Can You Pay for A Hotel Room With Cash? [2024]

Most travelers rely on plastic when it comes to checking-in to hotels and paying for their stays. But there are some travelers out there who desire to pay for hotels with cash for various reasons (both ethical and unethical).

Paying for a hotel with cash raises a lot of different questions and concerns you need to be aware of and in this article, I’ll break down everything you need to know.

Can you pay for a hotel room with cash?

Yes, you can pay for a hotel with cash at some properties but there are often some difficulties involved, such as being required to make a sizable cash deposit at the time of check-in. If you plan on paying with cash you should definitely check with the hotel ahead of time before booking, regardless of the chain or brand it belongs to. This is because these policies are almost always property specific.

Keep reading for more details about how to what to expect when trying to pay for a hotel room with cash!

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Are some hotel brands known for accepting cash?

If you check out some other articles answering the question on whether hotels accept cash they present long lists of hotel chains as if they are known for accepting cash chain-wide.

They will present an entire section of their blog titled something like “Hotel brands that accept cash” as if those brands (which are actually chains) accept cash across all brands.

This is largely just done to get users onto their article from search engines and in my opinion not particularly helpful, especially to someone skimming the article. Also, more importantly, a couple of these articles have inaccurate information because they are trying to over-generalize the cash payment policies.

I did some VERY extensive research across many different chains and brands and they basically all said the same thing: it depends on the individual property.

So I would suggest not wasting your time trying to find specific chains that accept cash across all properties because even in the case of a budget property like Motel 6 that’s known for taking cash, they still say that they only take cash at “most locations.”

Other brands don’t say anything and just leave it up to the individual property to provide those details. And even if you did find an FAQ page for a given brand that said they did accept cash, I can almost guarantee you would find exceptions across their many locations or at least different fee/deposit policies.

So when it comes to paying with cash, you are virtually always going to be dealing with property-specific rules, which means you just need to call them and speak to a human.

With that said, if you’re looking for budget hotels that might be more likely to accept cash, here are some brands to consider:

• Motel 6
• Super 8
• Red Roof Inn
• Rodeway Inn
• Econo Lodge
• Knights Inn
• Americas Best Value Inn
• Budget Inn
• Starlite Motel
• Rainbow Motel
• Days Inn
• Howard Johnson
• Travelodge
• Baymont by Wyndham
• Magnuson Hotels
• Inn at Queen Anne
• Sleep Inn
• Red Lion Hotels
• Comfort Inn
• La Quinta Inns & Suites

As you get higher up in the food chain, you still may be able to find some locations that accept cash. For example, it could be worth calling properties at the Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, etc. just to confirm that they do accept cash payments.

But once you get to the higher end luxury properties, such as the Ritz-Carlton, Conrad, St. Regis, etc., that’s when you may start to run into issues or you may have to have some persuasion. It never hurts to ask but lower-end or mid-tier properties are typically your best bet for finding a hotel that accepts cash.

Steps for paying for a hotel room with cash

Verify the hotel accepts cash (and how they do it)

The first thing you need to do is verify that the hotel actually accepts cash. As mentioned above, certain types of lodging such as motels may be more willing to accept cash versus large expensive resorts but it is sometimes a case by case situation.

If you were planning on paying for a hotel with cash my advice would be to call or email the hotel ahead of time and let them know that you plan on paying with cash.

First, this will avoid any confusion as to whether or not the hotel does accept cash. They should be able to explain the process that they utilize for cash payments and should also be able to notate on your file that you will be paying with cash.

Most likely, you will be in a minority of customers who pay for hotels with cash so don’t be surprised if the front desk agent is not initially clear on how to process your transaction when you arrive. Be patient!

Also, be sure to clarify if they accept cash at the time of check in or check out. That’s because some hotels may allow you to pay with cash but only at the time of check out, so you still would likely need a credit card or debit card to check-in.

You also want to be very clear on what type of deposit or nightly fees might apply.

Hand over your ID at check-in (and be prepared for more scrutiny)

When you check into a hotel typically you are asked to hand over a credit card and a government-issued ID.

If you are paying cash it’s possible that the hotel will apply extra scrutiny to your ID, especially if it is an out-of-state ID or foreign passport. If something looks questionable (e.g., you don’t look like the guy or gal in the photo or it’s expired) they may turn you away and not allow the cash payment.

So just do your best to not appear sketchy if that is the case.

Related: Why Do Hotels Ask How Many Guests are Staying in Your Room?

Make the cash deposit

The amount of this cash deposit will depend on the type of hotel but you could expect it to be somewhere around $100 or more.

Some hotels may even jack up the deposit by including things like a cleaning fee or smoking fee added to the deposit. They do this in part to protect themselves but also to deter people from using cash.

It is also common for hotels that accept cash payments to require you to pre-pay for your entire stay.

So in some circumstances when paying for a hotel in cash, you may have to pay the following at check-in:

• Upfront deposit
• Cleaning and smoking fee deposit
• Prepaid room rate

Depending on the length and room rate, you could be coughing up several hundred dollars to over $1,000 in cash. Of course, if you provide a credit card at booking or check-in you should not have to worry about a hefty cash deposit.

Getting assigned your room (be prepared to be put on a lower floor)

Once you are checked in don’t be surprised if you are limited on the type of room you can get. For example, some hotels may put cash paying guests only on the first floor. Presumably this would be to limit the chance of them destroying a lot of property with things like overflowing bathtubs, sinks, and showers.

This is yet another drawback of paying with cash because it means you might miss out on upgrades and on any type of view you might get from a higher floor.

Check out

When you check-out, the cash deposit should be given back to you in full. However, don’t be surprised if the hotel requires housekeeping to first verify that your room is in good condition.

Depending on how busy housekeeping is that verification could take a little while which could slow down your checkout process, especially if you are trying to get out of there early. So again, utilizing cash for a hotel payment is simply problematic in a number of ways.

Related: Ultimate Late Check-Out Guide for Hotel Stays 

Will hotels make exceptions to no-cash policies?

Some hotels with policies to never accept cash payments may be willing to make exceptions for cash payments but this can become problematic very quickly.

Essentially, when a hotel makes an exception they are making a judgment call that they feel you are an upstanding citizen who will not cause trouble by destroying a room, running away after incurring a huge tab, etc.

Although there is no federal law that precludes a hotel from having a policy to refuse payment in the form of cash, this judgment call could easily open the door for claims of discrimination on the basis of things like race, appearance, age, etc.

For that reason, I would not expect a lot of hotels to be willing to make exceptions if they have an explicit no-cash policy.

Related: Which Car Rental Companies Accept Cash or Debit Card Payments?

Why you should use a credit card

While you can find some hotels that will accept cash I would strongly recommend you to avoid using cash to pay for a hotel. Instead, you should seriously consider using a credit card and I will explain a few reasons why.

It’s customary

It is customary to use a credit card to pay for a hotel stay and departing from that can raise red flags or just make your check-in and check-out experience more complicated. Your hotel experience will be much smoother if you simply use a credit card.

Point earning potential

Hotel expenses code as travel and there are many credit cards that offer lucrative bonus points for travel expenses. Using a travel credit card for a hotel payment can often get you three times or even five times the points which puts a lot of value back into your pocket. If you pay with cash you will be losing all of this additional value.

Elite benefits

If you get a co-branded hotel credit card they often come with special perks for the hotel. For example, a Marriott card may offer you Gold status or a Hyatt card may offer you World of Hyatt Discoverist status.

These can help you get perks like upgrades, early check-in, late check out, and sometimes even a free breakfast. So just by getting the right credit card you can upgrade your hotel experience in a pretty significant way.

Travel protections

The final reason why you should use a credit card is that you can find travel credit cards with amazing travel protections such as trip cancellation.

So let’s say that you booked a prepaid hotel rate that does not allow you to cancel but something comes up like you getting sick and you cannot make the stay. You could use a benefit like trip cancellation attached to your credit card that allows you to get refunded for your nonrefundable expense. It can save you $$$!

If you don’t have a credit card

If you don’t have a credit card or are unable to get approved for one, consider loading your cash to a prepaid card. For example, you may be able to load cash to an Amex Serve card or a pre-paid Visa card.

Just make sure that you call ahead to the hotel and ask if they accept pre-paid credit cards because otherwise your cash could get stuck on the card.

Two issues with paying with cash to be aware of

There are two major issues that you may encounter when trying to pay for your hotel room with cash money.

More scrutiny

When it comes to paying for travel with cash there are often immediate concerns about the legitimacy of the transaction.

A lot of actors engaged in criminal or questionable activity like to use cash because it does not leave a paper trail in the same way that using a credit card does.

This allows people to hide their activity from spouses, investigators, lawyers, etc.

So don’t be surprised when hotel agents apply more scrutiny at check-in when you are trying to pay with cash. And when I am talking about scrutiny, I am talking about how hotel agents will judge your appearance.

If you act shady or are dressed in a way that makes you look less trustworthy, it’s very possible that a hotel will simply tell you that they do not accept cash simply because they view you as a potential risk.

Perhaps they think you are going to be doing drugs in the hotel or that you may not be responsible enough to not damage or ruin a hotel room.

This could be argued to be illegal discrimination, especially since minorities are often underbanked with no credit/debit cards, but it is just a matter of fact that this goes on.

So if you’re paying cash be sure to make yourself as presentable as possible at the time of check-in.

No safety net for the hotel for incidentals

The other major issue with paying for hotel lodging with cash is that it does not provide a safety net for the hotel for incidentals.

In a less serious case, you might add five cheesecake slices and all seven Harry Potter movies to your room tab and then simply go MIA. The hotel may have a copy of your ID but will not have an immediate way to cover those charges by charging your credit or debit card.

Sure they could sue you with five cheesecake slices and seven Harry Potter movies as damages but it’s most likely not going to be worth their time.

In a more serious case, you could completely trash a hotel room. We’re talking broken coffee tables, blood on the walls, cocaine covered couches — you’d be surprised how some people leave hotel rooms.

In a situation like that, if you have offered no credit card or debit card on file, there is no way for the hotel to immediately get you to cover the damage that you caused which could be in the thousands. If they can track you down, they likely will but it will still be a costly process for the hotel.

For those reasons don’t be surprised when a lot of hotels don’t accept cash payment without some type of credit card on file.

Related: Can You Pay Uber With Cash?

Final word

While paying for cash for a hotel room is possible I strongly recommend not doing it because it causes several issues.

First, a lot of hotels will not accept cash as a form of payment so you are limiting the hotels you can choose from.

Second, you can create trust issues with a staff right off the bat, be subject to higher deposit requirements (and possibly even higher room rates), be limited on the type of room you can get, and be forced to wait longer to check-out while housekeeping verifies the condition of your room.

And most of all, you miss out on some big time earning opportunities and travel protections that you would otherwise get from a good travel credit card.

So if possible try to pay for all of your hotel stays with a credit card and avoid the hassles that come along with cash payments.