Credit Card Credit vs Charge

[ctinct]

In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal, but it is a bit irritating. Due to the insane number of snow days we have had here, I have had to cancel and rebook a hotel reservation I had in June. First I cancelled, then I rebooked. Well, the new reservation showed up two days ago, but the credit for the cancellation has not. My statement will be closing in a few days, so if the credit does not show up by then, I'll have to pay for the new reservation to avoid interest charges. It just doesn't seem like it should take days longer to process a credit than a charge, kwim? When you add up all the credit card users in the US, and factor in the number of them who carry a balance, it could add up to a nice little bonus for the credit card companies to drag their feet.

 

[Darcy03231]

From what I understand its not the credit card company, its the business you did the transaction with that holds things up. Someone in their accounting department has to process the credit. Depending on the size the company, if someone is out sick, on vacation, work closed due to weather conditions, etc., this can hold things up. The credit card company processes the credit as soon as they get it from the business.

 

[vicki_c]

I thought it was actually the opposite from everything I have ever read - that it is the credit card issuing bank that causes the delays. But it definitely takes longer to get a credit.

 

[njmom47]

I do this at my job (look for double charges and credit our customers back). I do them the next day after the problem (except for weekends) and our customers recieve their credits within a few days. However, I know that when I send it, our bank processes it that day/night. (I work for a supermarket company not a hotel though.) Sometimes the customer will call and say they haven't seen the credit, so I can check to see if the funds were debited from us. If they were, I tell the customer to call the card issuer and tell them they are looking for a credit so the c.i. knows to look for the credit and apply it to the customer's card. You could try this.
PS-I'm not saying this is you OP but sometimes the credit has been applied and the customer just doesn't see it on their statement or doesn't know where to look on their statment.