Hotel payment

Hello,

I contacted the list a couple of weeks ago re. booking hotels in the
USA and Canada.

The vast majority I have managed to do so via Expedia as they take a
switch card - and I have prepaid.

One or two in a bit more out-of-the-way places however don't accept
switch cards - even through Expedia.

What I'm thinking of doing is getting someone else,with a card of the
type which the hotels accept) to make the deposit (then I pay them
back), then get my own credit card (of one of the acceptable types) in
the meantime. Would they accept a different credit card to the one
used for the deposit? Alternatively, how about travellers' cheques?

Of the two hotels that don't take switch through Expedia, one is a
family run "inn" in the mountains and another is a Super 8 Motel.

Thanks,
Nick

In article ,
(Nick Whitelegg) wrote:

Hello,

I contacted the list a couple of weeks ago re. booking hotels in the
USA and Canada.

The vast majority I have managed to do so via Expedia as they take a
switch card - and I have prepaid.

One or two in a bit more out-of-the-way places however don't accept
switch cards - even through Expedia.

What I'm thinking of doing is getting someone else,with a card of the
type which the hotels accept) to make the deposit (then I pay them
back), then get my own credit card (of one of the acceptable types) in
the meantime. Would they accept a different credit card to the one
used for the deposit? Alternatively, how about travellers' cheques?

I suggest you contact the hotels in question and ask them how
they recommend you pay them and what you should do to put down
a deposit on a room there. They should certainly be in the best
position to handle your needs. If they cannot help you, just tell
them they lost a paying customer, then stay elsewhere.

On 05/30/2004 6:45 AM Nick Whitelegg consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:

Hello,

I contacted the list a couple of weeks ago re. booking hotels in the
USA and Canada.

The vast majority I have managed to do so via Expedia as they take a
switch card - and I have prepaid.

One or two in a bit more out-of-the-way places however don't accept
switch cards - even through Expedia.

What I'm thinking of doing is getting someone else,with a card of the
type which the hotels accept) to make the deposit (then I pay them
back), then get my own credit card (of one of the acceptable types) in
the meantime. Would they accept a different credit card to the one
used for the deposit? Alternatively, how about travellers' cheques?

Of the two hotels that don't take switch through Expedia, one is a
family run "inn" in the mountains and another is a Super 8 Motel.

Thanks,
Nick


Nick,

I have no idea as to what a "switch" card might be. I don't think many
businesses in the US know what one is either. VISA and MasterCard
credit cards are accepted almost universally. Obtain one of these
before you travel. As for Super 8 Motel, stay anywhere else. You
aren't missing out on anything great by not being able to book at a
Super 8 Motel. As for the "Ma and Pop" Inn in the mountains. You
might try calling them directly and asking them for alternatives to
secure your room, i.e. certified bank check in US Dollars, Money-Gram,
etc.

--
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To email me, Edit "xt" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

I have no idea as to what a "switch" card might be. I don't think many
businesses in the US know what one is either. VISA and MasterCard
credit cards are accepted almost universally. Obtain one of these
before you travel. As for Super 8 Motel, stay anywhere else. You
aren't missing out on anything great by not being able to book at a
Super 8 Motel. As for the "Ma and Pop" Inn in the mountains. You
might try calling them directly and asking them for alternatives to
secure your room, i.e. certified bank check in US Dollars, Money-Gram,
etc.


Having stayed in lots of Motels in the US I can confirm that Visa or
Mastercard is what you need - a debit card will do but not always (and not
Switch - I can't recall ever seeing a switch logo in the US). A word of
warning though - recently my girlfriend and I tried to buy a train ticket in
a machine in Washington with a Visa debit card (in fact we had three
differnt cards from two different banks between us) but even armed with the
pins none of them worked - if you can get hold of a "proper" credit card
then you'll be able to spend more time on what you want to do and less time
running up blind alleys. As far as I know the best UK account for using in
the US is a Nationwide one as you can get money out of ATMs without
incurring charges.

I'm not sure why the poster advised against Super 8 (probably because no
reason was given!) - I've stayed at quite a few and while not the best, are
perfectly acceptable and are often found on their own with no other Motels
within miles - the same goes for Motel 6. Personally I would rather stay at
one than at a Ma & Pop Inn but I prefer the impersonal touch! Note that most
(all?) hotel chains in the US are franchise operations and presumably
because of this the standard of the rooms is quite variable from location to
location - it may not be to everyones taste (and these days they cost a lot
more than $6 a night!) but I've found that Motel 6 suffers the least from
this variation.

You will normally find that if you book a hotel from one of the big chains,
if you go straight to their site you will be asked to give them a credit
card number as a guarantee but when you arrive at the desk you need to
present them with the card you want to actually pay with (or cash but you
may have to pay an additional deposit with cash) and the card you used as a
guarantee is never charged.