Hotel Credit Card Holds in 2026: The $200/Night Trap and How to Get Your Money Back Faster
A reader emailed us last week. She'd booked a four-night stay in San Diego at $189 a night. Total cost on the reservation: $756. When she got home, her credit card app showed a pending charge of $1,556. The hotel had put $200 a night on her card as a hold, on top of the room rate. Two weeks later, the hold was still sitting there. This is the trap that's gotten worse in 2026. Hotels have always placed pre-authorization holds on credit cards at check-in. The amount used to be small. Now i
· 6 min read
