What Are Hotel Incidentals? The Card Hold at Check-In Explained
· 3 min read
Hotel incidentals are the charges you might add during a stay on top of the room itself: drinks from the bar, room service, meals in the restaurant, the minibar, parking, laundry, phone calls or damage. Because the hotel cannot know in advance what you will spend, many ask for a card at check-in and place a temporary hold on it. That hold is not a payment. It reserves part of your available balance, and whatever you do not use is released after you leave.
What usually counts as an incidental
- Food and drink charged to the room, including the bar, restaurant and room service.
- Minibar items and anything taken from a paid snack tray.
- Parking, valet services and electric car charging where the hotel offers it.
- Laundry, dry cleaning and pressing.
- Spa treatments, gym classes or other extras not included in the rate.
- Late check-out fees, pet fees and charges for extra beds where these were not paid in advance.
- Damage, missing items or cleaning beyond the normal, such as a breach of a no-smoking rule.
Things already paid for in the booking, such as breakfast on a bed-and-breakfast rate or dinner on a half-board package, are not incidentals. What those meal plans cover, and where drinks fit in, is explained in the guide to half board and full board.
How the hold works
When you check in, the desk asks for a debit or credit card and runs a pre-authorisation. The amount is set by the hotel: some use a fixed sum per night, others a percentage of the room rate, and the figure is often stated in the booking terms. Your bank marks that money as unavailable but does not transfer it.
At check-out, the hotel settles the actual bill. If you spent nothing on extras, the hold is cancelled. If you charged a dinner to the room, the hotel takes that amount and releases the rest. The release is instant on the hotel's side, but banks can take several working days to show the money as available again, and the exact time depends on your bank and card type. If you prepaid the room, the hold may be the only thing taken at the desk; if you pay on arrival, the room and the hold may appear as two separate lines.
Debit card or credit card?
| Credit card | Debit card | |
|---|---|---|
| What the hold affects | Your available credit | The cash in your current account |
| Effect on a tight budget | Usually little day to day | Can leave less to spend during the trip |
| Release time | Depends on the card issuer | Depends on the bank, sometimes a little longer |
Many travellers prefer a credit card for the hold for that reason, so that the money for meals and travel stays free. Some hotels accept cash deposits instead, though not all, and a few will not accept prepaid cards for holds. If you are unsure, check with the hotel before arrival, and ask your bank if a hold seems not to have been released after a reasonable time.
Keeping the hold small and the bill clear
- Read the policy before booking. The terms often state the hold amount and the payment methods accepted.
- Ask at the desk. A polite question about how much is being held and when it will be released is entirely normal.
- Request a no-charge room. Some hotels can switch off charging to the room, which may reduce the hold; you then pay for each extra on the spot.
- Check the final bill before you leave. Mistakes do happen, such as a minibar item you never opened or a dinner from another room.
- Keep the receipt. If anything looks wrong on your statement later, the itemised bill makes it easy to raise with the hotel.
The rest of the arrival routine, from what to have ready to how to arrange a late departure, is covered in the guide to hotel check-in and check-out. Regular guests sometimes find the process simpler through a membership programme with stored card details, one of the perks compared in the look at airline and hotel loyalty memberships.
Are tips and service charges incidentals?
A service charge added to a restaurant bill that you charge to the room becomes part of the incidentals and is settled at check-out. Tips you leave in cash for housekeeping or a porter are separate and never go through the card hold. What is usual for each, if anything, is set out in the guide to tipping in UK hotels.
