My boyfriend and I are travelling to the Val di Femme area at the end of January 2011 and have found what looks like a nice B&B for our 5 night stay. They have asked us to wire them 300 euros as a deposit. While the B&B looks legit on their website and other review sites, I am wary of wiring that much money to them. When I spoke with the owner of the B&B on the phone she said she cannot accept a credit card. Is this normal in Italy? I have never run across this issue before when travelling.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Fairly common when renting from private individuals. Trust is a two way street.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
To avoid the wire transfer fees (which can be hefty) you might ask if she has Paypal. We rented an apartment in Rome from a woman who just asked us to mail her a personal check in advance and she hung onto that as a deposit without cashing it. But that was a pretty generous offer and may have been because we arranged for that rental on the recommendation of a travel agent who knew the owner.
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
I have had hotels and B & B's that "don't" accept credit cards go ahead and take a credit card number as a deposit. They actually "can" take credit cards, but choose not to as it is money out of their pocket. They can always charge you your deposit if you bailout on them. I'm sure there are others that just plain don't take credit cards and don't have the means to do so. If you have thoroughly researched this B & B and there is nothing in their ratings that raises a red flag with you, then it should be OK. What is their cancellation policy? Do you get any of it back if you cancel your reservation within a reasonable time frame? In what manner would you receive your refund? Read the fine print! You might want to invest in a travel insurance policy to guard against trip cancellations/interruptions that might cause you to lose this deposit.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
Scott has said it like it is - however, if a B&B that I was interested in wanted 300E for a deposit and did not want to take a cc for the deposit, I would surmise that they wanted way too much deposit and would be looking elsewhere - I have stayed in many B&Bs in Europe (and in the US) and have always either used a CC for a deposit or only sent one nights fee. Good luck and happy travels
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
Have to agree with Charlie. I personally wouldn't stay someplace that wouldn't take a CC for deposit, especially a 300 Euro deposit. You have no recourse if it comes into dispute. It should be expected that a travel/tourist oriented business should have the ability to process a CC. Not to mention that wiring money overseas is expensive and inconvenient. Maybe you should look elsewhere?