Anyone know how hotels work?

[saltire]

I'm a bit confused you see. DH is away down south staying in a hotel for three weeks (because the MOD have no accomodation on the base he is doing his course). Anyway hotel is being paid by RAF, who are paying it today. It's £82 a night, but yesterday when he got there the hotel staff asked for his card so they could swipe it. When he told them that the RAF were paying, they said they still needed a card, adn wouldn't take his debit card, it had to be his credit card, which only has a £1,000 credit limit on it.
Now i'm worried that they are going to charge the card as well since they have swiped it and have the details.
I'm just a bit cnofused why they neede to swipe it if it's been paid?

This is kind of standard practice. They do this to ensure the bill will be paid, even if you do a runner. They will ask for authorisation on the approximate cost of the final bill. The authorisation will not be transacted, and the receipt for the authorisation should be handed back so you can destroy it.

However the problem DOES arise that because it is an authorisation, if at the end of the week, when they put through an authorisation for the "real" amount, if this plus the first transaction takes you over your limit, the second authorisation may not go through.

However, in your case, the RAF will pay the final bill - so the authorisation will be cancelled and return to your credit limit.

It will not be charged.

Sorry to be thick, but if the bill is already paid, why do they still need his card deatils- even if he does a runner, it's all paid!

for other things like bar bills, phone calls, food, room service that he may tott up

?

as catbert says its standard practice, they will do it with all customers, whatever the circumstances or however they are paying the bill

dont worry

Well i am a bit because, if as catbert says, they want authorisation, then they won't authorise it will they bacuse his credit limit is £1,000, but the bill will be much more than that!

they should authorise it if they are aware that he is not actually paying the bill with that card

Sorry, again. how would the credit card company know if was paying with that card? Surely they would just see the request for authorisation and refuse it?
I know i'm being a pest, sorry

I have had this happen to me a hotel. Fairly sure they just swiped the card so they had a record incase any problems when it came to paying the bill/extras. No money was taken and we were given a receipt showing that.

At my work (different industry) I take a note of peoples credit card details just incase they run off with our equipment. But would only use it as a last resort.

I hope you are right humpydumpy, i'm probably just worrying about nothing!

I can't understand why they don't take debit cards though

Because only an authorisation is being taken - not a transaction. A debit card is like cash.

There are many other expenses that could be run up on a room bill, as someone else points out. If the room bill is being settled by RAF, the original CC authorisation will not be required. No money will be charged, unless he is paying other sundries and expensing them himself - in which case he will have a real CC transation, but in any case the original authorisation is not used.

I think that once upon a time they would just swipe using one of those carbon copy slips - but these days you can do it electronically - so they just "hold" the authorisation until it is not required any more.