Credit card authorization forms are something hotels have to deal with every day! However, traditional paper forms are no longer the norm — not only are they no longer PCI compliant, but they also don’t provide guests with a modern experience.
This guide features everything hotels need to know about digitizing their authorization forms. From a smoother guest journey to reduced admin tasks for staff, adopting a digital solution is an easy way for hotels to save cost and digitize.In this post, we’ll walk through what hoteliers need to know about hotel credit card authorization forms and the best ways to use them with guests.
Key Takeways:
A hotel credit card authorization form is a document that enables a guest to stay at a property when they’re not paying at booking. This typically applies to reservations that a third-party (i.e., another person or organization) is paying for, whether that be for business travel, group bookings, parents paying for children or other unique situations.
Traditionally, hotels have used paper or PDF forms that need to be emailed or faxed from the cardholder and the hotelHowever, these paper and PDF solutions open hoteliers up to costly chargeback claims, in addition to fines for PCI noncompliance — which can range from $5,000 to $100,000 per month.
There are several important pieces of information that should be included on an authorization form. We’re including everything you need to know below.
An authorization form should include the name of the guest who the card is paying for. Additionally, it should include the dates of their stay, and an email dress and phone number in case issues arise.
You’ll also need to know some info related specifically to the payment for their stay. Generally, hotel authorization forms include a section where the cardholder can limit the type of charges that can be placed on the card. For example, if a guest orders room service, it may not ben indicated as a type of charge to be placed on the card.
Other types of information that may be included in this section include the authorization type (one-time or ongoing) and the confirmation number.
The next section includes the card information. This includes credit card number, expiration date and CVV code.
The section following is reserved for billing information and the address of the cardholder. Name, company (if applicable) and full address are generally required.
Like any legally binding document, a hotel’s credit card authorization form ends with a place for the signature of the cardholder. There also may be a checkbox acknowledging that they understand that their card information is accurate and will be used to pay for services at the hotel.
Because of their physical nature and multiple communication points, paper and PDF credit card authorization forms present a number of problems for hotels, such as:.
Canary’s Digital Authorizations offers a secure alternative to paper and PDF formsIts advantages include:
Hotels have to offer credit card authorization forms. However, how a hotel does so impacts security, PCI compliance, staff efficiency and the guest experience.
Digital Authorizations replace paper or PDF credit card authorization forms with a secure, PCI-compliant digital process.
Instead of writing, emailing or faxing sensitive guest credit card info, hotels send a secure link that guests complete from their device. This eliminates manual errors, streamlines workflows, and dramatically reduces the risk of fraud and chargebacks.
By digitizing credit card authorizations and encrypting sensitive data, Canary eliminates the insecure paper trail that bad actors often exploit.
Hotels using Canary have reported up to 90% fewer chargebacks, protecting revenue and saving hours spent disputing fraudulent charges.
Yes. Whether it’s a third-party payment, incidentals, group bookings or vendor payments, Canary supports multiple authorization types. Hotels can easily customize forms to match different use cases and quickly collect the data they need.
Hotels using Canary see tangible returns quickly. Beyond reducing fraud-related losses, teams reclaim hours previously spent chasing paperwork. Canary’s Digital Authorizations also speed up the booking process for groups and corporate guests, creating a smoother experience that drives loyalty.
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