The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: June sixth, with one way to be certain of credit charges.

Say you're spending several days in a resort or hotel. During the stay, you charge meals, drinks and other incidentals to your room. The hotel staff is supposed to ask for I.D. before charging anything to a room, but actual practice is another matter. At check out, you're presented with a long list of charges. Since you're rushed and probably don't remember every item, you pay the bill as presented. But billing errors do happen, as do occasional cases of outright fraud. Here's how to spot math mistakes and phony charges.

Pick a number between 10 and 99. Then, during that stay whenever you sign a bill for meals, room service, drinks or any other tippable service, add enough so that the final two digits of the charge always tally up your selected number. If, for example, you chose 57 and the bill for drinks comes to $18.75, just add on enough tip, so the final charge is $21.57.

Then, at check out time, scan the list of charges for line items that don't end in your number. If for room, tax or telephone, assume it's O.K. But if it's for anything else, question it. Hotels must generally produce a receipt copy for every charge. If the signature on the receipt isn't yours, neither is the expense. That way, the charge becomes the problem of the hotel, and you don't wind up getting stuck for the bill that pays for someone else's party.

Incidentally, this system also works well for tracking credit card transactions at restaurants, although getting resolution for mistakes is considerably more complicated.

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