Le Club Accorhotels - Credit Card Exp date and hotel booking date?

I booked a room at the Mercure Hotel in Manchester in May and when I came to pay for the stay with my Credit Card (Master Card) it was rejected as it is "only" valid until 04/12 i.e. 1 month before the actual stay.

What puzzles me is that this is a pre-paid stay being made 3 months in advance of the card expiring so what's the problem? They get their money when the transaction has gone through (when you receive your booking confirmation). Had to use a different card in the end... :td:

I booked and paid for my flights for the dates in question (with the same CC) without any problems and these were much more expensive than the hotel stay!

One thing I could think of is that they (i.e the hotel) would have my credit card details as a means of a safety deposit, but usually one would be told when checking in and so far it has never happened to me in the past (in Europe). In any case they could just ask for a CC when checking in which is quite normal in some countries for mini-bar deposits etc.

While on the subject, any one stayed at the Mercure in Manchester? The stay is mainly because of the close proximity and walking distance to the Manchester Arena and (what seems like) easy access from Manchester Piccadilly Train Station (also walking distance?) which is about 15 min by train from MAN :) Excellent price as well for a weekend stay ^

This seem odd, as you say if it is a pre-paid stay they should be happy with the existing credit card as they get the money immediately.

I had a similar problem with a stay (not pre-paid) booked beyond my cc's expiry date. I actually got around by entering the same card number with a different (made up) expiry date.

This is a very common pb with every hotel booking engine (not only Accor) but I agree it should not happen with a pre-paid rate. I had this pb several times also. But as I have both visa and Amex, I always have one valid for the date of actual stay.
The pb with Accor pre-paid rates is that in many cases, they do not pre-charge and wait for your arrival at the hotel (and so they want a CC valid at the time of stay). In most cases you don't care but in your case...
The best way is may be to call the reservation center, as they may be able to proceed your card immediately (just my 2c ;) )

Thanks for the reply's guys ^

I just found it odd, and ended up using another CC to make the reservation.