Buying holidays/hotel rooms with credit cards

twirls

Wasn't sure whether to put this in the cards section or the holidays section. Figured it was more cards than holiday...

Anyway. A little while back I purchased hotel rooms for a short holiday. The hotel rooms are in Paris and London. When buying, I chose to pay everything in full. So when the times comes, I only have to pay for food, admission into galleries and museums and just general spending.

Since I have paid in full, would they need to see the credit card I paid with? Or could I just show them my passport and/or driver's license as proof?

The reason I ask, is because I would like to close that card so that I can apply for something better.

Also, just curious but what happens when cards are used to purchase hotel rooms but then are lost? Surely, the new card would have a different 16 digit number? Would the hotel accept this?

Thanks.

Caz3121

they will likely want a credit card when you check in to preauthorise for any extras so just give them the new one and say that is the one to be used and not the one that booked the room.

chattychappy

I have never been asked to show the card I have booked with when I have paid in advance. If you have booked through an agent such as Expedia, then they probably wouldn't even know what card you have used.

Having said that, any particular hotel might make up its own rules when you book directly. Personally to avoid hassle, I wouldn't use a card attached to an account I knew I was closing. If I did, I would probably keep the card just in case (though you're supposed to destroy them).

Voyager2002

Do be aware that if you used a card to buy air tickets or certain train tickets, you might need to show that particular card when using them.

In any case, having one card account open is unlikely to be a problem when applying for another one. Owing a large amount most certainly could be a problem, and if you have a large credit limit then that might cause difficulties... so my suggestion is that you simply contact your card issuer and ask them to reduce your credit limit, rather than closing it.

chattychappy

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Do be aware that if you used a card to buy air tickets or certain train tickets, you might need to show that particular card when using them.

Yes, I've found that particularly the case in Asia.

PBA

I booked a hotel earlier this year through hotels.com. They refused the booking as the card would have expired before the stay, despite the fact that it was in date at the time, as they insisted that the card being presented on check in was the actual one I'd booked with rather than the new one on the same account. Not really a big deal if you're thinking of closing the account, just remember to keep the old card and take it with you rather than destroying it.

Nebulous2

You don't need to cancel the card, to apply for something better.

There is absolutely no way that I would put myself in the position you describe regarding a hotel. You are at the mercy of not just what the hotel policy is, but what the individual member of staff thinks it is.

My work used to book all hotels through a corporate credit card held by an admin person. Usually it was fine but there were occasional problems where checking-in was very difficult due to the card not being present. This often involved phonecalls to Head office to resolve and sometimes a lengthy delay in getting checked-in.

The odds of that might be small, but I jist wouldn't take the risk, particularly whilst on holiday.