Need help on hostel booking.

A close relative of mine is going to Malta this summer to take a three week English course. The language school provides accommodation only for the duration of the course, but she would like to stay in the town for another week. I’ve come across this hotel booking site http://www.hostelsclub.com/step02_st...ncy=1&guests=2, which asks for credit card information to make the booking proceed. That info will allow the card to be billed for a certain amount of money to ensure the booking. I’ve no experience in such matters, maybe it’s a common practice all over the world and my worries are stupid, but what could bar those who provide the booking from draining the card completely once they have all the data they need. I hope there are many people on this site who have traveled the world all over and are familiar with the stuff like that. How do you usually handle things of that kind while planning to travel somewhere?

Hey Alex!

Yes, using a credit card to hold a reservation is very normal. They will usually have a cut off time for you to cancel your plans and you still get a full refund.

What I usually do when getting ready to travel to say, El Salvador... is get a separate credit card with my already establish credit card company just for those expenses and let them know the dates of my travel. This way they keep an eye out for charges that might seem abnormal. If you can't get another card or it is too much of a problem, the call them and let them know about the travel plans and the dates and see if that might help with and early warning fraud.

Also, you can do a quick search of the places she going to stay, like with Trip Advisor and see if there are any bad reviews already posted by people who have been scammed:

Here is the link to Trip Advisor:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Search?wh...ch=Search&geo=

I would be leery about giving my credit card to an unacredited hostel or cheap hotel because you have no options if the place is not to your liking. Research the market and have some options available (2-3 should be enough). When the person gets to Malta, during those 3 weeks, check out possible hotels and then book it when you're there. Assuming the place isn't swarming with tourists you should be able to get a room and pay that day.
The place you mentioned sounds like a pit and I wouldn't give my credit card in advance or stay there:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Search?retur ... arch&geo=1

Thanks, guys. Sorry for being so late with reply.
So, basically, giving credit card information is like giving a wallet to a stranger, eh? “Here you are, man, buy yourself something nice. You sure look honest to me and will bring it back sometime with enough money to spare.”

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alexB

Thanks, guys. Sorry for being so late with reply.
So, basically, giving credit card information is like giving a wallet to a stranger, eh? “Here you are, man, buy yourself something nice. You sure look honest to me and will bring it back sometime with enough money to spare.”

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Well you do have to be careful but not paranoid. I don't know what your card is but you should be able to contest a charge if you feel it's not right. At least I hope that option is available in Russia, if not get a card from a large international bank.