank details with people you don't know or expect payments from.

Can a hotel charge my card if I cancel it?

If you cancel, the hotel gets no money from you and is left scrambling to fill that room, which is why cancellation fees are used to mitigate the damage. If anything, it's not unusual to have fully prepaid rates, meaning that once you've booked, you're charged the entire fee, even if you cancel within 5 minutes.

Hotel Credit Card Authorizations | Hotel Check in Authorization

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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