Expert: Don - 1/17/2008

Question
My question is this:

"When you check into a hotel, they require a credit card.  They temporarily authorize $1, but release it as soon as you pay with cash.  Will that authorization show up on the statement?  Do you know a good way around this?"

I have a girlfriend and a wife.  I would prefer the wife not know about the girlfriend.  I had worked out a deal with the manager of my favorite hotel, and they never imprinted my card.  Instead, I left a $500 cash deposit with them when I checked in.  Now the management has changed, and they are not willing to bend on these rules.  I have tried to find another hotel, but most of the managers have been women.  I am guessing they will not be too sympathetic towards a cheating husband.  I sure would appreciate some advice on this one.

Answer
I'm not really an expert on hotels and don't really know anything about the operations or what they do with credit cards.

The only thing I could possibly tell you is to find a less respectable hotel who will take cash. If you go to any chain hotel or high quality hotel, then they force you to use a credit card but if you go to a cheaper motel then you can play solely in cash and not have to worry about the credit card at all.

The only problem with these hotels are they aren't usually the cleanest places or the safest.

Sorry I couldn't be more help but I'm not a hotel expert.