Apologies if this is in the incorrect Category, but it seems to be a seldom discussed topic anywhere.
I currently use an HTML web form in a stack to collect camp ground reservation information. We are looking to curtail the abuse of the “honor system” as people are reserving sites then not showing up or calling to cancel. We are wanting to collect and verify a credit card with the reservation (NOT charge any dollar amount) to have this on file should the guest be a no-call no-show.
Anybody have any experience with this or be able to provide some pointers?
I wouldn’t ever collect CC information on a web form. The reason is security, chances are you are getting the form emailed to you. Email is not secure and easily hacked. Even if you are not emailing the webform, storing that information is a high-risk venture.
Have you thought about charging a deposit upfront? That way you can use a payment gateway like Stripe or PayPal and then refund the amount if the cancelation occurs in a timely matter.
If you use a payment gateway, you never have the CC information the gateway company does and they have the liability that goes with collecting that kind of information.