Hi all,
My wife and I are working directly with a hotel to make a reservation for this fall, and they have asked that I email my credit card info (number, expiration date, and 3-digit code) to them to secure the room. Has anyone else been asked to work in this manner, and if so, were you concerned about sending this much info via unsecured email? I%26#39;ve thought about asking if I could make the reservation through the central reservation system, but I don%26#39;t know if the hotel would lose any money if we secured the room in that manner.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
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I%26#39;ve done this often including Paris, other places in France and most recently a very smart hotel in New York. I%26#39;ve never had a problem. You could telephone them with the information if you are concerned about e-mail, or send several e-mails with different bits of information in.
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If you have access to a fax machine you could fax the credit card details.
I%26#39;m not sure that it%26#39;s really much more secure than an email (after all, anyone in the office could pick up the fax from the machine and use the information), but somehow I felt better about sending my credit card info that way.
I got a better rate from the hotel than were available through a booking system, and had been in email contact with them several times. Apart from the fact that a booking service would have a secure server for the transmission of this sort of information, I find you can get a %26quot;feel%26quot; about a place by an exchange of emails with the hotel direct.
I was only asked for the credit card information once I had confirmed I wanted to go ahead with the booking, and by that time I felt quite comfortable in supplying it (about six weeks before I was due to arrive).
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I would not feel comfortable emailing those details (especially the 3 digit code!). How about the good old fashioned telephone? Perhaps you could phone them, speak directly with the manager and give the credit card info that way.
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The info would not be secure in an email, much better to use the phone as suggested, def. get a booking confirmation by email though.
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I never send my credit card info by e-mail if it not securized, I call the hotel.
As to rates from hotel vs rates from booking system, it depends ...... sometimes the hotel gives a higher price. It happened to me recently and when I told them that I was quoted less through a booking system, they matched the booking system price !
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Yes. I%26#39;ve emailed credit card info. for my hotel reservations that didn%26#39;t have an online booking feature of central booking system. I have also emailed the 3 digit code when the hotel requests it. I%26#39;ve never had a problem so far although, yes, it%26#39;s possible email info. can be intercepted. Faxing isn%26#39;t any more secure as mentioned by a previous poster.
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Just to make this clear : the 3-digit code is definitively not the confidential pin code you type for example to get money from ATM, it is just a number that is printed at the back of your credit card.
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Yes, agreed that it is not the PIN, but rather the identification number which is an additional security step when using the VISA for internet or phone transactions. It%26#39;s meant as a way to prevent people from making purchases with a credit card by simply having the card number (and not the actual card in their possession).
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Thanks all
I think I%26#39;m just going to call the hotel and give the information over the phone. They have been great to work with over email - very responsive, and we were able to work out a slightly better rate then through central booking, but as an IT guy, I just can%26#39;t get passed the ***don%26#39;t send CC info via email*** warning that%26#39;s imprinted in my head. LOL.
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Whenever I%26#39;ve needed to do this, I%26#39;ve sent the CC info in three or four separate emails. That reduces the odds a lot (the bad guys are looking for a 16-digit string, and if they don%26#39;t find one, their software goes past your email).
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