As a travel manager/EA/travel coordinator, booking hotels for your business travelers should be simple—not time-consuming, with endless forms, emails, and payment delays. Yet, many hotels still require manual cc authorization, leading to frustrating back-and-forth communication and potential check-in issues.
Has a traveler ever called you from the front desk because the hotel couldn’t verify the payment? Or worse, had to resend authorization forms multiple times to ensure the booking wasn’t canceled? These inefficiencies slow down operations and impact your travelers’ experience.
Why should corporate credit card authorizations be any different in an era of digital payments? By leveraging online authorization solutions, you can eliminate paperwork, speed up approvals, and ensure a seamless check-in process for your team.
So, what’s the easiest and most secure way to handle this? Let’s explore the best methods to complete credit card authorization online—without the hassle.
What is Credit Card Authorization?
A cc authorization is a process where the hotel places a hold on a specific amount on your credit card to ensure payment availability. This is not a charge but a temporary hold that allows the hotel to charge the agreed-upon amount later. This is often done for:
- Room charges
- Incidentals (room service, minibar, damages, etc.)
- Security deposits
Why Do Hotels Require a Credit Card Authorization?
Hotels request credit card authorization online for several reasons:
- To secure bookings: Prevents last-minute cancellations or no-shows.
- To cover potential damages or extra charges: Hotels place a hold to cover any incidental expenses.
- To ensure compliance with payment policies: Some hotels require pre-payment or guarantee with a valid card.
Steps for Online Credit Card Authorization Process
Step 1: Check If the Hotel Offers an Online Authorization Form
Before proceeding, check with the hotel about their credit card authorization online requirements. You can do this by:
- Call the hotel’s front desk or reservations department.
- Checking your booking confirmation email.
- Visiting the hotel’s website for payment policies.
Some hotel chains, such as Marriott, offer online credit card authorization forms that can be filled out and submitted digitally. These forms replace the need for manual authorization via fax or phone calls.
Step 2: Obtain the CC Authorization Form
Most hotels will provide a credit card authorization online form that needs to be completed and signed. This form is usually available:
- As a downloadable PDF on the hotel’s website.
- Sent via email by the reservations team.
- Through a secure online portal provided by the hotel.
Step 3: Fill Out the Form Accurately
Once you have the form, carefully enter the required details, including:
- Guest’s name: Ensure it matches the booking name.
- Reservation details: Booking reference number, check-in/check-out dates.
- Cardholder’s details: Name, billing address, contact information.
- Credit card details: Card number, expiration date, CVV code (in some cases).
- Amount authorized: Confirm the amount to be pre-authorized.
- Signature: The cardholder must sign the form to authorize the transaction.
Step 4: Submit the Authorization Form Securely
Most hotels offer secure methods to submit the form. Avoid sending sensitive information via unsecured email. Instead, use:
- A secure online portal if provided.
- Encrypted email services.
- Fax, if specified by the hotel.
Step 5: Verify the Credit Card Authorization Online Hold
After submission, confirm with the hotel that the form was received and processed correctly. You can:
- Call the hotel and ask for confirmation.
- Check your credit card statement to ensure the correct amount is held.
- Request an email confirmation from the hotel’s finance team.
Step 6: Confirm Authorization and Get a Receipt
Once the hotel has received the authorization, ensure they process it correctly.
Key Confirmation Steps:
- Verify that the hotel has charged the correct amount
- Request a receipt or confirmation email
- Provide the traveler with confirmation details, including proof of authorization, to avoid any issues at check-in
How to Reduce the Hassle of CC Authorization?
1. Choose Hotels That Support Online Authorization Forms
Some hotels still require you to send credit card authorization online forms via email or fax, leading to delays and miscommunication. Instead, prioritize hotels that offer secure online authorization forms. These digital forms allow you to submit payment details quickly, eliminating back-and-forth emails and reducing the risk of lost or mishandled information.
2. Use a Travel Management Platform with Built-In Payment Solutions
Corporate travel management platforms, such as itilite, simplify payment authorization by offering built-in virtual card generation. Instead of manually filling out and submitting authorization forms, you can generate a virtual card within seconds and authorize payments instantly. This ensures smoother transactions and eliminates the risk of credit card details being mishandled by hotels.
3. Automate Payment Authorization with Corporate Travel Tools
If your company frequently books business trips, investing in a corporate travel solution with automated hotel payment integrations can save valuable time and effort. These tools offer direct integrations allowing hotels to automatically verify and authorize payments through a secure system, eliminating the need for manual approval processes.
Automated payments make business travel bookings more efficient and improve security by reducing fraud risks and unauthorized charges.
4. Use Virtual Cards for Faster Processing
If your travel management platform supports one-time-use virtual cards, this is one of the most efficient ways to authorize payments securely.
Benefits of Virtual Cards:
- Single-use for specific transactions – Prevents unauthorized charges.
- Automatic reconciliation – Simplifies expense tracking.
- No need to share actual card details – It enhances security.
How to Use Virtual Cards:
- Generate a virtual card through your travel management platform.
- Set spending limits and expiration dates for the card.
- Send the virtual card details directly to the hotel via the secure platform.
- Receive confirmation from the hotel upon successful authorization.
Let itilite Handle Credit Card Authorization for You
Why waste time on outdated payment processes when itilite can do the heavy lifting? Instead of dealing with manual forms, follow-ups, and last-minute payment issues, you can automate the entire credit card authorization online process in just a few clicks.
With itilite, you get one-time virtual cards that are secure, pre-approved, and designed to prevent overcharging. No more unexpected holds on your company card or travelers stuck at the front desk. itilite ensures payments are processed instantly, so your employees can check in without any hassle.
Business travel should be smooth, and payments should never slow you down. By switching to itilite, you can eliminate the frustration of cc authorization and focus on what matters—keeping your team moving.
