Travel To Usa

[davidmarsden]

i want to take my wife to new york.when i look at hotels they stipulate that guests must leave a credit card for security. will they accept a pre-paid credit card or a visa debit card.neither my wife or i have a credit card and am unable to get one thanks to my last divorce!!

[jno]

what they're scared of is you will trash the room and vanish leaving them with huge bills. Unless you prepay an awful lot of money onto your card I don't think it will help. Could your wife get a card?

(Incidentally, you don't normally have to leave the actual card, they just use it to imprint a blank form.)

[pega]

I have been to N.Y 10 times its a great place, and hope to go later this year
my friend is a tony winning actress and will be on Broadway.
When I have booked hotel on line you put your credit card number but they
don't take it off you just make your bill up and charge the card I haven't
had any problems you could email the hotel and ask if they accept a debit
card number Have a good trip lots to see. Strawberry fields in Central Park worth seeing and lots more in the park. Staten Island ferry is FREE and the views of the city are glorious .

[Linotype]

They (the hotels in the U.S. will only want a copy of your credit/debit card not the actual card, it's normal practice as it is in other parts of the word ... it's simply insurance should you nick the telly, dressing gowns or towels ... it does happen!

[campbellking]

I don't own a credit card either, and have always found that hotels are happy to take an imprint of your debit card

[davidmarsden]

thanks for all the help. and thanks to Peta for the sightseeing tips..

[boxtops]

They do it when you book into most hotels in the UK too these days.

[jno]

go to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) for great views. Takes less time thant he Emprie State building, not as high but further uptown.

There are great Circle Line boat trips right round Manhattan

http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises/cruise-schedules.aspx?gclid=CPS_wpfOy70CFQEXwwodHF8Amw

[237SJ]

If you just have to leave a swipe of your credit card you are lucky these days. Many hotels now swipe the card and load it with quite a hefty sum which is wiped at the end of the stay. I took a bit of persuading, the first time a hotel did that to me (The Andaman, Langkawi to be precise).

[zebo]

There's a problem with debit cards when they take a swipe and block a sum on check-in. On a credit card, the transaction regarding the extra blocked amount is simply cancelled but a debit card is charged that amount, say $500, and then refunded which can take a few days and also attract commission. We were warned by a hotel not to use debit cards for this reason and some hotels have a warning notice on reception. Enjoy the trip! The Staten Island ferry is a very cheap way to see the skyline, it used to be free in one direction and a pittance in the other.The best rates are currently through the DT Moneycorp site.