How to book a hotel without a credit card or advance payment

Booking a hotel without a credit card is totally possible. Maybe you don’t have a credit card, you don’t want to pay the amount of your stay in advance, or you simply prefer not to share your bank details when booking a hotel.

Although we are used to the fact that most hotels require a card to confirm the reservation, we also There are accommodations that do not request advance payment or credit card. We tell you How to find credit card-free hotels around the world and how to make a reservation there. At the end of the article you will find a lot of frequently asked questions on this topic, we hope they will help you book your next trip 😉

HOW TO BOOK A HOTEL WITHOUT CREDIT CARD OR ADVANCE PAYMENT

Use another payment method or pay at the hotel

If you are looking how to book a hotel without a credit card because you simply don’t have one, there are other payment options! Through the platform Booking.comyou can pay with:

• Visa or Mastercard debit card
• PayPal
• Google Pay
• Apple Pay

In the case of accommodation in countries with a different currency, Booking will give you the option to choose which currency you prefer to pay in. Us We always choose the currency of the destination country and use the Revolut prepaid card to ensure we have the best exchange rate with no fees.

In Booking search results, you can use the “No advance payment” filter to pay directly when you arrive at the hotel. Keep in mind that even if you are not charged in advance, In many cases they continue to ask for card information for having the guarantee that you will present yourself.

Book without a credit card on Booking.com

You may simply not want to use your credit or debit card so you don’t have to pay in advance for your hotel reservation. In that case, just use the “Reservations without credit card” filter that appears in the search results. Thus, you can pay once you arrive at the hotel in cash or by card.

In countries of the Southeast AsiaFor example, you will find many accommodations that allow you to book without any card information. Whereas in USA The number of hotels is less. The usefulness of this filter depends greatly on the country. It usually works better if short notice reservations. Many hotels activate this option only for last minute reservations to be more competitive and have more options to fill their free rooms.

Book by phone

Another old-fashioned option is call the hotel phone directly. They rarely request a credit card when booking over the phone. Even in hotels that ask for a card number as part of the online reservation, Calling the accommodation can work to avoid giving your bank details 🙂

This is just a smart option for hotels in your own country or other countries included in your phone rate. In the case of Spain, you can call all the countries of the European Union at no extra cost. If you have to pay roaming rates for an international call, it will surely end up costing you a lot.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BOOKING A HOTEL WITHOUT CREDIT CARD OR ADVANCE PAYMENT

Why do many hotels require a credit card to confirm the reservation?

Hotels usually ask for a credit card when confirming the reservation to be able to charge you the corresponding amount if you cancel the reservation after the free cancellation period or you don’t show up at all. Booking a hotel without a credit card has the advantage of not having to pay attention to the cancellation policyideal for travelers who want total flexibility!

Also There are hotels that request a credit card at check-in. In this case, it is usually for retain a deposit that they only end up deducting in case you cause damage to the room or take an object from the hotel.

Also can be used to pay for drinks from the hotel’s minibar or restaurant. For example, if you leave a deposit of €200 but spend €50 on a dinner, you can charge it to your room and only €150 of the deposit will be returned to you.

If you leave a credit card and there is no problem during your stay and you have not consumed anything at the hotel, you will not see any charges on your account. There will simply be a hold and your money will be available to use again as soon as you check out.

What happens if I leave a debit card as collateral at a hotel?

You may not have a credit card, but you do have a debit card. Then, Holds may appear on your account as actual charges that will be refunded as soon as you check out and the hotel confirms that there has been no damage or extra expense during your stay.

It is important to note that it may take a few days for the money to be available in your account again.. The exact deadline depends on each bank, but sometimes it can take up to 10 business days. For this reason, It is preferable to use a credit card or leave a cash deposit.

What is the best website to book hotels without a credit card or advance payment?

Booking.com has millions of accommodations around the world. Some of them offer the possibility of booking without credit card, especially in countries where cash is still widely used. You can also use the “no advance payment” filter in the search results if you want to wait until you arrive at the hotel to pay for your reservation.

How do you pay through Booking?

Booking offers various options to pay for your hotel reservations beyond credit cards:

• Visa or Mastercard debit card
• PayPal
• Google Pay
• Apple Pay
• No advance paymentyou can pay at the hotel directly with a card or there are even hotels that accept cash

How to cancel a reservation on Booking without paying?

The vast majority of hotels on Booking offer free cancellation until a few days before entering the accommodation. If you decide to cancel your reservation, pass the cancellation deadline for free, the hotel has the right to charge you according to its cancellation policy (which you will have to accept to complete the reservation).

Even so, Booking gives you the option to ask the accommodation to “forgive” you that fee for canceling the reservation. You will simply have to enter your reservation, click the cancel button and a screen will appear detailing the conditions of the reservation and the charges that the cancellation entails. There, instead of confirming the cancellation, look for a button that says “Ask the property to remove the cancellation fee”. A text field will open where you can briefly explain to the hotel why you are canceling your reservation. Within 48 hours, you will receive a response to your request.

We have used this option a few times and were usually granted cancellation without charge. They usually take into consideration if you have had unforeseen situations such as flight cancellations, illness or death of a family member or similar.. In order not to depend on the will of the hotel in cases like this, It is VERY useful to have travel insurance with cancellation coverage. We always travel with insurance from IATI y We recommend their premium cancellation insurance to have the peace of mind that you will not lose money in case any justified unforeseen event makes you cancel your stay at the last minute.

What happens if you don’t show up for a hotel reservation?

If you do not show up for a hotel reservation, It depends on the cancellation policy if they can charge you or not..

Most accommodations allow you to cancel up to a few days or hours before your arrival date. If you do not cancel before the deadline and do not show up at the accommodation, you will normally be charged the amount of the first night. In any case, each hotel’s policy varies. Take a good look at these details before finalizing your reservation, especially if you are leaving your card details or using another payment method such as PayPal.

Finally, You can book a hotel without a credit or debit card as we have explained in this article to avoid possible charges in case any unforeseen event arises.