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Tourism & Hospitality vocabulary · Check-in & Check-out

Pre-authorization

Meaning in tourism & hospitality, with examples

nounCommon term

In tourism & hospitality, pre-authorization means: A temporary hold placed on a guest's credit card to make sure enough money is available for the stay and any extras.

In Turkish: provizyon, ön provizyon, ön onay

How it is used

Taken at check-in and released, or turned into a final charge, at check-out. Guests often see it in their banking app and ask about it, so staff explain that it is a hold, not a payment. Also written pre-auth; the British spelling is pre-authorisation.

Example sentences

  1. We'll take a pre-authorization of 100 euros per night for incidentals.

  2. Your bank will release the pre-authorization within a few working days.

Common collocations

  • take a pre-authorization
  • release a pre-authorization
  • pre-authorization amount
  • card pre-authorization
  • depositMoney paid in advance to secure a booking, or money held by the hotel during a stay to cover possible extra charges or damage.
  • incidentalsExtra charges a guest makes during a stay that are not part of the room rate, such as minibar, room service or phone calls.
  • check inTo arrive at a hotel, register your details and receive your room key. Staff also check a guest in.
  • settle the billTo pay everything a guest owes at the end of a stay or a meal, so that the account is closed.

More terms: Check-in & Check-out

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