How exactly does the charge on your room key work?

[ajblbv]

I am arriving on a Thursday, however my pay check hits Friday, so my question is how exactly does the room charge work? If I place the card on file for the account where my check hits, will they try placing a hold on x dollars, or will they only go to charge it when it is tallied at the end of the visit? Thanks guys, just trying to figure out my options without getting caught in a bad position.

 

[rcraw45425]

We use the room charge option all the time. What I have seen happen is depending on the hotel category you are staying at you will be given a limit. At the deluxes it's $1500. They don't run the card till you hit the limit. Now this does not include any balance you have due at check in either, so it's X dollars for charging over that balance(if any). I keep an eye on my bank account and usually the charges start to show up after check out too. (I use the charge option on my debit card since I get points). I think you'll be fine.

 

[tar heel]

I've never had them to do a hold or to run the charge before checkout. We did a short trip with minimal charging in October. We checked out on a Monday and the charges did not show up on our account until Tuesday, which really surprised me.

I'm assuming you know that you'll be charged for the room when you check-in, though.

 

[raven69david]

They will debit your account on the day you checkout. If you're using a debit card, you will see the funds being held from your account after 6am on the next business day. There will be no hold when you give them the card during check-in.

All purchases made with your bank card will be a debit purchase (signature based transaction) therefore they will earn points if you're enrolled in a program (i.e. Thank You program or AAdvantage program). There are no hotels at Disney that let you do PIN-based purchases (point of sale or POS purchases). Debit purchases use the "credit" option at the electronic terminal and "debit" when using your PIN number to complete the transaction. If ever given a choice, ALWAYS select "credit" as it's much easier to dispute a transaction. Disputing POS debits makes the bank quicker to block your account to prevent fraud and may take days to get the account reinstated. A real PITA if you're on vacation.

If you gas up at HESS in the Orlando area, ALWAYS select debit otherwise they'll put between a $50 and $100 hold on your debit card. It won't fall off until the 4th business day. Most HESS stations do this, but not all and there's no warning posted.