Well it's been a while but thinking back to 2019 most of my stays were prepaid or on points. Obviously if you have yet to pay for the stay I would expect an authorisation - but the title of the thread is *incidentals*

In the past I think I was only asked to insert a card into the reader at check in about 1 in 5 times, and maybe 1 in 3 times a pending transaction was charged. I don't know about OnQ but I have certainly received digital keys without authorising my card for incidentals - the payment for the stay may have been taken months before. My cards are usually locked so if a hotel attempts authorisation before I arrive it will decline, of course if I haven't paid I will unlock the card when trying to get a digital key.

At my most recent stay in Dec 2020 at the Hilton Geneva (on points), at check in the guy specifically said "because you are Diamond I don't need to authorise your card on file" and no pending transaction appeared. Granted the only possible thing to spend was room service dinner