Hotel guest tries to check in with his mother-in-law’s credit card

When booking rental properties/accommodations on your trip, you know how important it is that the credit card is in your name and matches the card on your ID.

It is imperative for businesses to double-check this information as they do not want to fall victim to a fraudulent charge claim.

It also helps protect people whose information may have been stolen by a jet-setter hoping to snag as many accommodations and experiences as possible, possibly using fake IDs and other people’s credit cards. And if they leave after just a few days, it’s the perfect crime.

And while anyone who has ever worked in the hospitality industry can understand this point of view, that’s not necessarily the case for others, like this hotel guest who tried to check in using her mother-in-law’s credit card.

This is what TikToker and hotel employee Sherita Young (@sheritayoung50) recorded in a viral TikTok as she tried to explain to a hotel guest

“When a guest tries to check in using their mother-in-law’s credit card,” reads a text overlay in the video. Sherita films herself, out of camera view, assisting a customer who tells her she’s checking in after introducing herself as Tiffany Johnson.

“Okay, I see you’re here for three nights.”

“That’s true,” Tiffany says in response to Sherita.

“All you need is a photo ID and a credit card,” she tells the customer.

“Just a moment,” says the guest as they try to explain this to Sherita.

“And this is for the king-size bed in the room?”

“Right, yes,” Tiffany says, handing her the credit and ID card. Judging by the look on Sherita’s face, there is a problem with what the guest just presented to her.

“Is this Maria Lopez?” she says, looking at the customer.

“Oh yes, that’s my mother-in-law.”

“Is your mother-in-law with you?” she asks the guest.

“No, but she booked the room for me and said I could use her card.

Sherita further informs the guest that if she wants to use a card for herself to book a room, the cardholder must be present for the payment to be processed. “You can’t just use your mother-in-law’s card. Do you have another card?”

The guest unfortunately tells Sherita that this is the only card they have available, but they offer to call her mother-in-law so they can confirm that they are indeed allowing Tiffany to use the card to book her stay at the hotel.

“Ma’am, we do not accept authorizations over the phone,” she tells the customer, who insists on calling Maria Lopez to book her stay.

“Either she has to be here or you need your credit card.”

Tiffany interrupts Sherita and tells her that Maria Lopez is on the phone and that she can speak to the woman to make sure everything is okay.

“I really don’t want to talk to her. You need a credit card in your name,” Sherita informs the guest, who is still on the phone with her mother-in-law.

Tiffany complains to her mother-in-law while on the phone in the hotel lobby. “They say I can’t check in and I can’t use your card even though you gave it to me and it was authorized,” she says.

“No, I didn’t ask for the manager, but I can,” Tiffany says to Maria on the other end of the line before turning her attention to Sherita. “Can I speak to your manager, please? Is he here?”

Sherita shakes her head. “You don’t actually need a manager for this. Either you have a card in your name or you don’t,” the employee informs the guest.

Tiffany goes on to say that she can book her stay at the hotel because she has her mother-in-law’s card and is allowed to use it.

Sherita replies that the hotel has no way of knowing whether Tiffany’s mother-in-law consents to the use of the card.

“How do we know your mother-in-law gave you permission?”

“Because I have her on the phone,” Tiffany argues.

“I don’t know who’s on the other end of the line. I need a credit card to check in -” Sherita tries to explain the hotel’s position, but the customer keeps telling her she’s “rude” and constantly interrupts her.

“Excuse me, you’re making me nervous,” Sherita says to Tiffany, who continues to protest and begs her to just use her mother-in-law’s credit card.

Sherita writes in a caption to the video: “The guest tried to check in with her mother-in-law’s credit card… no ma’am…”

Numerous TikTokers who reacted to Sherita’s video sided with the hotel staff. “Either you have a card in your name or you don’t,” wrote one person.

Another replied: “She thought she could persuade you.”

Someone else said he didn’t know why the customer was surprised at all: “I’ve been with Hilton for 13 years and this has always been the rule. Why people keep trying and then act like idiots is beyond me.”

And then there was another who echoed the above point and wrote: “When you go somewhere, the name on the credit card must match the name of the person you are staying on site. This is not a new rule.”