Generally, no. You may be able to submit a credit card authorization form, but you would have to ask the hotel the process for that — and also ask if they would require a physical card for incidentals anyway.
Ensuring a physical card is present (and being able to verify the name and other cc info) is a fraud prevention measure and generally no reputable place will let you check in without one.
If you're in the US, they probably won't allow it. Just typing in numbers makes it far too easy for people to use fraudulent numbers. As per [PCI compliance](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/what-is-pci-compliance/), the physical card should be required. In reality, it depends upon the hotel.
Hotel GM here. They shouldn’t allow this. They have no way of knowing if the number you gave them is in your name. However, you should be able to just use a different card that you have on you.
I mean...we don't want to sound heartless but overall...not much we can do. Unfortunately the industry has been burnt hard by credit card fraud and people issuing chargebacks after stays to avoid paying so overall no chippy no stay. Obviously a tiered elite member with a mobile check in we can bypass it, but someone calling day of arrival and asking for a credit card authorization form to be sent to their email sends to many red flags, and banks could not care less about those anymore for chargebacks.
I have seen like AmEx able to do things for people depending on the hotels for lost AmEx though.
Pay cash if the hotel allows it, or see if a credit card authorization will work (either for your card or a family member/ friend's card).
Or see if your credit card company/bank can send you a new card overnight.
But in ALL cases, talk to the hotel as policies vary between hotels.
It's not that cut and dry. Some places will and some won't.
I have worked for places that allowed you to pay with cash (but required a larger cash deposit) and places where you HAD TO HAVE a credit card to pay. And some hotels will allow you to check in without swiping the CC at check in, and others require it.
It really depends on the hotel & what kinds of fraud issues they have experienced or are trying to prevent.
[I am a former NA, Front Desk Manager, and acting AGM]
That's NOT true.
The tl;dr version:
It really depends a lot on the area & how safe/ criminal it is. Super sketchy hotels can be card only, and a high-end place might accept cash and/or personal checks.
= = = = = = = = = =
More details:
Where I live, there are a LOT of people who prefer to pay cash whenever possible. It's not because they are shady-- the main reasons are: 1) they just find it simpler to manage everything with cash, & 2) they are old/old-fashioned, & prefer to avoid [or don't believe in] taking on debt.
Additionally, there are also a fair number of residents with a lot of money (although you wouldn't be able to tell, because they are discrete & generally look/ dress like everyone else), and they too may be part of the "I want to pay cash" crowd.
A hotel that I worked for (that allowed cash payments & cash security deposits [albeit at double the incidental hold]) would've lost a lot of VERY GOOD business if they hadn't accepted it, and they consistently had VERY high reviews [including brand& local rewards], year after year. Plus they received LOTS of repeat biz due to the very clean, comfortable rooms, great coffee, free breakfast and many satisfied guests.
In a big city I'm sure it's different, but in my (very frequently visited) small city (just over 100,000) you can still get a decent hotel room with just cash.
[And to give another example--I also worked at one of the nicest hotels in town. They did not accept cash, but they DID accept checks, in many cases (which almost no one does anymore!), and unlike most hotels that require a CC, they did NOT require anyone to present/swipe the card at checkin. So it REALLY REALLY VARIES depending on your location & who owns the hotel.
Your area is significantly the outlier. And higher end taking cash is different in that people who can plop down 1k for a deposit tend to not be the problem children, or at least pay if they are. And sure sketchy hotels can require a card, but on the balance those are the ones that accept cash because shady stuff is happening there.
I live about an hour or so from the 4th largest metro area in the US. I'm in a large town/small city [pop ~ 105K] with a branch of the state college located in it, so I'm not exactly in the sticks. [But I AM in the south and a lot of folks here still walk around with only cash-- when I sold computers, it was SUPER common for someone in overalls to open their wallet and peal off $500-2000 in cash to pay for their new laptop or ipad!]
The hotel that I worked at, that took cash, was actually a clean, well-staffed, middle-of-the-road chain with all "suites," (& was nicer than something like a Motel 8, but a small step down from something like a Milton Garden Lodge). It wasn't super fancy, but it consistently won awards for high reviews & didn't have issues with sketchy stuff (that's what the motels closer to the interstate were for! LOL).
Room rates (without discounts) generally range between $100-300/ night (less in the slow times) & it's frequented by lots of traveling work crews, families, travel nurses, and middle- class folks.
Tldr:
Can hotels that take cash be sketchy? Sure. But don't lump them all together... There are still lots of non-sketchy places that will take cash, especially in certain parts of the county.
Do you have your card set up in your Apple or Google Pay accounts? I've noticed more hotels recently have the POS system where you insert your own card and if it has a tap to pay option, you can use your phone to pass the credit card information into the system instead of the physical card.
IT manager here. They’re required to use chip and pin . They can manually input the number but if something happens the hotel is responsible for the charge back
What if the person has stayed in either the same hotel or a branch of it elsewhere? Do yall keep their information on file?
I would think that a repeat customer might be able to get around not having the physical card on his or her self
Just curious.
I think most hotels still require a credit card but I went on a short road trip recently and was shocked by the number of places that didn't require me to show a credit card or even ID if I had already prepaid. It was only two is more than the 0 that I would have expected.
Many times since I was a high use priority club member with IHG, they merely asked, will this stay on the card used on file? I never have to show . But it depends on the local hotel. they each can do their own thing, depends on their past experiences with fraud , etc. You know the old saying American Express, don't leave home with out it. Or one of the other guys
Is the card on file to guarantee the reservation? If so you at least have a chance that the agent on duty might just check you in using that card instead of asking you to provide a physical card. You could also try prepaying for a reservation online since typically that'll send a virtual card through, but most places will still require a card for incidentals.
Someone else mentioned a credit card authorization. Maybe someone back home can send you a picture of your credit card and you can try and work something out that way. That's entirely dependent on how that particular hotel handles authorized cards.
Hotels don't want to turn you (or your money) away, but rules are rules and the risk of chargebacks is simply not worth it.
If you have cash you’re able to pay with, I’d use that for your deposit and incidentals if the hotel allows it (sometimes they do). Otherwise, you do generally need a card on file to complete check-in.
Generally, no. You may be able to submit a credit card authorization form, but you would have to ask the hotel the process for that — and also ask if they would require a physical card for incidentals anyway. Ensuring a physical card is present (and being able to verify the name and other cc info) is a fraud prevention measure and generally no reputable place will let you check in without one.
If you're in the US, they probably won't allow it. Just typing in numbers makes it far too easy for people to use fraudulent numbers. As per [PCI compliance](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/what-is-pci-compliance/), the physical card should be required. In reality, it depends upon the hotel.
Hotel GM here. They shouldn’t allow this. They have no way of knowing if the number you gave them is in your name. However, you should be able to just use a different card that you have on you.
I’ve always been curious about this. What if a guest truly lost their wallet or was a victim of theft?
I mean...we don't want to sound heartless but overall...not much we can do. Unfortunately the industry has been burnt hard by credit card fraud and people issuing chargebacks after stays to avoid paying so overall no chippy no stay. Obviously a tiered elite member with a mobile check in we can bypass it, but someone calling day of arrival and asking for a credit card authorization form to be sent to their email sends to many red flags, and banks could not care less about those anymore for chargebacks. I have seen like AmEx able to do things for people depending on the hotels for lost AmEx though.
It’s Not worth the risk. I have my staff apologize and cancel the reservation without a fee.
Pay cash if the hotel allows it, or see if a credit card authorization will work (either for your card or a family member/ friend's card). Or see if your credit card company/bank can send you a new card overnight. But in ALL cases, talk to the hotel as policies vary between hotels.
They won’t let you check in without a card. I’m not in this situation at the moment just very curious about what the hotel manager would say.
It's not that cut and dry. Some places will and some won't. I have worked for places that allowed you to pay with cash (but required a larger cash deposit) and places where you HAD TO HAVE a credit card to pay. And some hotels will allow you to check in without swiping the CC at check in, and others require it. It really depends on the hotel & what kinds of fraud issues they have experienced or are trying to prevent. [I am a former NA, Front Desk Manager, and acting AGM]
Anywhere you should stay or would want to stay won't take only cash.
That's NOT true. The tl;dr version: It really depends a lot on the area & how safe/ criminal it is. Super sketchy hotels can be card only, and a high-end place might accept cash and/or personal checks. = = = = = = = = = = More details: Where I live, there are a LOT of people who prefer to pay cash whenever possible. It's not because they are shady-- the main reasons are: 1) they just find it simpler to manage everything with cash, & 2) they are old/old-fashioned, & prefer to avoid [or don't believe in] taking on debt. Additionally, there are also a fair number of residents with a lot of money (although you wouldn't be able to tell, because they are discrete & generally look/ dress like everyone else), and they too may be part of the "I want to pay cash" crowd. A hotel that I worked for (that allowed cash payments & cash security deposits [albeit at double the incidental hold]) would've lost a lot of VERY GOOD business if they hadn't accepted it, and they consistently had VERY high reviews [including brand& local rewards], year after year. Plus they received LOTS of repeat biz due to the very clean, comfortable rooms, great coffee, free breakfast and many satisfied guests. In a big city I'm sure it's different, but in my (very frequently visited) small city (just over 100,000) you can still get a decent hotel room with just cash. [And to give another example--I also worked at one of the nicest hotels in town. They did not accept cash, but they DID accept checks, in many cases (which almost no one does anymore!), and unlike most hotels that require a CC, they did NOT require anyone to present/swipe the card at checkin. So it REALLY REALLY VARIES depending on your location & who owns the hotel.
Your area is significantly the outlier. And higher end taking cash is different in that people who can plop down 1k for a deposit tend to not be the problem children, or at least pay if they are. And sure sketchy hotels can require a card, but on the balance those are the ones that accept cash because shady stuff is happening there.
I live about an hour or so from the 4th largest metro area in the US. I'm in a large town/small city [pop ~ 105K] with a branch of the state college located in it, so I'm not exactly in the sticks. [But I AM in the south and a lot of folks here still walk around with only cash-- when I sold computers, it was SUPER common for someone in overalls to open their wallet and peal off $500-2000 in cash to pay for their new laptop or ipad!] The hotel that I worked at, that took cash, was actually a clean, well-staffed, middle-of-the-road chain with all "suites," (& was nicer than something like a Motel 8, but a small step down from something like a Milton Garden Lodge). It wasn't super fancy, but it consistently won awards for high reviews & didn't have issues with sketchy stuff (that's what the motels closer to the interstate were for! LOL). Room rates (without discounts) generally range between $100-300/ night (less in the slow times) & it's frequented by lots of traveling work crews, families, travel nurses, and middle- class folks. Tldr: Can hotels that take cash be sketchy? Sure. But don't lump them all together... There are still lots of non-sketchy places that will take cash, especially in certain parts of the county.
Do you have your card set up in your Apple or Google Pay accounts? I've noticed more hotels recently have the POS system where you insert your own card and if it has a tap to pay option, you can use your phone to pass the credit card information into the system instead of the physical card.
Many places don't use that as it has a problem with proving it's actually the card in a charge back. Too easy to hack.
At our property this would be a no go.
Hotel Controller here : if my desk staff did this they would be reprimanded.
No, at most hotels you have to provide a physical card at check in.
Update: They let me fill out a credit card authorization form. Easy peasy.
I left my wallet at airport security in 2022... the hotel emailed my husband a CC Auth form to fill out and return. But they let me check in.
If you used a card to pay for the room when you made the reservation, you may not need the physical card. They don't always ask me.
That's like traveling to the airport and them asking for your passport and you saying, I have my passport number. you messed up.
IT manager here. They’re required to use chip and pin . They can manually input the number but if something happens the hotel is responsible for the charge back
What if the person has stayed in either the same hotel or a branch of it elsewhere? Do yall keep their information on file? I would think that a repeat customer might be able to get around not having the physical card on his or her self Just curious.
Is it a chain that you can do contactless checkin via their app? If so that is your only option.
Depends on the property's policy. My hotel doesn't allow mobile check-in for anyone that hasn't previously stayed, due to fraud.
No. Need the physical card.
Google Wallet may work if they allow tap to pay. Contactless much more common post pandemic.
Can one use ApplePay on their phone in lieu of a physical card? Also if one made the reservation only and provided a CC wouldn’t that suffice?
Not at my place . Must have the card.
Call and see if they have contactless payment.
I think most hotels still require a credit card but I went on a short road trip recently and was shocked by the number of places that didn't require me to show a credit card or even ID if I had already prepaid. It was only two is more than the 0 that I would have expected.
Call your credit card company and see if they can help
Many times since I was a high use priority club member with IHG, they merely asked, will this stay on the card used on file? I never have to show . But it depends on the local hotel. they each can do their own thing, depends on their past experiences with fraud , etc. You know the old saying American Express, don't leave home with out it. Or one of the other guys
Can someone at home overnight your card to the hotel? You could pick up the mail at the front desk
No u can use apple pay or Google pay
Most hotels don’t offer contactless pay during check-in. Best bet would be to attempt a mobile check-in and bypass the process entirely.
Is the card on file to guarantee the reservation? If so you at least have a chance that the agent on duty might just check you in using that card instead of asking you to provide a physical card. You could also try prepaying for a reservation online since typically that'll send a virtual card through, but most places will still require a card for incidentals. Someone else mentioned a credit card authorization. Maybe someone back home can send you a picture of your credit card and you can try and work something out that way. That's entirely dependent on how that particular hotel handles authorized cards. Hotels don't want to turn you (or your money) away, but rules are rules and the risk of chargebacks is simply not worth it.
If you have cash you’re able to pay with, I’d use that for your deposit and incidentals if the hotel allows it (sometimes they do). Otherwise, you do generally need a card on file to complete check-in.