Feeling depressed ~ need some info re Hotel incidentals hold on cards

[annz53]

I am supposed to be happy, our departure date is soon BUT I am not happy

I only just found out about the holds put on one's card when checking in re "Incidentals".

If I had a credit card these would not be an issue BUT I don't so with me having to check into 2 hotels in Canada before I get to Disneyland where I have booked 2 rooms all these "holds" on my funds could cripple me as I believe they take awhile to be released.

If I have been reading the forums correctly the Hotel will take the full amount of my reservation period plus tax plus this incidental fee and put a hold on it when I check in. Then at the end of my stay I am expected to pay my bill when I check out. That's paying for the same thing twice as far as I can see and it is going to seriously diminish my spending capabilities and ruin my holiday if this is the case.

My question is this ~ For those of you just been or just back from your holiday ~ How much was the hold (in other words how do they calculate it)?

Thanks, once again in advance, for all your valued info and advice.

 

[miss.potatohead]

Oh I hope I didn't make you feel like this! I think it's best that you get in contact with the hotels to find out their policies regarding incidental holds. I wasn't charged anything for WDW hotels, but I know it is common practice in Vegas. I'm not 100% sure for Canada as I stayed in hostels there.

Some hotels will just hold the charge to your card (it said pending on my statement) the amount for your stay when you check in and when you check out it won't make for any issues (they'll just process the pending payment at checkout). You won't be paying twice as you essentially pay for the hotel when checking in. Other hotels will take a print of your card at check in, but won't charge it until you leave and have your details " just in case"

In Vegas I was charged something ridiculous like 75% of the nights stay each night on top of the actual nightly rate. But that is common in Vegas - I later found out had I enquired at check in I could have given them $X per night in cash at check in and received the money at checkout.

But if you're worried about it I would call or email the hotels and explain the situation to find out their policy and keep a copy of all correspondence just in case. Have you considered getting a credit card 'just in case' for the trip. I don't know your situation and it's none of my business but I was able to get a CBA credit card with a surprisingly high limit (and I'm only 22 so I don't know what they were thinking) and used it in emergency situations. And then you can cut it up when you get home if it's not what you want!

 

[ssour]

I would second contacting the hotel and asking if you can use cash to guarantee the stay, that way you'll get it back at check out. We've never had a hold placed at Disney World but have at Disneyland. I think it took a week for the funds to become available again.

 

[annz53]

Oh I hope I didn't make you feel like this! I think it's best that you get in contact with the hotels to find out their policies regarding incidental holds.

No, it was not you, I was already down in the dumps over it all. Thank you for your suggestion I am going to email all hotels now.

Hubby is going to pay as soon as we arrive and ask them to ONLY hold for incidentals so I am feeling a little bit better.

 

[miss.potatohead]

No, it was not you, I was already down in the dumps over it all. Thank you for your suggestion I am going to email all hotels now.

Hubby is going to pay as soon as we arrive and ask them to ONLY hold for incidentals so I am feeling a little bit better.

Sending happy thoughts your way. Planning a holiday should be an exciting time but at least you found out about the holds before you got there and can plan accordingly for it.

 

[aussiemumma101]

.

 

[Aldetha]

I am supposed to be happy, our departure date is soon BUT I am not happy I only just found out about the holds put on one's card when checking in re "Incidentals". If I had a credit card these would not be an issue BUT I don't so with me having to check into 2 hotels in Canada before I get to Disneyland where I have booked 2 rooms all these "holds" on my funds could cripple me as I believe they take awhile to be released. If I have been reading the forums correctly the Hotel will take the full amount of my reservation period plus tax plus this incidental fee and put a hold on it when I check in. Then at the end of my stay I am expected to pay my bill when I check out. That's paying for the same thing twice as far as I can see and it is going to seriously diminish my spending capabilities and ruin my holiday if this is the case. My question is this ~ For those of you just been or just back from your holiday ~ How much was the hold (in other words how do they calculate it)? Thanks, once again in advance, for all your valued info and advice.

Please, please, please don't feel depressed.

Just another suggestion, if you are really strapped and need to watch your $$$, while the hotel will tell you they need the deposit for the entire stay upfront, this isn't the case. The deposit is calculated on a daily rate x the number of nights. You need to only pay the deposit one day at a time, then if you use phone/minibar etc top it up the next day. However this will probably involve talking to the manager to get it done in the first place, and visiting reception every single day.

I don't want to make you feel any worse, but better to know all the facts. If the hotel releases the hold on your credit card, the funds should be released within 3 business days max. However sometimes they don't release the hold (Australian hotels can be pretty bad for doing this). If that happens, the hold will automatically be released by the bank after (usually) 21 days, but the bank can't/won't speed up that process if the hotel doesn't do their job properly.

Personally I would be telling the hotel you want to pay the deposit with cash, and you want your cash back at the end, and don't hesitate to ask to speak to the manager at anytime if you're not happy about anything.

 

[elphaba91]

I read a travel article that suggested giving the deposit in Australian cash. That way you don't have the money held on your card and don't wind up with a large amount of foreign currency and instead just get your grocery money for the next week or two back in cash. The writer said that he'd done it plenty of times and it wasn't an issue. Maybe call the hotels and check if that's okay? That's what I'm hoping to do for our trip, or at least the final hotel (might do the first 2 in USD and then use that as my Disney spending money!) - they are all paid in full already so it would just be incidentals anyway.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Hi annz,

Just out of interest, have you been to the bank and seen how long it will take to get a credit card.

I'm not sure when your departure date is, but if you can rush through a credit card application before then, that is what I would do.

Not only is a credit card good for security at hotels, but having one in case of an emergency (missed flights etc) will give you peace of mind.

 

[ssour]

Hi annz, Just out of interest, have you been to the bank and seen how long it will take to get a credit card. I'm not sure when your departure date is, but if you can rush through a credit card application before then, that is what I would do. Not only is a credit card good for security at hotels, but having one in case of an emergency (missed flights etc) will give you peace of mind.

This is also a good idea. Last trip we had a number of medical expenses we had to pay for and thankfully had enough credit on our card to cover them until we could claim it back from our insurance company. We would have been stuck without it that's for sure.

 

[elphaba91]

Hi annz, Just out of interest, have you been to the bank and seen how long it will take to get a credit card. I'm not sure when your departure date is, but if you can rush through a credit card application before then, that is what I would do. Not only is a credit card good for security at hotels, but having one in case of an emergency (missed flights etc) will give you peace of mind.

You might even find you're pre-approved for one already. I called the bank one day about something and they told me I was pre-approved for a credit card with $4,000 credit. And I'm a 23 year old student with just a part-time job.

 

[dollarmite]

Has anyone ever done a US trip without a credit card? I'm racking my brain to recall whether we had one on our trip in 2009 in honestly can't remember. If we didn't have one it obviously didn't cause an issue. We definitely had debit cards and cash.

We went to Singapore and Hong Kong in 2013 with just debit cards and cash and never had an issue. I did trips to the US and other countries prior to ever getting my first CC, and it wasn't an issue then either.

But following some of the comments here I'm getting a bit concerned about this year's trip. Almost all our accommodation is prepaid and I'm really annoyed with the two hotels that are pay on arrival (or partly the day before), as I like to have all the (major) expenses paid before we leave so I don't have to account for it whilst we're away. The T&C on most sites say that debit cards and/or cash can be used for the incidentals, but, like the OP I do not want to have wait weeks for it to be reversed, nor am I going to tolerate getting a cheque in return for the cash. What a pain in the neck.

We want to hire a car. I've phoned a few agencies in Australia to check their policies on credit/debit cards in the US. Some will accept DC at the depot, other companies won't. We'll prebook/pay from Australia but I don't want to turn up to the counter and discover that the policy all of a sudden doesn't match what I was told here and we can't get our prepaid car. I'm sure there'll be some loophole that'll prevent them from refunding us the paid rental.

Following a very bad experience with a credit card theft issue a few years ago we will never, ever, get one again, so that's not even a remote option.

FWIW, we'll have 6 debit cards between 3 people, 3 from banks and the rest Qantas Cash cards that have both US and AUD on them.

 

[ssour]

But following some of the comments here I'm getting a bit concerned about this year's trip. Almost all our accommodation is prepaid and I'm really annoyed with the two hotels that are pay on arrival (or partly the day before), as I like to have all the (major) expenses paid before we leave so I don't have to account for it whilst we're away.

If you contact the hotel they will likely let you pay in advance, even if the rate rules don't allow it. I've had a few bookings with different Hilton hotels where I just email/phone them and they send through a form to complete. When I return it I just let them know that I want it charged immediately.

 

[dollarmite]

If you contact the hotel they will likely let you pay in advance, even if the rate rules don't allow it. I've had a few bookings with different Hilton hotels where I just email/phone them and they send through a form to complete. When I return it I just let them know that I want it charged immediately.

I don't know why I didn't think of this idea myself. Some days I can't see the forest for the trees. Thank you!

I emailed one of the hotels (Knotts Berry Farm for anyone else that might have a direct booking with them), and all I had to do was reconfirm my billing address and they charged me the full amount. So at least that's out of the way.

I'm holding off on the second hotel for now in case I can find a better deal.

 

[ssour]

We want to hire a car. I've phoned a few agencies in Australia to check their policies on credit/debit cards in the US. Some will accept DC at the depot, other companies won't. We'll prebook/pay from Australia but I don't want to turn up to the counter and discover that the policy all of a sudden doesn't match what I was told here and we can't get our prepaid car. I'm sure there'll be some loophole that'll prevent them from refunding us the paid rental.

I just made a reservation with National and this was in their terms and conditions "Debit and check cards, considered to be any non-credit card bearing the VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover or JCB logo (except for gift/prepaid cards) may only be used in conjunction with proof of round trip ticket (airline, train, cruise ship and the like) and a cash deposit may be required in addition to the cost of rental. Without proof of roundtrip ticket, debit or check cards are only accepted on return. Any other non-credit card without the VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover or JCB logo is not accepted. Some locations may accept cash at the time of rental in lieu of a major credit card or debit card subject to other restrictions and requirements."

I checked an old Alamo reservation and it says the same.

This is from an previous Herz reservation "Please note that at time of rental you will need to present (1) a current driver's license and (2) a valid credit or charge card. At the time of rental, an authorization hold will be secured on the credit / debit card provided, to cover the estimated rental charges and any additional charges that may be incurred. These funds will not be available for your use."

And finally from Budget reservation "At time of pickup, renter must present a valid credit card (or debit card at participating locations) in the renter's name. A prepaid charge card is not an acceptable credential.
• If you intend to use a debit card for the hold, the following hold rules will apply. If your rental location has exceptions to the following debit card rules — such as not accepting debit cards — those exceptions will appear in a "Location Exceptions" section above.
— All debit rules in the "Additional Fees & Credit Holds" section above apply;
— You may not use a debit card if you are renting a Street Fleet car (all class X vehicles);
— You must be at least 25 years of age;
— The only bank debit cards accepted are those with a MasterCard or Visa logo;
— You may not rent a Street Fleet car (all class X vehicles);
— You will be subject to a credit check to determine creditworthiness;
— Positive identification (I.D.) in addition to your driver's license is required. At an airport location, your second form of I.D. must be your round-trip ticket, flight itinerary that includes the return date, or e-ticket for the airport from which you are renting. If you are not flying in or are renting at an off-airport location, your second form of identification must be either a valid U.S. passport or military I.D.; recent pay stub or bank statement, valid car insurance card or a copy of a phone, electric or cable bill that is less than 60 days old and includes the address on your driver's license."

They seem the most restrictive to me.

Glad to hear you were able to pre-pay for your Knott's Berry accommodation.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Has anyone ever done a US trip without a credit card? I'm racking my brain to recall whether we had one on our trip in 2009 in honestly can't remember. If we didn't have one it obviously didn't cause an issue. We definitely had debit cards and cash.

We went to Singapore and Hong Kong in 2013 with just debit cards and cash and never had an issue. I did trips to the US and other countries prior to ever getting my first CC, and it wasn't an issue then either.

But following some of the comments here I'm getting a bit concerned about this year's trip. Almost all our accommodation is prepaid and I'm really annoyed with the two hotels that are pay on arrival (or partly the day before), as I like to have all the (major) expenses paid before we leave so I don't have to account for it whilst we're away. The T&C on most sites say that debit cards and/or cash can be used for the incidentals, but, like the OP I do not want to have wait weeks for it to be reversed, nor am I going to tolerate getting a cheque in return for the cash. What a pain in the neck.

We want to hire a car. I've phoned a few agencies in Australia to check their policies on credit/debit cards in the US. Some will accept DC at the depot, other companies won't. We'll prebook/pay from Australia but I don't want to turn up to the counter and discover that the policy all of a sudden doesn't match what I was told here and we can't get our prepaid car. I'm sure there'll be some loophole that'll prevent them from refunding us the paid rental.

Following a very bad experience with a credit card theft issue a few years ago we will never, ever, get one again, so that's not even a remote option.

FWIW, we'll have 6 debit cards between 3 people, 3 from banks and the rest Qantas Cash cards that have both US and AUD on them.

We only used debit visa our first 2 trips for the same reason credit card theft but the points collection has got the better of me we now use a credit card.
When we rented with just our debit card I had the reservation paid in full and they just required to see our return ticket just remember though rules are different for airport locations some rental locations away from airports don't allow this even though the website says they do.
When we rented from NYC we were charged a hold on the full car rental even though it was a prepaid reservation which was not helpful to use it took 14 days to go back on our card.

Hotel incidentals is usually just for things you want to charge to the room I now just always say I want to leave cash and try and prepay my reservation before arrival. It's usually $50-100 and we have always got it back when we have checked out.
In saying that this trip because I left so suddenly the hotel I'm staying in has put a hold on my card for over $1k and then when I changed reservations same hotel but it was cheaper through an Australian site they charged my card for what was owing and the hold hasn't released yet! Last time we stayed here it took 3 weeks for the hold to drop off. But my prepaid reservation they haven't put a hold on anything!