Credit Limits / Changing Cards
All of this speaks to the importance of taking the time upfront to make certain that your credit card usage does not bump up against your credit card limits. Not only are holds a problem, but emergencies and other situations can require goodly amounts of credit while on the road. For business travellers who use a personal card or are responsible for paying on a business card, the same situation can arise when you either forget or your employer is delayed in the reimbursement process.
We have gone to a system where individual corporate Amex cards issued to travellers are "stripped" of air and rail fares. Those are transferred via a software system to a central account and show up with all of the charge information, but an ultimate amount of $0.00. This means that the largest part of business charges are only on the account for one business day and the traveler neither pays for nor is reimbursed for those items, leaving only hotels, meals and other miscellaneous matters.
In addition, if you do find yourself in a situation where you are bumping up against your credit limit, do not switch credit cards between the one used at check-in or to otherwise guarantee a reservation if there is an advance or prepaid deposit, and the one used to actually pay the charges.
Most updated cc websites now show as "pending" or some other clear term, the holds and their amounts so that you can see your situation.