New Credit Card Authorization Holds

[Iowamomof4]

Checked into the Beach Club at 9:00am. Funny aside: guard at parking gate could not find the reservation in my name checking in today. He said the system had us checking in in February and checking out next week?! This made me stop by the front desk just to make sure all was good.

Cast member at desk said we did not have charging privileges set up even though I entered my information at home. Gave the cc and set up the pin. The $100 hold was placed.

We had lunch and (many) drinks at Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge and charged the meal, $202, back to the room no problems. After riding TSMM, I purchased something in the shop at the exit. I tried to charge back to the room but was told I did not have charging privileges.

Went to guest services but they could not help except to say go to the front desk.

Spent 45 minutes at front desk sorting things out. Was first told it was our credit card causing the decline and the card to drop off our folio. Called cc, nope- plenty of room on cc and they were aware we were traveling plus their records showed no decline on their end.

Back to desk, spoke with manger on duty who said issue is often caused by addresses between Disney and cc not matching. Not it either, they match. Manager reapplied cc to folio but said no guarantee that it will not drop off again if we charge above the $100 limit. She said she has no preventative measures , just to please some back if it happens again. I told her it was embarrassing to be told that your charging privileges are declined when the problems is theirs and not ours and that to pullout cash or cc for transactions will make us spend way less this week.

Thanks for reading the vent. I knew this might happen but was hopeful it wouldn’t after reading some reports.

Aside from the charging issue, a fun first day!

In your situation, I would absolutely just carry the credit card with me in the park (not a bad idea anyway). Unless you were planning to pay off with gift cards (or cash?), there's no reason to not just cut out the middle man and charge at the point of sale -- SINCE your magic band will likely not work as soon as you go over $100. I know it's a pain, but if it helps you just be able to enjoy yourselves and not be running to guest services or the front desk all the time, it would be worth it to me. YMMV, of course. Hope you can enjoy the rest of your trip whatever you decide to do!

 

[smmco]

I don't think I've ever stayed at a hotel that didn't add on pending charges each night. I'm not sure what the big deal is? Disney's probably been ripped off enough they needed to make the change. I've also never had pending charges not fall off nor did I have an issue in June when I stayed at the Hyatt and Coronado Springs nor at the Waldorf in Cali last week. Its such normal practice for a hotel. Universal's hotels do it and I don't hear any complaints about it on the Universal threads.

 

[AngiTN]

@garada3
What brand (bank of issue) CC do you have? Wonder if there's any connection to certain brands having more issues than others?

 

[AngiTN]

I don't think I've ever stayed at a hotel that didn't add on pending charges each night. I'm not sure what the big deal is? Disney's probably been ripped off enough they needed to make the change. I've also never had pending charges not fall off nor did I have an issue in June when I stayed at the Hyatt and Coronado Springs nor at the Waldorf in Cali last week. Its such normal practice for a hotel. Universal's hotels do it and I don't hear any complaints about it on the Universal threads.

Yes. However, none of them do it the same way Disney does. Disney's process isn't to add on pending charges each night. Nor do they give you a $200 limit and then repeat that once you've spent it. (this is similar to what Disney used to do)
Disney's process is a hybrid of the two and it causes issues when the credit limit is not available, even though the amount actually spent is available. THAT is why there are problems.
There are times when a guest only spends $500, which they have no problems. But due to the way Disney has ran both authorizations and charges, the guest needs $1000 available, or more.
Everyone, to a person, has agreed that there are many valid reasons for them to change the way they run room charging. Just their way they've done it is convoluted and caused MANY issues (unwarranted) for their guest.

 

[Searc]

I don't think I've ever stayed at a hotel that didn't add on pending charges each night. I'm not sure what the big deal is? Disney's probably been ripped off enough they needed to make the change. I've also never had pending charges not fall off nor did I have an issue in June when I stayed at the Hyatt and Coronado Springs nor at the Waldorf in Cali last week. Its such normal practice for a hotel. Universal's hotels do it and I don't hear any complaints about it on the Universal threads.

None of those places are Disney operated. They have all kinds of IT issues, as evidenced almost every day on this board. Read the post on the previous page by garada3 and that is only the most recent post about it. The entire thread is filled with people having issues BECAUSE of Disney.

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

Ugh....hate to see people still having issues. Was hoping they had worked the bugs out. We go in three weeks. We still plan on charging to the room and going each night and paying off with gift cards like we are used to doing. The card we have on file will have a zero balance so hopefully easy to watch how they do the pends and such.

 

[Turksmom]

@garada3
What brand (bank of issue) CC do you have? Wonder if there's any connection to certain brands having more issues than others?

I mentioned on the other thread having the same issues (and more), so I'll put in my two cents for type of card. end of April/ early May trip used BMW issued card- no problems. Daughter's trip end of May/ early June used Chase Disney Visa- no problems. Mid-end of June Family trip- had BMW card attached, couldn't be processed (told it was problem with card, but card issuer said no), switched to Chase Disney- that wouldn't process either (Disney said problem with card, but Chase said no problem), switched to Citibank issued card-had to process with card reader at front desk (this is also when they said they couldn't just remove the card and charging privileges, even though we had no outstanding charges). The MB charging was still hit or miss, even though it appeared to stay connected to the room/ account

 

[smmco]

Yes. However, none of them do it the same way Disney does. Disney's process isn't to add on pending charges each night. Nor do they give you a $200 limit and then repeat that once you've spent it. (this is similar to what Disney used to do)
Disney's process is a hybrid of the two and it causes issues when the credit limit is not available, even though the amount actually spent is available. THAT is why there are problems.
There are times when a guest only spends $500, which they have no problems. But due to the way Disney has ran both authorizations and charges, the guest needs $1000 available, or more.
Everyone, to a person, has agreed that there are many valid reasons for them to change the way they run room charging. Just their way they've done it is convoluted and caused MANY issues (unwarranted) for their guest.

They probably need to come up with a better method. If I didn't have a card with a high credit limit I'd probably just not use the magic band and carry my card. Hopefully they get the issue sorted out. Disney wants to allow people the convenience of charging to room, but on the other hand I'm sure they've been screwed over by non-payers many times. I'm not sure what the solution is.

 

[garada3]

In your situation, I would absolutely just carry the credit card with me in the park (not a bad idea anyway). Unless you were planning to pay off with gift cards (or cash?), there's no reason to not just cut out the middle man and charge at the point of sale -- SINCE your magic band will likely not work as soon as you go over $100. I know it's a pain, but if it helps you just be able to enjoy yourselves and not be running to guest services or the front desk all the time, it would be worth it to me. YMMV, of course. Hope you can enjoy the rest of your trip whatever you decide to do!

We always carry some cash and a cc in case the system is down or we have a situation where we need access to funds without having to return to room.

@garada3
What brand (bank of issue) CC do you have? Wonder if there's any connection to certain brands having more issues than others?

Disney VISA with plenty of available credit so the authorization and then the actual charge are not the issue.

Based on conversation with manager last night and their efforts to resolve the issue, we tried to charge two cookies back to the room today. Nope - denied. Paid cash.

Returned to desk, spoke with a different manager. Offered guest recovery and said I didn’t want recovery, I would like the issue fixed.

All staff at the front desk have been professional and polite and have tried their best to help me resolve the issue.

Have plans to bring our three sons next summer for an everyone is 21 celebration. How will we manage multiple people in different places all charging back to our card since the trip will be our treat? Unless Disney fixes this, what I want to do next summer will not be possible.

Please just allow me to tell you the amount I want to authorize for room charging for gsakes!

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

So we are prepared if this happens do all the small carts (ones that sell bottled water and such) able to take Disney Gift Cards now or is it cash only (other than MB's).

 

[AngiTN]

So we are prepared if this happens do all the small carts (ones that sell bottled water and such) able to take Disney Gift Cards now or is it cash only (other than MB's).

No idea about ALL but we have found some that still can only take cash. Tried 2 weeks ago to make a purchase for a bottle of water and she couldn't take bands. Or cards (no scanner of any sort)

 

[AngiTN]

We always carry some cash and a cc in case the system is down or we have a situation where we need access to funds without having to return to room.



Disney VISA with plenty of available credit so the authorization and then the actual charge are not the issue.

Based on conversation with manager last night and their efforts to resolve the issue, we tried to charge two cookies back to the room today. Nope - denied. Paid cash.

Returned to desk, spoke with a different manager. Offered guest recovery and said I didn’t want recovery, I would like the issue fixed.

All staff at the front desk have been professional and polite and have tried their best to help me resolve the issue.

Have plans to bring our three sons next summer for an everyone is 21 celebration. How will we manage multiple people in different places all charging back to our card since the trip will be our treat? Unless Disney fixes this, what I want to do next summer will not be possible.

Please just allow me to tell you the amount I want to authorize for room charging for gsakes!

I can't fathom what is causing issues with some guests and not others. Not this particular issue at least.
Other than, there was 1 trip, it was last October so before this new policy. I was at AKL and it took several hours for them to resolve my charging issue. It threw a code that NO ONE anywhere, had ever seen. From resort manager to many departments the spoke to on the phone. They called everyone and they tried everything.
The room charge had processed as it used to, wee hours before we arrived. It was using a MB that just would not work. They tried over and over, different things. Different attempts at charging, in the resort store. Finally, something they did worked. It would not have been an issue to use my card instead but I had the time and it had become a battle over the computer at that point. I wasn't going to let the darn thing win. We got a few different items in the store as "gifts" while they tested. Small snacks, etc. Anyway, that all to mention there are times, even before this, they just couldn't get the darn things to work. This was the only stay we'd ever had that particular issue. I mean, I've had charging issues on many trips, all before the policy change. On all those it was because a box somewhere hadn't been clicked right. One trip it took GS at AK to figure out what box was overlooked. We've had 1 trip since the new policy came about where our card didn't save so charging was never turned on. I didn't worry about it that time as it was a very short trip.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We took our first trip to WDW since this new policy took place in June this year.

In the past we have always charged everything to the room via magic band. This year we charged one item to our band, DH did it when I wasn't looking!

I did not want to spend any of our precious Disney time dealing with these issues, so we used cash and our own CC. We ended up spending quite a bit less than previous trips as using the MB is so easy. Pulling out cash and using our CC kept us aware of our spending and we spent less. I am sure we are not the only ones to experience this.

I hope they change the policy to a more user friendly policy for all involved.

 

[bocaj1431]

Ok, after reading this thread And the different experiences with the hold I decided to call DW to find out what the hold means. I spoke with one rep for 30 min who initially told me about her personal experiences and when I had specific questions I was told there is no official policy. I asked if there was a way to speak to the front desk staff at the hotel to get specifics and she told me there is no way to speak directly to the hotel. She said I could ask these questions upon check in.
For my second attempt at getting the information, I used a guest services number for pop century. I Spoke to a very nice CM but he also avoided the direct question of whether or not there is only one $100 hold and charges or several $100 holds and charges, He said he would put me through to a Guest relations Manager. She told me the problem with holds occurs when someone uses a debit card or has a low limit on there CC. She suggested I use a credit card and not a debit card. So ultimately, if I understood what she was saying, there is a $100 hold and once you have charged that much $100 is then charged to your card then another $100 hold and once you again charge $100 or more the card is then again charged and then another $100 hold is placed. So if you use a CC it doesn’t affect you but if using a debit card the numerous holds will possibly cause problems. Hopefully this helps and hopefully it’s accurate.

 

[Dreaming of Cali]

I started reading this thread today, I wasn’t previously aware of this policy since we have not been to WDW since May 2018 before it was implemented.
So if I’m understanding correctly, there is one initial $100 authorization to the room upon check in. If you use a gift card, cc, or debit card for all incidentals rather than charging to your Magic Bands, then no other holds will be placed on your stored card. Is that correct? I apologize for beating a dead horse. I just need the reassurance lol.

 

[Turksmom]

I started reading this thread today, I wasn’t previously aware of this policy since we have not been to WDW since May 2018 before it was implemented.
So if I’m understanding correctly, there is one initial $100 authorization to the room upon check in. If you use a gift card, cc, or debit card for all incidentals rather than charging to your Magic Bands, then no other holds will be placed on your stored card. Is that correct? I apologize for beating a dead horse. I just need the reassurance lol.

That is correct.

 

[Searc]

Ok, after reading this thread And the different experiences with the hold I decided to call DW to find out what the hold means. I spoke with one rep for 30 min who initially told me about her personal experiences and when I had specific questions I was told there is no official policy. I asked if there was a way to speak to the front desk staff at the hotel to get specifics and she told me there is no way to speak directly to the hotel. She said I could ask these questions upon check in.
For my second attempt at getting the information, I used a guest services number for pop century. I Spoke to a very nice CM but he also avoided the direct question of whether or not there is only one $100 hold and charges or several $100 holds and charges, He said he would put me through to a Guest relations Manager. She told me the problem with holds occurs when someone uses a debit card or has a low limit on there CC. She suggested I use a credit card and not a debit card. So ultimately, if I understood what she was saying, there is a $100 hold and once you have charged that much $100 is then charged to your card then another $100 hold and once you again charge $100 or more the card is then again charged and then another $100 hold is placed. So if you use a CC it doesn’t affect you but if using a debit card the numerous holds will possibly cause problems. Hopefully this helps and hopefully it’s accurate.

*sigh* It isn't even close to being accurate and you didn't speak to anyone at Pop. You spoke to someone at the same call center you get whenever you dial any number at WDW.

People, stop calling WDW to get information. Ask on this board before you resort to wasting your time with the phone CM's.

 

[Searc]

I started reading this thread today, I wasn’t previously aware of this policy since we have not been to WDW since May 2018 before it was implemented.
So if I’m understanding correctly, there is one initial $100 authorization to the room upon check in. If you use a gift card, cc, or debit card for all incidentals rather than charging to your Magic Bands, then no other holds will be placed on your stored card. Is that correct? I apologize for beating a dead horse. I just need the reassurance lol.

There is only a $100 hold placed on your check in day if you do online check in and/or choose to allow charging on your magic bands. If you don't want to use your magic bands for room charges, there will be no hold placed.

 

[AngiTN]

*sigh* It isn't even close to being accurate and you didn't speak to anyone at Pop. You spoke to someone at the same call center you get whenever you dial any number at WDW.

People, stop calling WDW to get information. Ask on this board before you resort to wasting your time with the phone CM's.

Yeah, the CMs are never going to give you an answer with an exact procedure in place.
It's not exactly the same for 2 guests, or even 1 guest on 2 trips. Heck, some of it isn't even in Disney's hands since credit card companies policies are also involved. So really, there's no answer at all as to how it will be done.
Aside from, if you have room only, they do not process the payment in full prior to arrival. They do process a preauthorization of the balance for the room +$100.
Then, it's simply impossible to tell you what will happen because it's too varied based on how you use your band and if you pay towards it during your trip.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I was at Disney World in late July and I did a split stay at Beach Club Villas and Polynesian Villas.

For each resort, I had multiple pending charges on my credit card for $100 or just over that; basically one pending charge per day. However, early on the morning of checkout, the pending charges all dropped and changed to the the exact amount that had been charged to my band. There was an additional charge that hit a few days later for the exact amount I charged to the magic band on check out day.