Originally Posted by
meijiem
I'm not sure if this question should be a new thread or if it fits in this one. I hope no one minds me putting it here.
Is there a way to be sure that payment for a stay will be taken at least a day in advance of my stay? Namely, if my stay is booked for night of the 15th, I want the charge posted no later than the 14th. I rarely book nonrefundable rates, but in my experience with them, the hotel usually doesn't charge until the day of arrival anyway. Is there some advance purchase rate that will be guaranteed to charge earlier? The only other thing I can think to do is try contacting the property and ask them to manually charge if they've not yet, but I can imagine high potential for getting wires crossed that way.
In many places the hotel will routinely process a virtual payment only in extremis (e.g. if you don't turn up); for all sorts of reasons, including security, they'll want to take payment from a physical card with the holder present.
If you wish to be certain payment is taken in advance, say for the stay of a family member, then it's probably best to speak to the hotel's reservation department.