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The Daily Insight Hub

Can a hotel charge your credit card without permission?

Author

Emma Miller

Updated on February 05, 2026

A merchant can’t legally charge your credit card without your permission, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the merchant has to get an authorization form for every charge. There are several ways to get a customer’s permission, and your signature is frequently sufficient authorization.

What does it mean when a hotel authorize your credit card?

authorization request
The hotel is asking your bank to post a charge against your account, in banking terms, it’s called an “authorization request.” The hotel then has about a week to make a deposit request, which is the actual transfer of money from your account.

What to do if you give your card details to a scammer?

If you’ve given a fraudster your bank details, you must contact your bank immediately and explain that you’re the victim of a fraud. Explain exactly what’s happened and give your bank as much detail as possible. Your bank should act in your best interest and should refund your money.

Can a stolen credit card be used for fraud?

Thousands of dollars, gone in the blink of an eye. Luckily, credit cards have fraud protections not offered by debit cards. As long as you report the errors quickly, you’re covered for these fraudulent charges. But it does make you wonder … how do the thieves do it, and how might they have used your stolen card?

What can you do if someone stole your credit card?

However, if you’re mistaken and the card was actually stolen, this can alienate a potential customer, so try to address the issue with the customer first. If you lose money due to a stolen card, your only recourse will be to go after the thief.

How is a stolen credit card used for money laundering?

A simple form of money laundering is for criminals to use the stolen credit card to buy up a large number of high-denomination gift cards. If you think about it, it’s the simplest way to turn a liability into cold, hard cash.

What to do if you find a bogus charge on your credit card?

You’ve already taken exactly the right steps: you called the credit card company and told them you had discovered a bogus charge on your card. They, in turn, took exactly the right steps to protect you: invalidated your old credit card number and issued you a new card. Hopefully, they also refunded you the amount in question.