i stayed at a hotel in june. was asked for license in addition to credit card i was paying with. have never tried to pay by cash.
i stayed there a few months back, same hotel, different front desk person, she did not ask for license.
stayed at a b&b in between those two stays and innkeeper did not ask for anything besides my credit card. actually, i made the rez online and she just asked me to sign the receipt when i checked in.
is the id info because of possible damages i might cause to the establishment? or to show that the cc is mine?.
seashanty said:
is the id info because of possible damages i might cause to the establishment? or to show that the cc is mine?
I don't believe an establishment can ask you for proof of ID to USE a cc. So, in the case of hotels it is not for the purpose of using the card. I've had to show ID in Vegas & NY but not in CA.
The only thing I can find online about WHY hotels ask for ID is proof that you are the person who made the rez. So someone else doesn't take your room on your cc? If you just handed over your cc with the same name on it as the rez what's the big deal? (Which is not the case with the OP as that was cash.)
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Alibi Ike said:
seashanty said:
is the id info because of possible damages i might cause to the establishment? or to show that the cc is mine?
I don't believe an establishment can ask you for proof of ID to USE a cc. So, in the case of hotels it is not for the purpose of using the card. I've had to show ID in Vegas & NY but not in CA.
Sure they can ask for ID when using a CC! We get asked every now and then, have no problem doing so.
As for cash paying customers at a hotel, I am sure it is to make sure they have the correct name and address in case of damage, but 2 forms is going too far.
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I think it is a Visa rule that asking for ID is a no no. You can refuse to show ID. They still are req'd to take the cc. If they refuse, you can just leave whatever you were purchasing on the counter.
Mastercard rule:
9.11.2 Cardholder Identification
A merchant must not refuse to complete a MasterCard card transaction solely
because a cardholder who has complied with the conditions for presentment
of a card at the POI [point of interaction] refuses to provide additional identification information, except as specifically permitted or required by the Standards. A merchant may require additional identification from the cardholder if the information is required to complete the transaction, such as for shipping purposes. A merchant in a country or region that supports use of the MasterCard Address Verification Service (AVS) may require the cardholder’s ZIP or postal code to complete a cardholder-activated terminal (CAT) transaction, or the cardholder’s address and ZIP or postal code to complete a mail order, phone order, or e-commerce transaction.
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