How much will they hold on credit card - staying at DLH.

[Mickeybell]

We usually do vacation packages so we can pay a little at a time and everything is paid for before we go. This time we won a trip and added on a couple nights to our trip. We are staying at the Disneyland hotel and when we added on the two extra nights they had us pay for the first night and the second we will pay when we come. I am trying to figure out our budget but am unsure how much they will hold. I know that they will hold the amount due for the last night but how much more will they hold for incidentals? We will also be driving so we will have a car. We will be there for 4 nights, we come on a Tuesday and leave on a Saturday. Would we be charged for 4 days of parking or 5? Do they hold the amount and charge it at the end for the last night or do you pay for it upon check in?
I am also trying to figure out if I should use my visa/debt card or just my regular credit card. The money I have allocated for our trip will be in our checking but I am wondering if I should put some of that on the credit card instead and pay that way. I would rather it just all come out of the checking but I am worried about the holds.
Like I said, paying it this way is new for us and we usually stay on Harbor so just trying to get all my ducks in a row before hand. Thanks for your advise!

 

[Malcon10t]

I try very hard not to place holds on my checking account. I have had too many problems with the holds not dropping off.

What usually happens for us is the hold is usually for about $100 more than the hotel cost. And it is charged at check out. If you pay cash, they won't hold that amount on the CC. Or, what we have done is having them charge a specific amount on one card, and use the credit card to place a hold for the balance.

 

[ParkHopper1]

They will not "charge" anything beyond your first night deposit that you already paid until check out. If you use a credit card upon check in, they will run an authorization for the full stay plus incidentals, but on a CC, it should not show up as a hold. If you use a debit card however, they will hold that amount and can take up to 10 days to release.

For your scenario, I would put down your credit card upon check in. Then on day of check out you can go to the front desk and pay with your debit card and they will not charge your credit card.

And parking is based on the number on night you stay, not the number of days in the lot.

 

[Malcon10t]

They will not "charge" anything beyond your first night deposit that you already paid until check out. If you use a credit card upon check in, they will run an authorization for the full stay plus incidentals, but on a CC, it should not show up as a hold.

I use an American Express for most travel. Upon checking into the hotel, an authorization or hold is placed, and can be seen as a "pending charge". This amount is deducted from my available credit. Thus, to me, this is a hold.

 

[Astylla]

I use an American Express for most travel. Upon checking into the hotel, an authorization or hold is placed, and can be seen as a "pending charge". This amount is deducted from my available credit. Thus, to me, this is a hold.

This is true. This is why I also advise using an actual credit card versus a debit card because the credit card holds tend on average to be much shorter. Coming from someone who had to explain this process daily at the front desk.

I know some people don't have credit cards for personal reasons and usually most banks have pre-paid ones that can work as an alternative.

We use our Disney Visa for all hotel stays/deposits and have had to change plans so many times and we never have waited more than a day or two before the hold was lifted at all various hotels.

For any specific numbers contact the hotel directly and ask your credit card provider on their policies on it too for additional help.

 

[Mickeybell]

Ok. Thank you all for the information. This helps me a lot in figuring out my plans.

I think I will definitely not use my visa/debit and just use my credit card instead. I don't want a hold for that long on our checking.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

We used our Visa/debit card in February and they charged the balance immediately. No additional amount was "held".