Debit Card Question

[LorlovesStitch]

We just got back from Williamsburg and put everything on our Debit Card to get air miles for our WDW trip next year. As I was going through my online banking, I noticed that the hotel has not charged us for the room. On the one hand this is great....who wouldn't love a free vacation, right?! But since it is a debit card and we arranged to have the correct amount of funds available, I don't want them to charge us at a later date when I have already spent the money! So, should I call the hotel and ask about it, maybe asking for some sort of discount for being honest, or let it go??? What would you do?

 

[Ava]

I would wait a few days and if it still hasn't shown up call the hotel to confirm the charge. Since you say just got back, I'm assuming it hasn't been that long since you checked out/paid for your room. The charge just may not have gone through yet, especially if you checked out on a weekend. It often takes a few days for charges to show up on a debit card, especially if the charge is made on a weekend - the bank won't process it until the next business day.

 

[eduk8r26]

Not on my debit card!! When I use it, the charges show up immediately, even if it is on a weekend. I go online and check my bank and there they are. That's one disadvantage over using checks. When I write a check, at least I have a small window where the charges don't show up right away.

 

[njmom47]

show as a pending charge or a hold?
I would definitely expect it to show up by Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

[TheRatPack]

Some hotels run a charge through at the beginning of your stay to make sure the card is good, and then it falls off and they run the regular charge through a few days after check out. We use our debit card for everything and seriously...it takes days, and sometimes a week for some places to run their charge through. Don't spend the money....it belongs to the hotel for your stay. If it doesn't show up by the end of the week I'd give them a call and offer to mail them a check or something rather than give them my card number again.

 

[JB2K]

Not on my debit card!! When I use it, the charges show up immediately...

These things all vary depending upon your financial institution.

To OP - I would give it about 3 business days as certain things that may require additional charges such as gas pump purchases, restaurants, and hotels usually have some additional balancing to do before the charge hits your bank.

 

[pixiewings71]

Well even if the charge usually showed up on my debit charge immediately if one didn't I wouldn't run out and spend the money because I got "a free vacation". I use my debit card for almost everything, my charges take at least 2 days to come out of my account and even tho my card usually shows authorizations after I've used the card in some instances it doesn't work that way. Chances are if you spend the money then you'll find the charge does come thru in a few more days.

 

[LorlovesStitch]

OP here - thanks for the info........we checked out on Thursday morning and it doesn't even show as a pending charge, so its kinda weird. My mom used a regular credit card for her room and hers was charged on Saturday. I know I can't spend the money (a girl can dream, can't she? ). I know I have to take care of it or it will come back and bite me in the you-know-what! I guess I will give it another day and then I will call them. Maybe they offer an honesty discount of some sort! I do like the suggestion of mailing a check instead of giving them my debit card number again.

 

[ajh88]

Some hotels run a charge through at the beginning of your stay to make sure the card is good, and then it falls off and they run the regular charge through a few days after check out. We use our debit card for everything and seriously...it takes days, and sometimes a week for some places to run their charge through. Don't spend the money....it belongs to the hotel for your stay. If it doesn't show up by the end of the week I'd give them a call and offer to mail them a check or something rather than give them my card number again.

This...(as TheRatPack said)

I use a separate debit card account for traveling and this is what happened. They put a hold for the amount of the stay but it fell off before I checked out. After I checked out, it was about 3-4 days before the charge came through on my card.

To the OP - that money is already earmarked for the hotel, so I would act like it isn't even in my account. They *will* take it out in the next couple of days, and if not, I'd call to follow-up.

 

[pandora174]

Debit card charges change. For ex. we have BOA, I check my balance daily due to some prior fraud issues. A few months ago if I went on vacation the entire "hold" was placed & held pending against my balance until the full charge went through.

Recently I've noticed a change. Some transactions do that ex. restaurants buut others like my QVC payment plan shows a "pending hold" that does not affect my balance. A few days later it drops off. Full $ still there & not even a "pending hold" & then a day or 2 later the amount from QVC comes through. Hotels lately have held a pending hold & not even against the balance. It drops off completely & then a few days later the full amount is charged.

Some hotels like gas stations just check if the card is valid put $1 hold or none & then the charge goes through. I would never risk causing overdrafts because the charge hasn't gone through. The thought of $35 x amount of bills that might overdraft I always plan these hold as part of my budget funds & expect them to drop off in a few days after I return from vacation. Less stress for me not to worry about !

 

[bumbershoot]

we arranged to have the correct amount of funds available, I don't want them to charge us at a later date when I have already spent the money

Well for goodness sake, DON'T spend the money!

They'll charge you, so keep the money right there.


With my Chase debit, *some* charges will be visible as "pending", then a couple days later they disappear entirely. Very strange and mystifying. Then several days after that they will appear as full debits with no "pending" warning. I've now gotten used to it, and would never think that someone just decided to not charge me.

Keep the money in there, don't do a thing with it!

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Since you checked out Thursday there is a good chance that your card did not get processed until Friday. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday frequently count as the same "business" day and charges do not post to your account until Monday at Midnight. Again as a previous poster pointed out this varies by financial institution. In addition to that information some business actually have to batch out their charges in order for them to process to the financial institution such as our local gas station who batches out once a week so it takes DAYS for gas charges to show up. I havent been a teller for a little while but if I remember correctly there is also a difference when a transaction is processed as a debit or credit even if it is a debit card. If you have spent the money somewhere whether it is still in the account or not it belongs to somebody else. I cannot tell you how many times I have spoken to customers about overdrafts because they didnt realize that not all transactions process immediately and a forgotten transaction has come back to haunt them later in the form of overdraft fees. Give them at least til Wednesday before you get too worried. but DONT spend the money

 

[LorlovesStitch]

OP here again....WOW! I guess everyone thinks I am planning to go on a shopping spree or something! I know I owe the hotel the money, I am not the kind of person that tries to get away with stuff like that....I wouldn't be able to sleep if I did! It just sounds nice to think they "forgot" to charge me for my stay! I have worked too hard on my finances to jeopordize getting overdraft fees. I guess I will just give it another day or too and see if the charge comes out....the money is still there and will not be spent!

That being said, I actually am glad that my fellow DISers care about my finances to warn me against spending the money. I also appreciate the info about the charges taking a few days to appear. This is the first time we used my debit card for this kind of stuff, since we have stopped using credit and have made humongous progress paying down our credit card debt. So, thanks for all the info, it was helpful!

 

[tinkmom2]

I just used my debit card for my vacation to the Dells this last weekend. My debit card was charged in advance for one day for the deposit and on the day I checked in for the remainder. I did have a situation where we ate out at one of the hotels restarurants and was double charged. I had to call my bank and get it fixed. I was also given free breakfast for my family for the next day. I agree with the previous posters. Don't spend the money. Give it a few days. If you do not see the charge give the hotel a call.

 

[LorlovesStitch]

OP here --- as you all told me, the amount for the hotel was posted today. Thanks for all the info and now I know how this debit stuff works! I knew I could get good info here!!