I had to give my creidt card number to a reservation I made in Rome through a regular e-amil message. I did not like the idea, but I guess it is standard practice on some Italian hotels.
But a hostel I am trying to get in Lake Como wnats me to send a deposit in Euros! Has anyone done this ? What's the best way to send the money ?
I was asking the guy to join Paypal.com or Moneybookers.com so I could send instantly and for cheaper fees, but he is not replying.
This is not uncommon for smaller places to stay. We too had to provide our CC# by email. It worked out OK. As for a deposit in Euros, I would inquire how the Hostel wants this done. One way is by money transfer through the Swift system. We had a cooking school that wanted us to do that. Your larger banks should know how to do this. You will need the appropriate account information from the hostel. Also, there is a fairly large charge on this end for doing this money transfer and a smaller charge on the Italy end. Americans are used to websites and secure bookings online. Smaller businesses in Europe have not caught onto that method yet.
The fee to transfer money internationally will probably be larger then the deposit. Find another place to stay if he won't take PayPal.
Don't send your CC number and info on unsecured email, it doesn't matter that other people have done it safely, it only take one crook to intercept your information and ruin your credit .
Ask if you can fax it to him, or phone him.
I've had to do this several times for hotels in Europe, most recently for a very upscale place in Venice. I haven't yet arrived to ensure that the deposit is actually being applied to the fees - but I think it is fairly common practice. I've also noticed that email or electronic reservations are popular, but so are reservations by fax.
Try to book a hostel thru specialized web sites like hostels.com or hostelworld.com. They have a payment system which seems to be safe, and if something bad happens it can be tracked down.
I would not send any cash to anybody. Can you call the hostel and ask about the paypal? If they didn't answer you email, I think something is fishy there.
Thanks for the responses. I did go to the Hostels International site and this hostel is listed, although it says that at this time they cannot do reservations through that site yet.
Also, this hostel is recommended by Rick in the Menaggio area!
If sending credit card info through email gives you the heebie-jeebies (despite the astronomical odds against its being intercepted) you can always split it between two separate emails. First 8 digits in one email and the remaining info in the next email.
Almost every year, someone, someplace, wants a credit card number as a deposit on one of my trips. I ALWAYS call them to give them my CC number and NEVER send it via e-mail. I have never had a problem doing it this way. If someone wanted a cash deposit, I would look elsewhere if they would not accept Paypal.
