How To Pay For Hotel Online With Bank Account?

When it’s time to book a hotel for your next vacation or business trip, you have several payment options such as Afterpay, Apple Pay, Credit cards, Debit cards, or net banking.

One convenient method is to pay directly from your bank checking account. Paying this way allows you to easily track expenses and avoid credit card interest fees.

In this article, we’ll walk through the benefits of paying for hotels with a checking account, what to look out for, and tips for a smooth payment process.

The Benefits of Paying from Your Checking Bank Account

Using funds from your checking account to pay for hotel rooms offers a few advantages:

No surprise credit card bills. When you pay from your checking account, you can see funds leaving your account.

This helps avoid getting a nasty credit card statement with unexpected charges weeks later.

1. Earn rewards: Many checking accounts offer rewards when you use your debit card for purchases. You may earn cash back, airline miles, or other perks.
2. Pay conveniently: Booking from your checking account is fast and easy, especially if you use an online booking site. Just enter your debit card details at checkout.

What to Look Out For

While paying for hotels from checking in is convenient, be aware of a couple of things:

1. Holds on funds: Hotels often put temporary holds on more funds than your actual stay to allow for incidentals. This hold amount drops off after you check out.
2. Foreign transaction fees: Using your debit card abroad sometimes incurs expensive fees. Check on these before travel.

Tips for Smooth Payment From Bank Account

Follow these tips for a seamless hotel payment experience from your bank account:

1. Choose online booking: Websites like Expedia allow you to securely enter your debit card information and provide all the final payment details upfront.
2. Use a credit card for international travel: When traveling abroad, paying with a credit card avoids costly foreign transaction fees.
3. Notify your bank: Give your bank a quick call to let them know your travel dates and locations to prevent suspicious activity freezes.
4. Review hotel policies: Check the hotel website to understand payment and cancellation policies before locking in your reservation.
5. Confirm reservation details: Double-check your confirmation email to make sure all reservation specifics including room type, rate, and payment details are correct.

Paying for Hotels with Checking: Step-by-Step

Here is a play-by-play guide to paying for hotel rooms from your checking account:

1. Choose your hotel and rooms

Use a hotel booking site or call the hotel directly to choose your preferred hotel, room type, occupancy, dates, etc.

If you are looking for hotels you can book at 18, then make sure to check out our best hotel offers and recommendations.

2. Enter payment information

When prompted for payment, enter your debit card number, expiration date, and billing address. Make sure this is the debit card linked to your checking account.

3. Review final rates and details

Give all booking details a final review including nightly rates, fees, cancellation policy, and blackout dates. Then confirm if everything looks accurate.

4. Get payment confirmation

You will receive a payment confirmation by email where you can double-check the amount charged and revisit cancellation policies.

5. Check account activity

Log into your checking account online or via mobile app to verify the pending charge or temporary hold amount from the hotel.

6. Call the bank for travel notification

Contact your bank to inform them of upcoming travel plans and hotel/location details to prevent account access issues while away.

What About Payment at Hotel Check-in?

Some independent hotels may require payment in person upon hotel check-in. Here’s what to expect:

1. Debit card swipe: The front desk attendant will swipe your card on arrival to charge your full stay amount plus an incidental hold.
2. ID required: When paying with a debit card instead of a credit, hotels usually ask to see a valid ID like your driver’s license to verify your identity.
3. Cash deposit: If paying cash, you will need to provide a cash deposit at check-in for any incidentals that may occur during your stay.

If you are planning for a late check-in to your hotel, then make sure to check out our article about midnight hotel check-in.

Conclusion

Booking your next hotel stay doesn’t have to be a convoluted process.

Simply plugging in your debit card information associated with your checking account keeps things easy.

Paying from checking allows you to closely monitor funds leaving your account while earning rewards points along the way.

Just keep an eye out for temporary authorization holds and foreign transaction fees when applicable. Here’s to keeping hotel payment processes simple and stress-free!