Charge for Hotel Question

[vintagemomma]

Help me settle a debate, resort only reservation booked directly through Universal so paid first night deposit. Do they charge your card for the balance at check in or check out. I say check in and then if you want to have charging privledges you can add a card with a hold. My husband says no check out, because then they bill for any extra expenses incurred at same time like they do at other hotels.

In the grand scheme it doesn't matter except to help us settle it.

 

[DisneyMom93]

When we stayed at the Hard Rock in 2019 they charged us at checkout for the balance due for the hotel room, as well as any purchases we charged to our room (their hotel shop and dining by the pool). We mostly used our credit card to directly pay for any purchases and dining at parks and Citywalk.

 

[Skywalker3]

Just checked our cc bill from Oct, and remainder of room charge is posted/dated on checkout day

 

[Meglen]

Most hotels wont want to charge you twice so they will just add all room charges and the reservation to the checkout bill.

 

[georgina]

I wonder if it varies by resort? I know I have been charged the balance at Cabana Bay on checkin at least once, it surprised me because I didn’t have my gift cards ready so it went on my card and I had to go back to the desk later to reverse it and use the GC. I do not charge to my room generally.

 

[vintagemomma]

Thanks!
So looks like Hubby wins this round 3-1 hehe. I will update when we get back how it goes at Dockside.

 

[vintagemomma]

I am back and here to report they charged the balance at check in. I was invoiced twice once after that (paying remainder of room), and then on last check out day.

 

[georgina]

I am back and here to report they charged the balance at check in. I was invoiced twice once after that (paying remainder of room), and then on last check out day.

So you won the bet after all! I do still wonder if it varies by resorts, as I had this happen before at Cabana Bay. Checking in there May 10, I will see what happens!

 

[Mle8308]

Most hotels will either charge your credit card or put a hold on your balance due when you check in. This is to prevent a guest from staying for a week and then their card is declined at check out. It's much easier to track down a person while they are on site then after they have left. If a guest does not respond to to front desk requests to submit an alternate form of payment (if the card is declined), it is not uncommon to "deactivate" their keys, making it necessary to go to the front desk.

 

[georgina]

Yes, but there is a distinct difference (to me anyway) between putting a hold on a card and actually charging the card. I have stayed at most of the Universal resorts, and my most recent Cabana Bay stay was the first time they told me they were charging the card at checkin. I always pay the charges with gift cards sometime during my stay and this was a surprise.

 

[Mle8308]

Yes, but there is a distinct difference (to me anyway) between putting a hold on a card and actually charging the card. I have stayed at most of the Universal resorts, and my most recent Cabana Bay stay was the first time they told me they were charging the card at checkin. I always pay the charges with gift cards sometime during my stay and this was a surprise.

The Universal hotels are under different ownership groups, different companies own each of them (a few have the same owners, but not all). Policy can differ by hotel. You may have had a hold put on your credit card previously and not known. If the hotel was able to get a pre-authorization for the balance of your stay, they would not necessarily tell you. Only if they could not. At check out, your card would be charged any remaining balance and whatever amount was being held on your credit card that was not "used" would be released. It is common practice in the hotel industry to receive payment for the stay either prior or upon arrival. At the Disney hotels, you have to pay the balance of your stay either before you arrive or at check in, depending on the type of reservation you have.

 

[houseofthrees]

We have had Portofino do it at checkout and Sapphire at check in.

 

[georgina]

The Universal hotels are under different ownership groups, different companies own each of them (a few have the same owners, but not all). Policy can differ by hotel. You may have had a hold put on your credit card previously and not known. If the hotel was able to get a pre-authorization for the balance of your stay, they would not necessarily tell you. Only if they could not. At check out, your card would be charged any remaining balance and whatever amount was being held on your credit card that was not "used" would be released. It is common practice in the hotel industry to receive payment for the stay either prior or upon arrival. At the Disney hotels, you have to pay the balance of your stay either before you arrive or at check in, depending on the type of reservation you have.

Um, yes I know all this! Are you disagreeing with me that there is a difference between a hold and a processed charge? I have stayed at hotels over 40+ years. I was saying earlier on this thread that it possibly varied by resort and relating my personal experience. I have a high credit limit and a hold does not bother me, again, it was a surprise when she said 'we are going to charge your card now' because that was different from previous trips. (She had not tried to run it yet as a pre-authorization so it was not denied) I have always called Disney ahead of my on-site trips and paid off my resort with gift cards.

 

[Mle8308]

Um, yes I know all this! Are you disagreeing with me that there is a difference between a hold and a processed charge? I have stayed at hotels over 40+ years. I was saying earlier on this thread that it possibly varied by resort and relating my personal experience. I have a high credit limit and a hold does not bother me, again, it was a surprise when she said 'we are going to charge your card now' because that was different from previous trips. (She had not tried to run it yet as a pre-authorization so it was not denied) I have always called Disney ahead of my on-site trips and paid off my resort with gift cards.

Nope, not at all. I am fully aware of the difference.

 

[georgina]

Checked into Cabana Bay May 10, balance of room was charged to my card May 10. It’s not a hold, it’s not pending, it is a fully processed charge. I am not checking out until tomorrow.

 

[Lynne G]

Yeah HR put a hold on my credit card when I checked in. I paid in full at night before checkout with cash. Weeks after my checkout date, the credit card hold was still on my credit card. Numerous calls to the hotel did not remove it. Got mad. A email to the manager explaining the issue, and it was finally removed. Your credit card bank will not remove the hold, only the merchant doing the hold.

Just a FYI, check your credit card balances to see if that hold was removed.

 

[keishashadow]

Yeah HR put a hold on my credit card when I checked in. I paid in full at night before checkout with cash. Weeks after my checkout date, the credit card hold was still on my credit card. Numerous calls to the hotel did not remove it. Got mad. A email to the manager explaining the issue, and it was finally removed. Your credit card bank will not remove the hold, only the merchant doing the hold.

Just a FYI, check your credit card balances to see if that hold was removed.

It’s a frustrating system when it goes on for weeks. I won’t use debit card for gas or hotels (even if I was planning on paying it off with cash before checking out). The rules are not as consumer friendly with debit via credit charges you need to dispute.

YMMV typically, PNC removes merchant holds that haven’t been submitted for payment after 30 days