Typical Credit Card Hold Upon Check-in

[MIChessGuy]

I have been wondering about the amount that will be blocked against my credit card when I check in at my next Priceline hotel. Of course, I'm aware that the exact amount depends on the specific hotel, the length of stay, and the like. But lately my card has been near the limit and I'm trying to estimate the chances of the hotel saying, "Hmm, this card doesn't have enough credit for incidentals, you have another one?" Anyone care to share anecdotes about hotel card holds -- large/small/they forgot to ask for a credit card (yeah, sure...)/etc.? Thanks.

[AaronJB]

It really does vary by hotel, but I've tended to see a $50-100 hold. There was one unusual report recently by a user that a Residence Inn asked for a $300 hold, but it usually appears to be $50-100.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[MIChessGuy]

I hope it will be in the $100 range. The $300 would be quite awkward in my case; that sounds more like a rental car hold, really. I suppose lodgings that have had unusual difficulty with room-related theft or damage might take the Residence Inn's approach, but it sounds bad for business.

[dahammer]

I stayed at a 4* Hyatt and the hold was $50 and a 2* Park Inn and the hold was $100. I think it depends on the neighborhood and the history of theft and damage from previous guests. The best advice is to call the hotel prior to check in and ask. Many hotels will accept a cash deposit and which you'll get back upon check out. Deal with it upfront and you will have less anxiety.

[MIChessGuy]

I checked out of the Doubletree St. Louis/Westport five days ago, and I notice that the $61.00 credit card hold for incidentals is still there. That actually seems like a very reasonable amount for a higher-end hotel brand like Doubletree. I'm not sure how this works in terms of the hold dropping off. I guess Doubletree either tells the card issuer to drop the hold at some point, or possibly the hold drops automatically after some default period of time. It does cause minor annoyance since available credit is reduced until the hold drops.

I've more or less given up asking a hotel clerk via telephone ahead of time. When I start getting into credit card holds, hold amounts, when the hold is released, etc., I can almost hear the "Huh?" reaction even without the clerk saying anything. More often than not, they erroneously claim there are no holds or they give info that has nothing to do with actual practice.

[alison0313]

It really does vary by hotel, but I've tended to see a $50-100 hold. There was one unusual report recently by a user that a Residence Inn asked for a $300 hold,

This is exactly what happened to me this weekend at the Residence Inn Downtown Toronto. I had originally booked a one night stay, but later added a second. I've done this in the past with no problem. However, when I arrived at the hotel, it showed up in the computer as two different reservations. Not a big deal, but I had to go change my key cards the next day. I checked my account while I was there and there were two charges for the hold. One for $258 and the other for $155. I'm usually on a tight budget when I travel, but thankfully this didn't have an effect on my trip.

I wish I was given a heads up when checking in, but that is my fault for not asking when they took my card.