How to Book Hotel Rooms with No Credit Card

Hotels often require a credit card to book a hotel room. This is done to ensure that they have a way to collect payment for the hotel bill, including mini-bar usage and room-service fees. It also ensures they have a credit card to charge in the event of damage done to the hotel room. Often the hotel will make a charge to the card as a hold on the account--the amount may be up to the cost of a night at the hotel. This is released if a reservation is canceled in due time, or is applied to the balance of the cost of your stay.

Call ahead to hotels in the area in which you will be visiting.

Ask the hotel staff if they accept debit cards as a way to reserve a hotel room. Ask if there is a higher "hold" amount for debit cards. This is the amount of money that the hotel holds from the associated account until your bill is paid.

Verify that you have enough money in your bank account before booking with your debit card. The amount may be more than the cost of one night at the hotel.

Ask the hotel staff if they can accept a cash deposit upon arrival if the debit card is turned down.

Use an online booking service that allows you to reserve hotel rooms online by using debit or PayPal to reserve the room. Examples include HotWire and Orbitz. Some hotels listed will allow noncredit-card holders to reserve online as indicated under the terms and agreements of each hotel on the site.

Pay in advance. If both debit and cash deposits are turned down, see if you can pay for the hotel room in full before your stay begins. Use your debit card or cash to pay the per-night rate of your stay when you check in. Be prepared to pay any additional charges upon checking out.

Call well in advance of your planned stay in case you need to call around to multiple hotels or you need to wait until you have enough funds in your bank account.