Debit cards???

[gonigam91]

Can I use my debit card to pay my ressie deposit over the phone? Do they only accept credit cards? And if I do use my debit card, does that automatically have to be the credit card on file for our room when we get there??

Thanks -

Tracy

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

I've jused my Debit card, for deposits, payments, and as the card on file once I arrive. No problems whatsoever.

 

[Deborah_Mary]

I think as long as it has a Visa or Mastercard logo on it then there is not a problem.

Deb*

 

[Alicnwondrln]

just becareful
i have read some MAJOR mess ups with them for some guests
check with the bank and make sure it is only taken out once
some wrote a trip report recently about how diseny messed up and didtn credit the womans card until she was already there in WDW and they ruined her trip

 

[GrumpyC.Hook]

I have used a debit card on my last trip and on the trip I am going on in May, in fact I just paid off my room with my Debit card this morning. I haven't had any issues in the past with using a Debit card. When i check in I will give the front desk cash to put on the reservation so i can Have charging privilages since I don't want to tie up my Debit card so I can pay bills.

HTH
Amy

 

[dmslush]

I use our debit card also to make our deposit and pay off our room. But, I do use one attached to an account that only has limited funds put in it. I keep a tiny balance of $20-$30 in it until I want to make a payment on the vacation and then I transfer money into that account. I have read too many horror stories about being charged double to trust them 100% with all of my money.

 

[mel]

We used our debit card last year when we made ressies @ Hifs, but when we got there to pay for the room, they didn't take debit cards, had to put on cc. I tried to make our ressies for HIFS this time and said could only hold with a cc and not a debit card,new rule or something. But that was the only place we had a problem with out debit card, everywhere else was fine.

 

[rcraw45425]

Had an incident a few years back with our bank, not Disney. They double charged every charge we put on our debit card during our entire trip . I came homw and checked our account and freaked. According to the bank balance our 4 day trip had cost ~$4500. That's a lot of fun! They fixed everything promptly, I had called WDW first thing, just knew it was their fault. Then I spoke with the bank and they fessed up. Luckily we keep a high enough balance on our checking that it didn't cause a problem but it could really ruin a persons trip if they started blocking charges for insuffucuent funds due to their mixup, huh?

 

[aubriee]

When I went to WDW in January I used my debit card to pay my deposits. I called when the codes came out, applied a code, and then because my debit card had a $500.00/day limit, I paid off the ressies with my credit card. In fact because we did a split stay at WL and AKL I had to make two ressies and make two deposits. I used my debit card to pay both deposits. When we got there they used my credit card to establish my credit limit for room charges. The only thing is if you don't want them to charge your card, be sure to go down the night before you check out and pay the balance. I didn't know this and went down early the morning of checkout to find out they had already charged my card. No biggie, but I really wanted to pay for the trip using travelers checks and cash. Just FYI ,I also used my debit card for the CRT deposit and to hold the Fantasmic Pkg.

 

[Castle74]

I know this doen't have anything to do with deposits but when we went there in Dec 01 our debit card wouldn't work in the ATM's. I have to tell you must have went to 2 other ATM's before we called our bank. We found out the our bank had blocked out the bank that disney uses. We had no car of course. I guess if your bank doesn't like how another bank works they can block their machines. I have to tell you we were a little stressed because we had only a little money on us and all our money was in the checking account. Luckly we brought our checkbook and could write a $50 cash check at the customer service counter each day. Charged meals on the card in the parks which worked not sure why and used money to buy snacks and small stuff. Now we know and will bring Visa checks with us.

 

[bear22]

I just used my debit card to pay for my ressie. The CM had a little touble with it but after 3min it was fine. My card has a Visa logo so I can use it either way.

 

[racheleich]

Just be aware that situations have arisen where people have used debit cards to make hotel reservations and that money in their account is "held" for that charge - making them bounce checks and whatnot. My mom works in a bank and received a memo from the bank president warning of such possibilities. We would never use a debit card to make the reservation because of that issue.

Here's an excerpt from an article about this issue (an off-line debit card is one w/ a Visa or Mastercard logo):

While off-line debit allows for pre-authorization, care must be taken not to indiscriminately over-estimate the stay amount. This practice typically goes unnoticed when guests use their credit cards, however, hoteliers are more likely to hear complaints when guests use their debit card. Other problems arise when guests deciding to check-out with a different card, cash or split-pay. As with credit card transactions, an authorization request puts a hold on available funds (open to buy), for a pre-determined period of time, usually between 10-15 days. So in effect, even though the hotel bill was paid in full, the cardholder's cash funds are not available until the authorization expires.

Try explaining this to a vacationing family who cannot afford to see Mickey Mouse because "the mean hotel took Daddy's money!" The same would happen to a guest who makes and subsequently cancels a hotel reservation, having made a deposit with their off-line debit card. It's one thing to put a hold on a person's credit line, it's all together different to tie-up cash funds in a guest's checking account. The hotel merchant doesn't make these rules, but he is left to deal with upset guests.

 

[cricket429]

Okay, I have a question. If I didnt want to use my debit card and wanted to have charging privileges to our room while we are in the parks, can I leave a certain amount (say $500) in travelers checks with them? Do they just deduct your purchases and refund you the unused amount?

 

[MagicKingdom05]

I used mine for deposits on both trips and for paying some of the balance of my Feb trip.

 

[Gillian]

I don't have one, but I wouldn't use it (for the reasons described above) even if I did.

I have had problems with incorrect charges to my credit card while at WDW(using amex, if it matters) and they take a while to get reversed. I just wouldn't feel comfortable if that mistake was somehow tied to my checking account.

The problems we had did not impact our trip, but I have heard of too many people not having money for their vacation or to pay bills to risk using a debit card.