The world is huge

Don't miss any of it

Travel news, itineraries, and inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.

By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

X
Close up of woman putting a credit card in her wallet
apichon_tee | Adobe Stock

The One Thing You Should Always Do 24 Hours After Checking Out of a Hotel

You’ve checked out and unpacked to confirm you didn’t forget any of your belongings—but there’s one more important thing you should always do after leaving a hotel. Set a reminder in your phone to check your credit card account 24 hours after you’ve checked out. 

Close up of person going through their credit card statement with a cup of coffee next to a keyboard
Lek | Adobe Stock

Why You Should Always Check Your Credit Card Statement After Stay in a Hotel 

Almost all hotels will put a mandatory hold on your credit card when you check in. This hold is usually for the amount of one night’s stay, plus an extra $50-$100 to cover any incidentals (like minibar charges) or damages that may be incurred. 

The hold is typically released from your credit card within 24 hours after checking out, but you should always make sure it’s actually been removed. Although 24 hours is the standard time for a credit card hold, some financial institutions take longer to remove holds, so you may have to check back again within a week if the hold is still pending after a day.

You want to make sure that the hotel actually removed the hold, and that it hasn’t become an actual charge on your credit card. There could have been a glitch in your system where the hold didn’t get removed, or you might have been incorrectly charged for something you didn’t do—like smoking in your hotel room. Be sure to ask for an itemized receipt when checking out so you can verify that these charges were not valid. 

It’s important to catch this error quickly so that you have time to call the hotel to have the charge removed, or, in the worst case scenario, to dispute the charge with your credit card company before your bill is actually due.

Don’t think you’ll remember to check your credit card? Some banks offer the option to sign up for alerts when charges go through, so you can take advantage of this feature to automatically see any post-trip charges.

You Might Also Like:

7 Things Not to Do at Hotel Checkout
Where to Find Premium Airfare Deals on First Class and Business Class
The 14 Best Flight Search Sites for Booking Cheap Airfare
7 Things You Need to Know About Duty-Free Shopping
The Ultimate Checklist for Traveling Abroad

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

Top Fares From