Indian.Traveller

Thanks. That's a good tip. Will arrange for a family member's credit card and a letter of authority or something like that.

Thank you for the reply. I do realize the 'hold' policy, so I'll just ensure that there are sufficient funds in the account. But essentially, my worry is whether they'll accept the debit card or not. I'll also carry a pre-paid card (where a certain amount is pre-loaded on to the card and it works essentially like a debit card). Is reaching the hotel with a debit card taking a chance or is it generally acceptable at hotels?

Hi. I know this question must've been asked umpteen times, but all the previous threads that I saw are quite old and I just wanted to confirm the way things stand as of today. I am from India and I need to make some bookings on Hotwire for hotels in several places in Europe for an upcoming holiday trip. I have a debit card (with the VISA logo) but not a credit card. From what I understand, while it is possible to make the bookings on Hotwire using a debit card, there is some ambiguity about whether hotels accept it for the deposit at the time of check-in. The Hotwire website states that 'Some hotels may not accept debit cards as a deposit for incidental charges such as room service and parking'. This is a complicated scenario - what if I make a (non-refundable) booking at Hotwire and later the hotel refuses to accept the debit card? Since the name of the hotel is revealed after you book, there isn't even a way I can cross-check with the hotels first. Please advise if someone has had similar experiences, and how to go about it.