Originally Posted by
3544quebec
It is unusual for a non-refundable prepaid rate not to be fully charged at time of booking. The cash balance after deducting the value of the points payment would normally be charged at the time of booking and not left to be paid on check-in at the hotel. Is the OP sure that the rate was a prepaid, non-refundable rate at the time of booking? Prepayment with points is the norm whenever you choose to use points when booking on the website/app but that does not necessarily mean that the rate is a prepaid/non-refundable one.
In the OP it also states that they missed out on expected cashback from Shopback - is it normal to receive cashback on a paid with points booking?
With only 5$ as a balance to pay, any reasonable hotel will wait for the customer to set up the bill at checkout, even for a pre-paid stay. Every accounting line has a cost for who is processing it, and processing 5$ costs likely more.