Marriott Rewards - Any way to get Marriott to not place a huge hold on debit or credit card?

I booked a room on Priceline for the Ren in DC. BTW I Bid $71 :)

I have had issues in the past with Marriott's placing a hold on my credit and/or debit card for incidentals, which usually means the total cost of your stay plus $40 per night for incidentals. The problem I have is that I have already paid Priceline so Marriott already has been paid. Worrying about me running off without paying isn't an issue. I always have pay per view disabled, and a note on my account to disallow room service and phone calls.

Yet when you check in they ask for a credit or debit card and the card machine is set up to automatically charge you and it ties up funds up to 14 days! I had the Kansas City Marriott ACCIDENTALLY withhold $2500 instead of $250 for 14 days and they couldn't reverse it and I ended up stranded in KC for a day until my bank could transfer funds to me! This is why I am paranoid.

At no point have I ever signed or agreed to allowing the funds to be withheld and I would like to know the following:

Can I authorize them to withhold an incidental amount? ($40/night)
Can I refuse to have anything withheld?
Do Marriott employees realize prepaid rooms are paid for?
Does anyone have any experience bypassing this ridiculous practice?

Thanks in advance!

I don't see this as an issue. Use a credit card instead of a debit card. Sure some folks may not have credit cards. Thats a new one for me - disabling room service.

Can I authorize them to withhold an incidental amount? ($40/night)
Can I refuse to have anything withheld?
Do Marriott employees realize prepaid rooms are paid for?
Does anyone have any experience bypassing this ridiculous practice?

Thanks in advance!

Remember hotels are actually extending you credit when you checkin so they are protecting themself by authorizing the cost of the unpaid portion of room and tax for the entire stay plus a small amount for incidentials....since your stay is already paid for they will only authorize the incidental amount (this is all computer driven and not a manual process)

1) no
2) yes but only by paying cash and not providing a credit/debit card at check in but this will result in you not being able to charge any items to your room
3) yes
4) see my the reasoning above

Remember hotels are actually extending you credit when you checkin so they are protecting themself by authorizing the cost of the unpaid portion of room and tax for the entire stay plus a small amount for incidentials....since your stay is already paid for they will only authorize the incidental amount (this is all computer driven and not a manual process)

1) no
2) yes but only by paying cash and not providing a credit/debit card at check in but this will result in you not being able to charge any items to your room
3) yes
4) see my the reasoning above

whats your explanation for the example of the $2500 hold mistake when it should have been $250? is it just oh well, too bad?

If the room in this case is already prepaid, $71 x 2 nights plus taxes equaling around $170 the Ren has already got that money.
If I don't show up the night of my stay, Marriott had already got paid and will resell my room.

TrojanHorse, in the case of the disastrous over charge I was given a "sorry but there is no way we can reverse it, realize we all make mistakes". It flat out SUCKED!

I use a debit card for almost ALL of my hotel nights. I have NEVER had a hold put onto my account for 14 days. Never. It can be as long as three days, which, in my mind is understandable, given that it may take them a couple of days to reconcile any outstanding items that may have been charged to your room in that time. Of course, I do speak of three BUSINESS days - but, honestly, it has never once affected my own account.

If you really do have that little leeway on your debit card (and, understand, I am not making a judgement - just an observation), you really should use a credit card or pay a cash deposit, which you can recalim at checkout.

My biggest issue, I should say question is this:

Why do they need to authorize an amount equal to my entire stay when I have already paid Priceline in full? I don't give a darn if Priceline and Marriott decide to thumb wrestle over the money I already paid, but that isn't my problem.

I can see a $40/night incidental authorization but that should be it if you pay in advance.:cool:

My biggest issue, I should say question is this:

Why do they need to authorize an amount equal to my entire stay when I have already paid Priceline in full? I don't give a darn if Priceline and Marriott decide to thumb wrestle over the money I already paid, but that isn't my problem.

I can see a $40/night incidental authorization but that should be it if you pay in advance.:cool:

I had an over authorization on a Debit card once too (Not at a Marriott, but at a car rental). They fixed it on the spot, when I saw it was still on my bank account, I just called my bank and they reversed it letting me know I would be responsible for any over-draft fees should it actually go through.

With hotels, I have never had the pre-authorization stay on my account more than 1-2 business days after checkout. I guess it depends on a. when the hotel settles the pre-auth, and b. when your bank recognizes the settlement.

Both of those examples are from a large national bank.

I would assume this has more to do with your bank than Marriott.

My current Credit Union does not even encumber any pre-auths, so if the hotel pre authorizes $1,000 on my debit card, nothing is held on my account.

Lately, I only use my Marriott Rewards Card or Company Card, so its not an issue at all.

Does anyone have any experience bypassing this ridiculous practice?


Cash deposit.

i have, on occasion, and on points stays, asked hotels where i was a frequent guest to NOT go nuts authorizing a huge amount...i said i won't use RS, i won't watch movies and shut the phone off.....only once did the hotel refuse.....(and funnily enough that was at a CY where I would have gotten free calls and free internet and i told them i wouldn't be there long enough to eat!! LOL)

(i was waiting for clients' checks to clear and didn't want a huge authorization on a CC when I was power-traveling! )

that said, it's probably an exception...

Never use a debit card and never, ever use a pre-paid credit card. You are at the mercy of many, many human and computerized links in the credit authorizing chain, each of which are compensated on volume and couldn't care less about your individual predicaments.

I've been a web, telephone and retail merchant for about a year now and am blown away in what I've learned the truth to be as compared to being a 25 year consumer of multiple credit card with very large lines.

I've had my customers jerked around for weeks before seeing their funds again, even with my heavy involvement, especially if their card was declined a few times before it successfully authorized for want of a zipcode or address.

Their collective motto is to take the funds first, then answer questions and resolve issues very slowly later.

Protect thyself.

whats your explanation for the example of the $2500 hold mistake when it should have been $250? is it just oh well, too bad?

I'm sorry but with the limited information you've provided I'm not able to provide an opinion as to what happened

My biggest issue, I should say question is this:

Why do they need to authorize an amount equal to my entire stay when I have already paid Priceline in full? I don't give a darn if Priceline and Marriott decide to thumb wrestle over the money I already paid, but that isn't my problem.

I can see a $40/night incidental authorization but that should be it if you pay in advance.:cool:

correct the room is prepaid, you should only be authorized for incidentals (that is the policy)

I'm sorry but with the limited information you've provided I'm not able to provide an opinion as to what happenedIt was most likely just a keystroke error on the clerk's part - it's happened more than one to me.

I, too, have been fed up with the exorbatent holds that Marriott places on cards. I was in DC for a week on biz and had a $100 per day/$500 total additional charge added as an authorization. Now, as someone who travels for 2 months solid in the fall with no chance to file a reimbursement with my employer frequently, ever dollar of my credit line is precious.

What I have started doing is having the hotel at check-in manually post all charges with internet fees first and then get a print out. This creates an "invoice" type of scenario in Marriott's system. You then hand over your credit card and are charged the "invoiced" amount with the understanding that you can charge nothing else to your room. For me, I am fine since I don't park a car in a city area, never eat room service (I have the lounge) and never, ever buy movies.....

I feel your pain. I really have started to move away from Marriott because of these insane amounts they tack on. The SPG properties do charge something but it is only 25% of what your total bill is listed as being in the computer. Now, THAT is a reasonable thing to do instead of a set amount.

You should have no problem declining them your credit card. If anything were to happen that results in extra charges, they will bill priceline who will then bill you directly.

It was most likely just a keystroke error on the clerk's part - it's happened more than one to me.

Exactly. I had a $2,100 car repair bill punched in as $21,000 the day before a 2 week vacation. Chewed up most of the credit line on my most favored card (Chase Marriott Visa) at the worst possible time. While the merchant promised a speedy reversal, Chase couldn't have been less caring, was going to send me forms in the mail and said it would be a minimum of 2 weeks after that to resolve.

I had a prepaid hotel room in Vegas--not Marriott, but they put a hold on my credit card for the full cost of the room that was on the back of the door and nobody pays plus something for incidentals. It stayed there for two weeks. The room was prepaid, so why a hold for anything but incidentals?

I once tried the cash upfront at a Residence Inn, but they insisted on a card also. They took the cash and put a hold for the room cost plus incidentals. Told them I was through with RI and I've never been back. That was also partly because the room was dirty and nobody cared.

There is a thread on this topic almost as often and as predictably as a "What Is Wrong With the Courtyard Brand" threads. (We're overdue on that one by now, but nothing is new so please don't start one). Trying to remember some of the suggestions the board has offered in the past that might help somebody rather than joining in and reciting the times I was sinned against and had the same problem. In no particular order, and apologizing to the posters above who made the same effort:

1. If you have any real credit history of paying your bills and need unlimited funds for a short period of time, you need a regular Amex. You can afford $95 a year if you run that much through it. (If you travel internationally, you really need an Amex).
2. Ask for a credit line increase. (If you pay it they will throw one at you soon enough anyway). Shop for a better hold policy if you don't like theirs.
3. You really need more than one card anyway. Offer one as deposit and switch at checkout. Leave one locked up in the safe in case of card loss just to get you home.
4. Monitor the hold activity and ask for mistakes to be reversed before you leave.
5. You are telling me your employer does not have any way to remotely turn in expenses and get paid before you get home from a very long trip?
6. Nobody said you can't pre-pay your card to clear out the credit line or create an overpaid situation when you expect to be tight.
7. I know you want the points, but take the company card at least as a backup.
8. My personal favorite I had to learn, update your running expenses account every single night so it can be finalized and turned in on a drive-by basis.

There are two philosophies of travel on this board, which I will relate to as "Dad" and "Mom". Dad drove very long distances in a bad two-lane world every week as part of his living and learned to look down the road and adjust his behavior to mitigate problems. He came to completely enjoy himself doing it. A long road, a full tank of gas, an open window, and he was at peace in the present. Mom though she had paid her road taxes and was always surprised by the bumps. Dad was way more fun.

There is a thread on this topic almost as often and as predictably as a "What Is Wrong With the Courtyard Brand" threads. (We're overdue on that one by now, but nothing is new so please don't start one). Trying to remember some of the suggestions the board has offered in the past that might help somebody rather than joining in and reciting the times I was sinned against and had the same problem. In no particular order, and apologizing to the posters above who made the same effort:

1. If you have any real credit history of paying your bills and need unlimited funds for a short period of time, you need a regular Amex. You can afford $95 a year if you run that much through it. (If you travel internationally, you really need an Amex).
2. Ask for a credit line increase. (If you pay it they will throw one at you soon enough anyway). Shop for a better hold policy if you don't like theirs.
3. You really need more than one card anyway. Offer one as deposit and switch at checkout. Leave one locked up in the safe in case of card loss just to get you home.
4. Monitor the hold activity and ask for mistakes to be reversed before you leave.
5. You are telling me your employer does not have any way to remotely turn in expenses and get paid before you get home from a very long trip?
6. Nobody said you can't pre-pay your card to clear out the credit line or create an overpaid situation when you expect to be tight.
7. I know you want the points, but take the company card at least as a backup.
8. My personal favorite I had to learn, update your running expenses account every single night so it can be finalized and turned in on a drive-by basis.

There are two philosophies of travel on this board, which I will relate to as "Dad" and "Mom". Dad drove very long distances in a bad two-lane world every week as part of his living and learned to look down the road and adjust his behavior to mitigate problems. He came to completely enjoy himself doing it. A long road, a full tank of gas, an open window, and he was at peace in the present. Mom though she had paid her road taxes and was always surprised by the bumps. Dad was way more fun.


- American Express will limit your charges - pending or holds, based upon their algorithms; I travel internationally 4-5 times a year and my debit card works just fine, it does not charge me exchange fees and it is processed as a credit card, I get points for every dollar charged and I do not pay any monthly or yearly fees as long as my combined deposits stay above a certain ammount; $95 a year for the basic American Express buys me a very nice dinner at Morton's;

- pre-paying a credit card will not resolve most of these issues; holds will stay on your account until cancelled or the actual charge posts; let's say you have a credit line of $3000 that you prepay before your trip. When you check into the Marriott and the front desk puts a hold of $2500 on your card, that means that only future charges of up to $500 will be authorized. It can take up to 72 hours for the individual charges to post against your credit line from the time the card is swiped and only then they will pe posted against the pre-paid amount. That still leaves you with that $2500 hold on your account.

-most employers will wait until you return in order to accept a travel claim; all my past employers did;

- you can monitor the hold activity, but it has been my experience that most credit card companies or banks will not do anything about it until a charge actually posts to the account, after which the charges can be disputed;

- I try to avoid hotel and car rental places that place exorbitant holds on credit or debit cards.

There is a thread on this topic almost as often and as predictably as a "What Is Wrong With the Courtyard Brand" threads. (We're overdue on that one by now, but nothing is new so please don't start one). Trying to remember some of the suggestions the board has offered in the past that might help somebody rather than joining in and reciting the times I was sinned against and had the same problem. In no particular order, and apologizing to the posters above who made the same effort:

1. If you have any real credit history of paying your bills and need unlimited funds for a short period of time, you need a regular Amex. You can afford $95 a year if you run that much through it. (If you travel internationally, you really need an Amex).
2. Ask for a credit line increase. (If you pay it they will throw one at you soon enough anyway). Shop for a better hold policy if you don't like theirs.
3. You really need more than one card anyway. Offer one as deposit and switch at checkout. Leave one locked up in the safe in case of card loss just to get you home.
4. Monitor the hold activity and ask for mistakes to be reversed before you leave.
5. You are telling me your employer does not have any way to remotely turn in expenses and get paid before you get home from a very long trip?
6. Nobody said you can't pre-pay your card to clear out the credit line or create an overpaid situation when you expect to be tight.
7. I know you want the points, but take the company card at least as a backup.
8. My personal favorite I had to learn, update your running expenses account every single night so it can be finalized and turned in on a drive-by basis.

There are two philosophies of travel on this board, which I will relate to as "Dad" and "Mom". Dad drove very long distances in a bad two-lane world every week as part of his living and learned to look down the road and adjust his behavior to mitigate problems. He came to completely enjoy himself doing it. A long road, a full tank of gas, an open window, and he was at peace in the present. Mom though she had paid her road taxes and was always surprised by the bumps. Dad was way more fun.


Yep-i moved to a state 5 years ago that operates like it did in the early 1900s. Paper, paper, paper and only paper....

Yep-i moved to a state 5 years ago that operates like it did in the early 1900s. Paper, paper, paper and only paper....

I work for a company like that. They have this really cool invention called Fed Ex. I put the paper in an envelope and a few weeks later I get a check.

Just joking, but I would not be floating my company that kind of money!

2. Ask for a credit line increase. (If you pay it they will throw one at you soon enough anyway). Shop for a better hold policy if you don't like theirs.


With our current economy, this suggestion could possibly lower one's credit limit without any increase in the credit line. As I understand it, whenever your credit score gets run, it postentially lowers your score. Additionally, banks have been slashing credit lines, even with their clients with near-perfect credit.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=adCwmmkzFI3U
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102863572

Now, as a former hotel Revenue Manager (although not with any Marriott brand), it seems that huge holds on prepaid rooms is likely to be a lazy or poorly trained Front Desk person. (At least, that was always the reason in the 4 hotels I worked.) The computer system is programmed to obtain credit for the full room/tax plus an additional percentage for incidentals. Our computers couldn't tell if the room/tax had been prepaid. So, unless the Front Desk person did an override on authorization by lowering the amount, the guest always got hit.

I work for a company like that. They have this really cool invention called Fed Ex. I put the paper in an envelope and a few weeks later I get a check.

Fed-ex charges are something I can't bill back with my employer so thus I won't spend a dime of my money doing something for work that I won't be reimbursed for.

Also, I work for a gov't agency that is prone to losing paper....on two occasions, I have had to go fishing for hotel receipts....i have to hand deliver it just to make sure it all gets there in one piece so im sure you can understand that using a simple snail mail or fed ex envelope just won't work for the ineptitude that is my employer.

I work for a company like that. They have this really cool invention called Fed Ex. I put the paper in an envelope and a few weeks later I get a check.

Just joking, but I would not be floating my company that kind of money!

When I used to work for the federal government, I had to hand deliver the paperwork and wait up to 30 days to get reimbursed. If I used the federal Visa charge card, and the payment was due, in full, before I got reimbursed, I had to pay it in full out of my own funds and wait for the feds to send me a check. If I did not pay the fed Visa, I would get a ding on my credit report for not paying my bills on time. About 5 years ago, my federal Visa charge card limit was $2500. The Hertz unit at Reagan Airport ran a $1800 hold for a 10 day rental that would have cost $300. As a result my federal Visa was declined when I checked in my hotel that was running $100 a night in DC for the 10 day long reservation. I had to use my personal card for the hotel then I had to file a 3 page report to justify the use of my personal credit card instead of the government card. The Hertz hold took 14 days to be released. When I called Bank of America to complain, the issuer of the Federal charge card, the response was that they could do nothing until Hertz actually posted the charge. When I called Hertz, they stated that they could do nothing until the charge actually posted. Either way I was screwed until something happened.

I guess I am lucky. I have a corporate charge card that has no limit. Since it's charge instead of credit it has to be paid in full each month. The pitfall is that if it's paid late it gets a late fee and dings my credit. The charges show up automatically in my expense report and my employer pays the card directly. But twice they have paid late forceing me to pay myself so I don't get dinged. Then when they pay I have a credit that I have to figure out how to use. Really annoyying becuase I end up spending money on stuff I don't need just to get rid of the credit.

* If a Hotel has over charged your credit card for reasons that not applicable to your stay... like the $2500 charge mentioned by the OP... you can have the charge reversed the same day. The hotel GM or AGM should call the CC company and state the error and request the charge to be returned ASAP. This happens somewhat frequently and is process most GM/AGM's are familar with.... if this request is denied by the front desk agent, ask for the AGM or GM and push the issue with them.

* Don't want a huge hold on your credit card ? Put down cash as the incidental payment. No Marriott will deny you the option of putting cash down and obviously as soon as you check out that cash is right back in your hands. If you want to feel more comfortable with the cash process, spend $5 on a prepaid Visa or Mastercard (greendot network) and use the prepaid card as your incidental payment, the cash hits your card right away after you check out with no waiting time that a bank card or cc card puts you through.

* Also if it helps you any... you can always call the hotel prior to your arrival and pay for the room in advance before you arrive.

My biggest issue, I should say question is this:

Why do they need to authorize an amount equal to my entire stay when I have already paid Priceline in full? I don't give a darn if Priceline and Marriott decide to thumb wrestle over the money I already paid, but that isn't my problem.

I can see a $40/night incidental authorization but that should be it if you pay in advance.:cool:

Leatherhead - You have an expectation or an assumption of either intelligence or training or common sense on the part of the desk clerk who is checking you in, and it would be my recommendation that you should have neither that expectation nor that assumption, rather, to the contrary, you should expect that the desk clerk standing in front of you (especially if you are checking in after 6 PM) is either lacking in intelligence or in training or both! I say this with the full knowledge that I will be bashed (incorrectly so) by some readers of this thread over sensitivity issues, but I would ask whoever is reading this to take the following into account: 1) The desk clerk who is checking you in does not or may not know how to read the reservation correctly to determine how it was made, and is not able to determine if it was made through Priceline, or Orbitz, or Marriott, and whether it was pre-paid or not; 2) The same desk clerk will look right at the reservation and think that "TravInd" means Travelocity, Inc. and when you ask what your rate is, and that your overnight stay at an airport Courtyard amounting to less than 12 hours not be authorized for incidentals will reply with "I don't know what your rate is, I can't see Travelocity rates (I made the reservation through Marriott Platinum Reservation line), and as long as I do not swipe your card, there will be no further authorization other than room and taxes, but if I do swipe your card, the computer will automatically add $35 for incidentals to the authorization, which we do not need, because your card on file was already authorized prior to check in. I asked him whether he could override that automatic add-on, and he said no, it was preprogrammed, and it could not be changed! Oh, and by the way, he was the evening shift manager! Do you follow all of that?

Never use a debit card and never, ever use a pre-paid credit card. You are at the mercy of many, many human and computerized links in the credit authorizing chain, each of which are compensated on volume and couldn't care less about your individual predicaments.

I've been a web, telephone and retail merchant for about a year now and am blown away in what I've learned the truth to be as compared to being a 25 year consumer of multiple credit card with very large lines.

I've had my customers jerked around for weeks before seeing their funds again, even with my heavy involvement, especially if their card was declined a few times before it successfully authorized for want of a zipcode or address.

Their collective motto is to take the funds first, then answer questions and resolve issues very slowly later.

Protect thyself.

Joshua362 is so right! I have cards from several banks, all of which have their own versions of what amounts to "security" and other "internal controls," most of which do not work reliably in my experience as a former banker. Since I travel frequently, I have my mail going to a post office box instead of to my street address, which sets up the interesting dichotomy of having a billing address which does not match either service or delivery addresses. For those of you who have credit cards issued by GE (also known as Monogram Credit Card Bank or GEMB or a few others), you might be aware of your charges getting DENIED for no apparent reason. After it happens a few times, a pattern starts to emerge, where you will see the only charges being denied are when there is a separate billing address and delivery address, such as my home newspaper delivery (funny that I would want the newspaper delivered to my house and not my post office box!) or quick food delivery (pizza, Chinese) to home or hotel (again, funny that I would want my food delivered to where I am, rather than my post office box!), or flowers for Mother's Day. It even happens when the billing address does not match precisely, such as when I bought airline tickets from DL, and their billing address for me did not precisely match the format for GEMB's billing address format (there was one misplaced DASH), and the charge was repeatedly denied until we figured out the problem on a three way call with the card company, DL, and me. I have repeatedly complained about this problem with the card company, but they refuse to alter their problem policy, even as they admit it is a problem, because they also say that it is in my own interests of self protection that I should want it to stay that way! In one case, it took six weeks for a charge to post properly to my account, for a service that I have been receiving for 23 years!

With our current economy, this suggestion could possibly lower one's credit limit without any increase in the credit line. As I understand it, whenever your credit score gets run, it postentially lowers your score. Additionally, banks have been slashing credit lines, even with their clients with near-perfect credit.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=adCwmmkzFI3U
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102863572

Now, as a former hotel Revenue Manager (although not with any Marriott brand), it seems that huge holds on prepaid rooms is likely to be a lazy or poorly trained Front Desk person. (At least, that was always the reason in the 4 hotels I worked.) The computer system is programmed to obtain credit for the full room/tax plus an additional percentage for incidentals. Our computers couldn't tell if the room/tax had been prepaid. So, unless the Front Desk person did an override on authorization by lowering the amount, the guest always got hit.

Writerguy is correct, credit lines are getting reduced for no apparent reason, even for people with "perfect" credit and scores above 720. However, a couple of slight clarifications about your credit score being reduced whenever your score gets run, first, it can only be affected when it derives from being run at YOUR request, which is known as a "hard" pull. What this means is if the bank does a periodic update review of your credit, that is considered a "soft" pull, and does not affect your score. However, if you ask a bank for a credit line increase, then you are subjecting your account to review by a person, which means that if that person does not like what he or she is seeing, they may also instigate a line reduction, which might not have happened with an automated "soft" pull. If, however, you do apply for a line increase, which is granted, then your score is not affected in any way, it is only scores pulled which result in a turn down which negatively impact your score. I recently applied for a VERY NOMINAL, $1,000 increase on one of my cards, and was turned down flat, even though I pay my balance in full every month on that card. When that bank screwed up on a couple of things the following month and I had reason to speak with a manager, I related my increase request, and reminded of my history, that manager was able to get an override put through, so I got my increase, two months after I originally asked for it, and without a decrease in my score, because the additional credit was granted.

I guess I am lucky. I have a corporate charge card that has no limit. Since it's charge instead of credit it has to be paid in full each month. The pitfall is that if it's paid late it gets a late fee and dings my credit. The charges show up automatically in my expense report and my employer pays the card directly. But twice they have paid late forceing me to pay myself so I don't get dinged. Then when they pay I have a credit that I have to figure out how to use. Really annoyying becuase I end up spending money on stuff I don't need just to get rid of the credit.

Emanon - credit is not actually late until after it is 31 days late. What this means is if the payment due date for a card is the 15th day of every month, then that payment cannot be reported late until the 16th or 17th of the following month. For example, if a payment is due on November 15, yes, there might be a late fee due if not paid until November 18th, but as long as that payment is made prior to December 16th, then that account cannot be reported as late to the credit reporting agencies. Any late fees would be paid by the responsible party, meaning your employer, the corporate cardholder, and there would be no "dings" to your credit. For your own peace of mind, you should call that card issuing bank to confirm this information.

One option is to ask the front desk to authorize a lower amount. I've done this when using EEOs, specifically second weekend night free. I've asked the front desk to run an authorization for only one night since the second night is paid for the the coupon. Never had a problem.