Book a Hotel Without a Credit Card: Hotel Policies & Tips

You can generally book a hotel room with either a credit card or a debit card. Many hotel chains will also accept prepaid cards, though they are more likely to do so at check-in or check-out than the time of booking.

In rare cases, you can even make a reservation with cash, a personal check or a money order, depending on the hotel. But these payment options are also typically reserved for paying your final bill, as hotels generally require a deposit to secure your reservation.

This deposit, applied as a hold on your payment account, is typically for hundreds of dollars more than the daily price of your room. Most often, the hold will include the total cost of the room for however many nights you plan to stay plus taxes and “incidental fees,” which cover room service, the minibar, on-demand movies and any damage to the hotel room.

For more information about your payment options when booking a hotel room, including a detailed look at the policies of the 10 largest hotel chains in the U.S., continue reading below.

Payment Options By Hotel Chain

The table below display the policies of the 10 largest hotel chains in the U.S., by number of locations, regarding the most common types of payment methods at the time of booking.

HOTEL CHAIN	Accepts Credit Cards?	Accepts Debit Cards?	Accepts Prepaid Cards?	Accepts Cash?	Accepts Personal Checks?	Accepts Money Orders?
	YES	YES	Depends on Location	Depends on Location	Depends on Location	Depends on Location
	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO
	YES	YES	Depends on Location	NO	Depends on Location	Depends on Location
	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO
	YES	YES	Depends on Location	Depends on Location	NO	NO
	YES	YES	Choice Hotels Gift Card Only	NO	NO	NO
	YES	YES	Choice Hotels Gift Card only	NO	NO	NO
	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO
	YES	YES	Depends on Location	NO	Depends on Location	Depends on Location
	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO

Tips

• Ask for a Courtesy Hold: Some hotels will allow you to book a room without any type of payment card. You would instead request a “courtesy hold,” which waives the requirement to pay a deposit at the time of booking despite the hotel keeping the room available for you until the day of your arrival. Certain hotels might even automatically apply a courtesy hold to your reservation.This is especially beneficial considering that many hotels have far more liberal payment policies for on-premises transactions than they do for those processed at the time of booking.

• Always Call Ahead: The best way to avoid surprises when traveling is to contact the hotel where you plan to stay. Ask about their payment policies — including the types of payment methods they accept — as well as their cancellation and refund policies. The more you know in advance, the smoother your trip is likely to be.

• Book & Pay with the Same Card: If you use a different payment method to settle your final bill from the one you used to reserve your room, the hold can remain on your card for up to 15 days. Try to book and pay with the same card to ensure the hold is released within 24 to 72 hours.

• Book with PayPal: If you don’t have a credit card, for whatever reason, you can use your PayPal account with certain booking sites to reserve a hotel room. Some of these sites include Hotwire.com, HotelTravel.com, and Hotels.com. In these situations, make sure to check with your hotel of choice to see what form of payment it may require at the time of check-in for incidentals.

• Use Credit for Multi-Night Stays: A credit card should still be your preferred method of payment for hotel bookings. This is due to the differing impact of the hold on credit cards and debit-based payment vehicles. You only need to worry about the hold placed on your credit card if you’re near your credit limit. However, a hold on your debit card freezes the actual funds in your checking account, reducing the amount of disposable funds you can use until you’ve paid your bill or your bank has released the hold.

Detailed Payment Policies

Best Western	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO	NO
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Hold/Security Deposit	$1 preauthorization only or partial/entire cost of stay (policy varies by location)	Cost of stay	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Additional Info	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location). Some locations require a credit card to cover incidentals.	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location). Some locations require a credit card to cover incidentals.	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location). Some locations require a credit card to cover incidentals.	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location). Some locations require a credit card to cover incidentals.	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location). Some locations require a credit card to cover incidentals.
Courtesy Hold Policy	At most locations, room will be held until 4 p.m. local time on day of arrival without a credit or debit card reservation. Must arrive or call location with payment information before courtesy hold is removed.
Hampton Inn & Suites	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO
Hold/Security Deposit	None	None	None	N/A	N/A	N/A
Additional Info	Must cancel reservation 24 hours prior to arrival date. Otherwise charged for first night's stay + tax.	Must cancel reservation 24 hours prior to arrival date. Otherwise charged for first night's stay + tax.	Must cancel reservation 24 hours prior to arrival date. Otherwise charged for first night's stay + tax.	Must cancel reservation 24 hours prior to arrival date. Otherwise charged for first night's stay + tax.	Business checks accepted for payment two weeks prior to arrival and for single rooms only. A credit/debit/prepaid card must be used to book the room. Must be arranged with location at time of booking.	N/A
Courtesy Hold Policy	All reservations must be made with a credit/debit/prepaid card, which is charged only upon check-in. With a reservation, room will be held until 6 p.m. local time on day of arrival. Must arrive or call location with payment information before courtesy hold is removed. Otherwise charged for first night's stay + tax.
Holiday Inn Express	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	NO	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	YES	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	YES	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Additional Info	Some locations will not refund hold/security deposit if reservation is cancelled.	Some locations will not refund hold/security deposit if reservation is cancelled.	Contact location directly to make payment arrangement without a credit or debit card.	N/A	Contact location directly to make payment arrangement without a credit or debit card.	Contact location directly to make payment arrangement without a credit or debit card.
Courtesy Hold Policy	Without a credit or debit card reservation, room will be held until 4 p.m. or 6 p.m. local time on day of arrival. Must arrive or call location with payment information before courtesy hold is removed. If you do not arrive and have a credit or debit card reservation, you will be charged a no-show fee of the first night's stay + tax.
Super 8	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO
Hold/Security Deposit	None	None	None	N/A	N/A	N/A
Additional Info	Free cancellation until 4 p.m. the day before arrival	Free cancellation until 4 p.m. the day before arrival	Free cancellation until 4 p.m. the day before arrival	N/A	N/A	N/A
Courtesy Hold Policy	All reservations must be made with a credit/debit/prepaid card, which is charged only upon check-in. With a reservation, room will be held according to location's policy. Must arrive or call location with payment information before courtesy hold is removed. Otherwise charged for first night's stay if you do not arrive as scheduled or if you do not cancel by 4 p.m. local time the day before arrival date. You must inform hotel of late arrival at time of booking to avoid charges.
Days Inn	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	NO	Policy varies by location	NO	NO
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	YES	NO	NO
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	YES	NO	NO
Hold/Security Deposit	Cost of stay	Cost of stay	N/A	Cost of stay + $30 for incidentals	N/A	N/A
Additional Info	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Courtesy Hold Policy	With credit or debit card reservation, room is guaranteed. If reserving without an acceptable payment method for booking, location will hold room until 4 p.m. local time on day of arrival. Must arrive or call location with payment information before courtesy hold is removed.
Comfort Inn	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	Choice Hotels Gift Card only	NO	NO	NO
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	Choice Hotels Gift Card only	YES	NO	NO
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	Choice Hotels Gift Card only	YES	NO	NO
Hold/Security Deposit	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Cost of stay + $100	N/A	N/A
Additional Info	Special event dates may require prepayment (amount varies by location)	Special event dates may require prepayment (amount varies by location)	Special event dates may require prepayment (amount varies by location)	N/A	N/A	N/A
Courtesy Hold Policy	With a credit or debit card reservation, room will be held until 7 a.m. local time on day of arrival. Must arrive or call location with payment information before courtesy hold is removed. Otherwise charged first night's stay + tax. Additional liabilities may apply, depending on location.
Quality Inn	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	Choice Hotels Gift Card only	NO	NO	NO
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	Choice Hotels Gift Card only	YES	NO	NO
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	Choice Hotels Gift Card only	YES	NO	NO
Hold/Security Deposit	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Cost of stay + $100	N/A	N/A
Additional Info	Special event dates may require prepayment (amount varies by location)	Special event dates may require prepayment (amount varies by location)	Special event dates may require prepayment (amount varies by location)	N/A	N/A	N/A
Courtesy Hold Policy	With a credit or debit card reservation, room will be held until 7 a.m. local time on day of arrival. Must arrive or call location with payment information before courtesy hold is removed. Otherwise charged first night's stay + tax. Additional liabilities may apply, depending on location.
Courtyard by Marriott	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO
Hold/Security Deposit	Cost of stay	Cost of stay	Cost of stay	First night's stay + tax	N/A	N/A
Additional Info	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	N/A	N/A
Courtesy Hold Policy	Room will be held for 24 hours from time of booking. Must arrive or call with payment information before courtesy hold is removed.
Holiday Inn	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	NO	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	YES	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	Policy varies by location	YES	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Hold/Security Deposit	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location	Cost of stay + incidentals (amount varies by location)	Policy varies by location	Policy varies by location
Additional Info	Some locations will not refund hold/security deposit if reservation is cancelled.	Some locations will not refund hold/security deposit if reservation is cancelled.	Contact location directly to make payment arrangement without a credit or debit card.	N/A	Contact location directly to make payment arrangement without a credit or debit card.	Contact location directly to make payment arrangement without a credit or debit card.
Courtesy Hold Policy	Without a credit or debit card reservation, room will be held until 4 p.m. or 6 p.m. local time on day of arrival. Must arrive or call location with payment information before courtesy hold is removed. If you do not arrive and have a credit or debit card reservation, you will be charged a no-show fee of the first night's stay + tax.
Marriott	Credit Card	Debit Card	Prepaid Card	Cash	Personal Check	Money Order
Accepted at Booking?	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO
Accepted at Check-In?	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO
Accepted at Checkout?	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO
Hold/Security Deposit	Cost of stay	Cost of stay	Cost of stay	First night's stay + tax	N/A	N/A
Additional Info	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	Special event dates require prepayment of entire cost of stay (refundability depends on location)	N/A	N/A
Courtesy Hold Policy	Room will be held for 24 hours from time of booking. Must arrive or call with payment information before courtesy hold is removed.

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Community Discussion

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Anonymous

July 25, 2019

What hotels take cash for a night in a room?

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Anonymous

July 20, 2019

Does anyone know if the full amount of a hotel stay can be changed at the time of booking + deposit?

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Anonymous

October 6, 2018

Who will accept personal checks for lodging?

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@vildosolaangel

April 18, 2018

Hey do u acccept checks hit me back up love you

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