How can I cancel an online hotel booking without paying a fee? [closed]

I just booked two hotel accommodations and gave my card number and the expiration date to the web site I used. Then I realized that I am required to pay the entire reservation amount if I want to cancel. Can they charge my credit card without having the CVV or the PIN number if I don't check in at the hotel?

Is there a way to cancel the reservation without losing all my money?

Best Answer

Can they charge my credit card without having the CVV or the PIN number if I don't check in at the hotel?

Yes, they certainly can. For example, Amazon doesn't ask for your CVV code to charge for purchases and other companies are allowed to do so as well.

Is there a way to cancel the reservation without losing all my money?

If you want to be an... impolite person, simply cancel the card which you've used to make a booking. The charge will most likely fail to go through when you cancel and the hotel wouldn't have much recourse.
If you want to be a decent person, call the hotel and politely ask them to cancel your reservation without penalty. Assuming the date is far enough into the future, it's possible that the manager will agree.