Reserving hotels online

No it's not.

Search for the official site of a hotel by googling the name and then book. If not possible try through priceline, booking.com, expedia etc.

I also thought of re-doing the hotel reservation inquiry and putting the credit card information the the "comments" section. Would that work?

It is far more secure to send a number via email than it is to give it to them over the phone. This has been discussed extensively in the past. The transmission of a number is highly secure. What happens after the hotels gets the number is another issue that you cannot control. For this purpose, I was an old cc that I don't use for anything else so if the number was stolen it could be easily canceled with out any problem. But in about ten years of sending cc via email, I have never had a problem.

I have sent it by fax, or by 2 e-mails (half of the # in each). The places where I did this were quite comfortable with that.

I agree- don't send the number via email. The past month, I have made reservations all over Scandinavia for the summer, and always called with the number. A phone call may be a little expensive, but I sure think it's cheaper than if the credit card number fell into the wrong hands, which would be VERY expensive!

And, their English was always perfect!

I've had no problems sending a number via email. I would wonder about sending it by fax, though, since you don't know who is on the other end or what might happen to the message when it gets there. If it makes you more comfortable, send the number in two emails, or send the number in one and the expiration date in another. The days of expensive transatlantic phone calls is gone, though - it's easy and inexpensive.

A lot of European hotels and B&Bs will accept your reservation without a deposit, you just pay when you check out.

Simply write them an email asking if this is what you may do.

I agree that sending a number by email is safer than handing the card to a total stranger in a restaurant and having them walk away with it for who knows how long.

I just finished making hotel reservations in Istanbul, Turkey. The hotel wanted a credit card number to hold the reservation. I told them that I would send them three e-mails, one with the first half of the cc #, the second with the second half of the cc # and the third with the 3 digit code off the back. They agreed. I have used this method many, many times using a cc that I only use for these types of transactions and have never had a problem. I also only use one cc for all my internet buying, and only for that. That way I can monitor the charges frequently with no problems.

Bank of America and Citibank offer credit cards of the type Steve mentioned, where you can create temporary numbers with dollar limits and expiration dates.

As to sending your CC via email, it is low risk compared to other exposures your credit card has when you use it. The odds of it being intercepted in an email are low compared to what happens once you arrive. You'll hand the card to the desk to take an imprint; nothing stops the clerk from jotting down your number for later use. They might also enter it into their computer, which could be hacked or stolen. Same thing every time you use it in a shop, restaurant, etc.

However if you're still nervous, google how to make cheap international calls. You can call Europe inexpensively using Skype and other services or a calling card.