Room Charging

[kayeandjim00]

This time DH and I were planning to pay cash for everything for our trip. Is it possible to apply cash to your room account and "charge" back to that with your room key as opposed to using your credit card? I thought it would be nice not to have to dread the credit card bill when we get home! Thanks for any help!

 

[CarolA]

I have read lots of stories of people having problems with that!
Could you put your credit card on the room and then go down to the front desk the night before check out and just pay cash for you charges? That would work and nothing would be on your charge. (Also, please be sure to bring travelers checks and NOT cash!)

 

[disneysteve]

Just curious - why would you want to pay cash for everything if you have a credit card? By doing that, you are forfeitting any reward points that your card earns (airline miles, cashback, hotel points, etc.). We charge everything we possibly can to our credit cards. As a result, we have not had to pay an internet access fee for about 7 years (AOL Visa) and in just over a year, I've earned enough Marriott Reward points to get us up to 2 weeks free at certain hotels (Marriott Visa).

As long as you don't use your card for anything you can't afford to pay for when the bill comes, it is to your advantage to use a credit card. You also don't have to be concerned about carrying significant amounts of cash or dealing with the hassle of traveler's checks. Just something to think about.

Steve

 

[kayeandjim00]

disneysteve, actually none of our cards are reward cards but after reading some of the things people have managed to get and or save money on with them we are going to look into getting one. Our cards now though don't offer anything like that so other than not having to carry cash they don't offer any significant advantages for us.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by kayeandjim00
disneysteve, actually none of our cards are reward cards but after reading some of the things people have managed to get and or save money on with them we are going to look into getting one.

A good place to start might be Bank One (www.bankone.com). They do the reward cards for a lot of companies including the new Disney card, Marriott, Holiday Inn, AOL, Borders Books, etc. You can view a list at their website.

Most reward cards pay at least a 1% return on your charges. We charge almost everything - groceries, gas, phone bill (local, long distance and cell), auto insurance, school tuition, magazine and newpaper subscriptions, medical bills, travel, donations to charity, etc. We only charge purchases we would be making anyway but that 1% can really add up. Plus, many reward cards give you a bonus the first time you use them. For example, the Marriott Visa gives you 10,000 points free. A free hotel nite starts at just 7,500 points so just by getting the card and using it once, you get a free nite's stay. Look for cards with no annual fee. But if there is a fee, be sure you will earn enough to make paying the fee insignificant.

Steve