Ask Kim
May We See ID, Please
Many hotels now ask to make a copy of a driver's license at check-in. Here's how to ensure your identification is safe.
By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
March 16, 2009
During a recent stay at a Best Western hotel in Florida, I paid with a credit card and was also asked for my driver’s license so that the hotel could copy it. I was told it was “policy.” Is this something new for hotels, and should I be concerned about identity theft?
A Best Western spokesman says that more of its hotels are asking for proof of ID when taking a credit card, but any copies made should be destroyed after checkout. This practice isn't limited to Best Western -- many hotels throughout the country now ask to make a copy of a driver's license at check-in, says Joe McInerney, of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. "They want to make sure the person on that reservation is the person who is staying there," he says.
In fact, some municipalities now require hotels to collect that information, which can help in case of a criminal investigation, says Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "I don't see it as being particularly risky," he says, especially if your Social Security number isn't on your license.
Even so, you should ask for the copy of your ID back or watch the clerk shred it when you leave (which may be an option depending on local laws), says Jay Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center.
One thing hotels can’t do is require ID to verify ownership of a credit card. Both Visa and MasterCard have policies prohibiting merchants from refusing to complete a credit-card transaction solely because a cardholder does not provide additional identification.
For more information about protecting yourself from ID theft, see Your ID Theft Prevention Kit and the Federal Trade Commission's ID Theft page.
Reader Comments (2)
Posted by: Joe at 03/17/2009 09:56:59 AM
Asking the hotel to either give the copy back or shed it provides no protection. A dishonest clerk simply makes a copy of the copy during your stay.
Posted by: MJ Dakota at 11/16/2009 09:15:20 AM
I beg to differ... ID can be requested, BUT, California law Visa and MasterCard state that the personal information listed on the ID may not be written on the transaction form or stored in any other way with the credit card information. Simply refuse to allow a copy of the ID. Challenge the "policy" with the Law. For more information see: Go to Xomba.com credit_card_use_requires_photo_id