Cruise charges onboard

[patty22407]

I see my "folio" paid in full from cruise that ended on 12/17/22. But today i see charges pending for the same amount in my bank account. I've called DCL and they're "looking into it", but now I have basically tied up DOUBLE them amount of money in my account until it clears up. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[NEGeekymama]

Do you see the charges in your bank account once or twice?

 

[Atlantix2000]

Did you pay with a debit or credit card? Pending charges (also called holds) may still be present and will drop off eventually. Hotels/cruises/etc typically post pending charges as you make them to make sure you have enough money to pay them during your trip. Then, they make one real charge for your final bill and remove the pending charges. They do this so they only pay one transaction fee for your entire bill rather than multiple transaction fees for each charge. Unfortunately, your bank or credit card company doesn't immediately remove the pending charge when the final real charge is made. For a credit card, this doesn't matter because the pending charge will disappear eventually and never appear on your statement. For a debit card, this means twice your money is held up until the pending charge disappears. This is NOT Disney's fault, your bank determines how quickly pending charges disappear. You can complain to your bank but it's not going to help. The best advice is not to use a debit card for travel expenses.

 

[patty22407]

Do you see the charges in your bank account once or twice?

Yes, one has cleared for total amount and one is pending (2 actual pending, one is for $1 and the other for the rest). I called Disney and my bank and it is a hold that will drop in a few days (but ties up the money until then). Lesson learned.

 

[RedHead0186]

Yes, one has cleared for total amount and one is pending (2 actual pending, one is for $1 and the other for the rest). I called Disney and my bank and it is a hold that will drop in a few days (but ties up the money until then). Lesson learned.

Does a pending charge actually tie up money in your account? I thought it didn't actually 'charge' your account until the charge actually clears (and is no longer pending) . . .

 

[NEGeekymama]

Does a pending charge actually tie up money in your account? I thought it didn't actually 'charge' your account until the charge actually clears (and is no longer pending) . . .

Pending charges will affect your current available balance in checking/debit accounts, and your available credit on credit cards.

 

[RedHead0186]

Pending charges will affect your current available balance in checking/debit accounts, and your available credit on credit cards.

Huh, I guess I never paid that close of attention. Thanks for clarifying (and I agree, it is annoying then to have pending charges tying up your money)!

 

[NEGeekymama]

Did you pay with a debit or credit card? Pending charges (also called holds) may still be present and will drop off eventually. Hotels/cruises/etc typically post pending charges as you make them to make sure you have enough money to pay them during your trip. Then, they make one real charge for your final bill and remove the pending charges. They do this so they only pay one transaction fee for your entire bill rather than multiple transaction fees for each charge. Unfortunately, your bank or credit card company doesn't immediately remove the pending charge when the final real charge is made. For a credit card, this doesn't matter because the pending charge will disappear eventually and never appear on your statement. For a debit card, this means twice your money is held up until the pending charge disappears. This is NOT Disney's fault, your bank determines how quickly pending charges disappear. You can complain to your bank but it's not going to help. The best advice is not to use a debit card for travel expenses.

This is the best answer here.

Debit cards are tricky for travel. It's why you'll typically see disclaimers about pending charges if using a debit card for hotels and rental cars.

 

[Atlantix2000]

Pending charges will affect your current available balance in checking/debit accounts, and your available credit on credit cards.

You know, I always forget that last part (available credit). I think of pending charges on bank accounts as tying up my money while pending charges on a credit card tie up somebody else's money. But you're right, my credit card could still get declined if pending charges bring the balance near the limit.

 

[Carohs]

If you don't have a high balance CC, you can plan some expenses ahead of time and minimize the hold amounts after the cruise; typically I find these clear in 3-5 business days. For example, you could buy GC to apply to your on-board account, pre-purchase onboard credit, pre-pay gratuities, etc.