The MGM Grand credit card authorization form lets you pay for someone else’s room and tax when you won’t be at check-in. You request it by calling MGM Grand Guest Services at (702) 891-1111, complete it through a secure Sertifi link the hotel sends you, and submit it at least five days before the guest’s arrival. There is a $15 processing fee plus tax, and the authorization covers room charges and tax only — not incidentals.
How to Request the Form
Call MGM Grand Guest Services at (702) 891-1111 and ask for a credit card authorization. If the reservation hasn’t been made yet, or needs to be modified, you can reach the reservations line at 877-880-0880. Once Guest Services verifies the reservation details, they send the cardholder a secure link through Sertifi, an encrypted online platform. You fill the form out and upload your supporting documents there.
There is no blank PDF to download and return on your own. The process starts with a staff-generated link sent directly to the cardholder, so emailing the hotel asking for a form won’t move things along.
What the Authorization Covers
The authorization covers room charges and tax. That’s it. It cannot be used for incidentals or a security deposit.
This is the part people miss. If you’re a parent or employer wanting to cover the entire stay so the guest pays nothing, the form alone won’t do that. The guest still has to present their own credit or debit card at check-in for the incidental hold, which MGM Grand sets at $100 per day up to a maximum of $400. That hold covers things like room service, minibar, and damage, and it’s released after checkout once the room is cleared.
Las Vegas room tax is significant and gets added to the authorized amount, along with the $15 processing fee, so the total charge on your card will be meaningfully higher than the nightly rate times the number of nights.
Information to Have Ready
Gather everything before you open the Sertifi link. Incomplete submissions get rejected.
For the cardholder:
- Full name exactly as it appears on the card.
- Card type and number (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or whatever you’re using).
- Billing address exactly as your card issuer has it on file. A missing apartment number or transposed zip code can cause the authorization to fail.
- A phone number and email where the hotel can reach you if something doesn’t match.
For the guest and reservation:
- Guest’s full name as it appears on the reservation and on the ID they’ll present at check-in.
- Confirmation number from the booking.
- Arrival and departure dates, matching the reservation exactly.
Supporting Documents
You’ll upload two documents with the form:
- A legible copy of the front and back of the credit card. The name, last four digits, and signature panel need to be clearly visible. You can cover the middle digits of the card number if you want, as long as the last four and the cardholder name are readable.
- A copy of a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. The name on the ID must match the name on the credit card.
If the images are blurry, cropped, or the names don’t match, the authorization will be rejected. The guest would then be asked to pay with their own card at the front desk, which defeats the purpose of filling out the form in the first place.
Submitting Through Sertifi
Open the Sertifi link on a phone, tablet, or computer. Fill in the fields, upload photos or scans of your card and ID directly through the portal, and submit. Sertifi is PCI-compliant and encrypts your financial data during transmission, so your card number isn’t traveling through email or any unsecured channel.
After you submit, Sertifi generates a PDF of the completed form and sends you a confirmation email. Keep it. That email is your proof of submission if any question comes up later.
Do not email photos of your credit card and ID to the hotel. Authorization documents sent by regular email won’t be accepted, and you’d be exposing your financial information for no reason.
The Five-Day Deadline
Submit the authorization at least five days before the guest’s arrival. The accounting team needs that time to verify the card, confirm the hold matches the reservation total, and attach the authorization to the guest’s folio.
If you miss the window, call Guest Services at (702) 891-1111 right away. There’s no guarantee a late submission can be processed. If the authorization isn’t in place when the guest arrives, they’ll be asked to provide their own credit card for the full stay — room, tax, and incidentals.
After submitting, call the reservations line at 877-880-0880 to confirm the authorization has actually been applied to the reservation. The Sertifi confirmation only tells you the platform received your documents, not that the hotel’s accounting team has approved them.
What the Guest Still Needs at Check-In
Even with an approved authorization on file, the guest has to present a valid government-issued photo ID matching the name on the reservation. The front desk will verify the ID and confirm the authorization is active on the folio.
The guest also needs to hand over their own credit or debit card for the incidental deposit of $100 per day, up to $400. The hold is temporary and drops off after checkout, though depending on the guest’s bank, the pending charge can take a few business days to clear from their statement.
If the guest shows up without a card for the incidental deposit, the hotel may refuse to complete check-in even though someone else is paying for the room. Tell the guest this ahead of time, especially a younger traveler who might not carry a credit card of their own.