todderz

Enter your card details when you reserve a room (not an AP).

Later, modify that stay to change the payment card. The stay details on the website now shows the new card.

Even later, use mobile OLCI and it still has the original card details and the original card gets charged.

Use OLCI on the website and it does show the new card details, and gives an option to change it.

I knew I'd changed the payment card in the booking so when I went through mobile OLCI I didn't spot that it was stuck on the card I used when I made the booking, and now I've missed a spend target on my Amex that would have got me some nice cashback.

:D!

I've never had a card charged at OLCI, but if I need to pay at the hotel (as opposed to prepaid) I always do it in person.

MoodyB

Had the same thing happen with multiple bookings when my CC number changed and the original number was still used...Little bit embarrassing to be told my card was declined!

todderz

Yep, not at the point of doing OLCI, but on a semi-flex rate the hotel put the payment through on arrival day before I was even there. and the other time I got caught out was at checkout when they used the card "on file" for that booking and I knew I had changed it to the right card (the only one now in my profile, not just on thiat booking) but the mobile OLCI had since reverted it back to the wrong card.

Eujeanie

How long ago was this? I've had similar happen a few times, and I called the hotel and said "you mistakenly charged the wrong card, please put a refund back on that one and use this one instead" - I'm sure they thought I was a pain, but they did it. Once it was MY fault, not theirs, and they did it anyway.

But what I do to prevent this, both at check-in and again at check out, is to say "not sure what card you have on file, but I want to use THIS one", and have them swipe it. Then double check when you check out.

Takes a while longer to do, but I have more time than money.

todderz

Last week.

I just thought it was worth mentioning because it's clearly a bug in the mobile app.

Easy to avoid if you know that it doesn't quite do what you would expect. Although, harder to avoid if you book a semi-flex rate because they charge the card before you even arrive.

In my case, when I asked them to refund and charge a different card, they just claimed that they couldn't and i gave up. Of course they can do this, and I just had someone who didn't know how or couldn't be bothered.

In future if I've changed the card I'll just not use the mobile OLCI and then there's no problem. Web OLCI correctly picks up the updated card details.

pentiumii

toddlers, you just saved me a ton of trouble. I initially book a bunch of reservations with y chase sapphire card to get the travel insurance for a trip that starts Tuesday. Later, I got the aspire card for the benefits and had gone in to change the payment online but didn't get rid of any other cards. I just checked and things were not as I needed them to be, so I deleted the extra cards and then checked on the app. My prepaid or AP reservations still have the old number but it changed in the reservations that I still have the chance to cancel. I can't decide if I believe Hilton would work with me to fix the payment. If anyone has any information about changing a payment for a reservation that has already gone through I would appreciating knowing if I need to contact the hotel or Hilton customer service or ??? The hotels are in Bangkok and Hanoi, so it won't be that easy to contact the hotel directly for multiple reasons. Thanks again for sharing initially.

mudpuppy

I also had this happen twice toward the end of last December. I had reserved with my old Ascend that I cancelled when I got an Aspire. Even though I changed the reservation online to use the new Aspire, the hotel still tried to charge the old Ascend card. On one reservation they called me before I even checked in (around 6 PM) saying my card had been declined and the other time I had used OLCI and they called after I was in the room.

It seems like Hilton's online system takes the new card number but doesn't push it to the hotel.

todderz

Yep, that was my experience, but only when using mobile OLCI.

With web OLCI or just checking in the old fashioned way the updated card was used. Mobile seems to revert to the original card.

(A Hilton IT defect? surely not...)

Eujeanie

Not only do you put the new card into your profile for future reservations, if you want a new card to apply to existing reservations you need to do it on each reservation individually.

todderz

Yes, and then don't use mobile OLCI with those updated bookings or it will revert to the original card.

Finkface

Had the same problem last week. Was waiting for my new Hilton Amex to arrive so in the meantime booked a room (refundable rate) using a different card (Chase) in my profile to book. Once I received the new card (about 2 weeks before the start of the stay), I changed the card in the booking and in my profile.

I get to the hotel and give my Amex at check in. On day of checkout, I notice that my Chase card has been charged the first night and my Amex the balance. The front desk corrected it by refunding my Chase card and charging the whole thing to my Amex but it shows that changing the card used at booking later on doesn’t stop the original card from being charged the first night once the cancellation window has passed; in my case T-48 hours I believe.