New Credit Card Authorization Holds

[AngiTN]

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.

Curious, if you hadn't known to watch re: this odd policy and procedure, would you have even noticed there was a change in how they did it?
I know I wouldn't have. If I'd just checked my statement at the end of the billing period it would appear like any other trip, other than the date the room payment processed. I only noticed because I checked my activity on the app just to see how or what charges went on the card.

 

[Searc]

Curious, if you hadn't known to watch re: this odd policy and procedure, would you have even noticed there was a change in how they did it?
I know I wouldn't have. If I'd just checked my statement at the end of the billing period it would appear like any other trip, other than the date the room payment processed. I only noticed because I checked my activity on the app just to see how or what charges went on the card.

I would have noticed, since I receive text alerts whenever more than $1 is charged to my credit card (put in place after my credit card number was stolen and used). The holds Disney places are categorized as charges on my Disney Visa so I received a notification any time a hold was placed.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

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.

I think you'll be fine if it works the way it did for me. The holds they placed never went beyond pending until the final balance was charged, so if you're paying it off before the morning of check-out, you should be fine. You may just want to use another form of payment on your check-out day.

The "view folio" on the MDE app was really helpful to follow along on the charges. If I recall correctly, the pending holds did not show on the folio as being charged to the card, but the actual charge early on the last morning did show up in the folio list.

 

[AngiTN]

I would have noticed, since I receive text alerts whenever more than $1 is charged to my credit card (put in place after my credit card number was stolen and used). The holds Disney places are categorized as charges on my Disney Visa so I received a notification any time a hold was placed.

Ok, without a text alert for every charge, would you have noticed? In other words, if we didn't have apps and websites to watch charges, and it was all done off a paper statement like the olden days, would guests have noticed? Sure, those who have issues charging would, that's obvious. Just those that don't, I wonder if they'd notice?

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Curious, if you hadn't known to watch re: this odd policy and procedure, would you have even noticed there was a change in how they did it?
I know I wouldn't have. If I'd just checked my statement at the end of the billing period it would appear like any other trip, other than the date the room payment processed. I only noticed because I checked my activity on the app just to see how or what charges went on the card.

No, I would not have noticed, because the only charges showing up now after the fact are the ones that match the exact spending totals.

I tracked all my spending on a blank envelope that I kept all my receipts in during the trip, so I was able to cross-check my room charges with what I knew I had spent, and everything was exact to the penny in the end.

Also, counter service mobile orders are charged directly to your card on file in the app, so those were separate charges on my credit card.

 

[sethschroeder]

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.

There are a couple options.

- allow me to put a credit on the account (credit card, debit, cash)
- allow to tie my Disney gift cards to my room or my magic band (to magic band could open up option to off site)
- connect directly to Disney Chase cards which would give Disney your credit limit and active spending

 

[AngiTN]

There are a couple options.

- allow me to put a credit on the account (credit card, debit, cash)
- allow to tie my Disney gift cards to my room or my magic band (to magic band could open up option to off site)
- connect directly to Disney Chase cards which would give Disney your credit limit and active spending

The 4th one which would change very little in efforts on their part would be to up the dag blame limit above $100. The majority of the problems that happen are from the sheer volume of authorizations they process for a given guest over the course of a trip. $100 is nothing to spend in one sitting at Disney. As a result of such a low amount they have multiple charge authorizations. If they made it $500 think how few they'd have. Or at least greatly reduced. And the rest would be the same, only need authorizations and will process the final charge just like they do now. Heck, if anything, that is fewer processings they have to do, fewer accounting entries to keep up with.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

The 4th one which would change very little in efforts on their part would be to up the dag blame limit above $100. The majority of the problems that happen are from the sheer volume of authorizations they process for a given guest over the course of a trip. $100 is nothing to spend in one sitting at Disney. As a result of such a low amount they have multiple charge authorizations. If they made it $500 think how few they'd have. Or at least greatly reduced. And the rest would be the same, only need authorizations and will process the final charge just like they do now. Heck, if anything, that is fewer processings they have to do, fewer accounting entries to keep up with.

This is very similar to how it used to be, except I think it wasn't just a hold, but an actual charge. I think the values charged at $500, the moderates at $1000, and the deluxe level at $1500. I also think this was separate to charging the balance of room-only reservations upon check-in.

I do agree with you that upping the pending charge would lead to far fewer pending transactions and therefore fewer opportunity for errors. The charges to my room were actually less than $500, so in that case, I would not have had any pending charges until the final balance was put through on my check-out day.

 

[ninafeliz]

This is very similar to how it used to be, except I think it wasn't just a hold, but an actual charge. I think the values charged at $500, the moderates at $1000, and the deluxe level at $1500. I also think this was separate to charging the balance of room-only reservations upon check-in.

I do agree with you that upping the pending charge would lead to far fewer pending transactions and therefore fewer opportunity for errors. The charges to my room were actually less than $500, so in that case, I would not have had any pending charges until the final balance was put through on my check-out day.

But in my understanding, the old way had not holds at all, which caused the problem for disney. Those were charging limits, and once you hit them (or were close, we had it happen earlier) they would then actually charge your card and then start over. So Disney was apparently running into issues where they would go to charge a card and it was declined, and they didn't get paid and had to then try to get the money from the guest. But instead of doing holds for those amounts, or something like $500 as was mentioned above, they did $100 for some reason. That amount is low for a lot of people at disney, we can spend that much at some QS restaurants.

We didn't have any problems during our last stay, and as @AngiTN was mentioning above I didn't notice any difference when we used the card I don't have as easy of online access to or texts set up for (other than they charged our RO stay at the end of the stay along with our incidentals instead of when we checked in, and I wouldn't have even noticed that if it hadn't caused issues with using a different card for the room vs charging privileges).

 

[AngiTN]

This is very similar to how it used to be, except I think it wasn't just a hold, but an actual charge. I think the values charged at $500, the moderates at $1000, and the deluxe level at $1500. I also think this was separate to charging the balance of room-only reservations upon check-in.

I do agree with you that upping the pending charge would lead to far fewer pending transactions and therefore fewer opportunity for errors. The charges to my room were actually less than $500, so in that case, I would not have had any pending charges until the final balance was put through on my check-out day.

Yes, exactly, but they'd upped those amounts to $1500 at both Value and Mod and $2000 at Deluxe. I can see how that was too high, and processing no payments till check out could leave them with many unpaid bills they had to collect on. Switch to the current method but upping the figure would be a good compromise.

 

[frannn]

Haven't read thru the entire thread but got the general idea that we'll have multiple 100/holds (for each day we use the cc) to our cc on file. I bought a bunch of gift cards to combine and cover tips, incidentals, and souvies, but am thinking it would be unwise to put all that $ on one card. BTW... will the restaurants allow me to put the tips on a gift card? I'm thinking I could leave the main cards in the safe, and transfer over however much I'll need for the day on a separate gift card to carry with me. Or, is there another way to pay with a magic band and avoid a ton of holds?

 

[bluezy]

The 4th one which would change very little in efforts on their part would be to up the dag blame limit above $100. The majority of the problems that happen are from the sheer volume of authorizations they process for a given guest over the course of a trip. $100 is nothing to spend in one sitting at Disney. As a result of such a low amount they have multiple charge authorizations. If they made it $500 think how few they'd have. Or at least greatly reduced. And the rest would be the same, only need authorizations and will process the final charge just like they do now. Heck, if anything, that is fewer processings they have to do, fewer accounting entries to keep up with.

Totally agree. The $100 limit is ridiculously low for Disney stays. One would think that Disney could run a report to find the average amount of $$ guests charge to their room per day and come up with a much more realistic number than $100. We have 5 "kids" (all teens/college age/adults) -- even if only 3 of them are traveling with us, we spend $100 just buying refillable mugs...and that's within an hour of arriving at our resort. We haven't even had lunch or dinner yet! We probably spend more than $100 by noon every day we're there and we typically eat breakfast in our room! If we get breakfast in a restaurant at the resort, we're over $100 before we've even gotten on a bus to a park. I realize that not everyone spends as much as us (especially if they're on a dining plan), but we certainly aren't the biggest spenders staying at Disney on any given day. I'd imagine we're closer to "average". Please, Disney, either change the hold to $500 (or even $250) or let the guests decide how much of a hold they would like you to place (with $100 being the minimum).

 

[sponica]

Totally agree. The $100 limit is ridiculously low for Disney stays. One would think that Disney could run a report to find the average amount of $$ guests charge to their room per day and come up with a much more realistic number than $100. We have 5 "kids" (all teens/college age/adults) -- even if only 3 of them are traveling with us, we spend $100 just buying refillable mugs...and that's within an hour of arriving at our resort. We haven't even had lunch or dinner yet! We probably spend more than $100 by noon every day we're there and we typically eat breakfast in our room! If we get breakfast in a restaurant at the resort, we're over $100 before we've even gotten on a bus to a park. I realize that not everyone spends as much as us (especially if they're on a dining plan), but we certainly aren't the biggest spenders staying at Disney on any given day. I'd imagine we're closer to "average". Please, Disney, either change the hold to $500 (or even $250) or let the guests decide how much of a hold they would like you to place (with $100 being the minimum).

I think when they ran the numbers, they didn't drop the customers using the dining plan. Think of it, if you have a dining plan those refillable cups are included, snacks/meals/etc whatever the combination is included. 100 dollars a day is probably a healthy number for incidentals if your dining is prepaid.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Haven't read thru the entire thread but got the general idea that we'll have multiple 100/holds (for each day we use the cc) to our cc on file. I bought a bunch of gift cards to combine and cover tips, incidentals, and souvies, but am thinking it would be unwise to put all that $ on one card. BTW... will the restaurants allow me to put the tips on a gift card? I'm thinking I could leave the main cards in the safe, and transfer over however much I'll need for the day on a separate gift card to carry with me. Or, is there another way to pay with a magic band and avoid a ton of holds?

You are able to add a tip if you use a gift card.
One way to pay with a MB without a lot of holds is the go to the front desk or concierge and pay the balance in the evening.

 

[AngiTN]

I think when they ran the numbers, they didn't drop the customers using the dining plan. Think of it, if you have a dining plan those refillable cups are included, snacks/meals/etc whatever the combination is included. 100 dollars a day is probably a healthy number for incidentals if your dining is prepaid.

Bingo! I too think this is why their $value for the hold was so incredibly low.
When there it's really obvious that a huge percentage of guests who are staying on property are using the dining plan. I'd go so far as to say a vast majority do. Even if they've bought the DP, not gotten it free. Disney's brainwashed everyone that it saves them money. At any rate, it's more than enough to skew the avg spent, that's for sure. A family of 4 with the DP will spend way less than a family of 4 without. If they'd drop the DP guests off, the avg spent per family will jump a lot.

 

[Sarafromcanada]

We just got back from a week long stay (split stay) and can confirm that you need to have double the amount of availability on your credit card because of the new hold policy. For the first part of the stay, we were on a package which was prepaid and we spent approx $1k on souvenirs, etc. There was (and still is after 5 days) a $1k hold, in addition to a $1k purchase on the card. Then for the second part of the stay, we were on a room only reservation. We had pre-paid one night, and the remainder ($2k) was to be paid when we checked in. They took the full $2k charge, plus a $2k hold (plus $100). There is a duplication. If one was worried about their available balance, this would be an issue. We have been home for two days and there are still the holds and the charges. So, we spent $3k, but it needs $6k in availability on your cards. This could be an issue for some, and so I thought it was important to post. If anyone wants, specifics, happy to answer any questions.

 

[bluezy]

I think when they ran the numbers, they didn't drop the customers using the dining plan. Think of it, if you have a dining plan those refillable cups are included, snacks/meals/etc whatever the combination is included. 100 dollars a day is probably a healthy number for incidentals if your dining is prepaid.

Bingo! I too think this is why their $value for the hold was so incredibly low.
When there it's really obvious that a huge percentage of guests who are staying on property are using the dining plan. I'd go so far as to say a vast majority do. Even if they've bought the DP, not gotten it free. Disney's brainwashed everyone that it saves them money. At any rate, it's more than enough to skew the avg spent, that's for sure. A family of 4 with the DP will spend way less than a family of 4 without. If they'd drop the DP guests off, the avg spent per family will jump a lot.

I completely agree -- something had to have skewed their numbers to come up with that $100 figure. Last summer we had the Summer Meal Deal which gave us 1 QS meal/person/night (no snacks, no mug). There were 5 of us in our room that trip (2 adults, 2 college age kids, 1 teen). We still charged $1000 to our room on a 7 night trip (approx. 6.5 days at the resort and in parks) -- and that didn't include our souvenirs because we always charge those directly to the Disney Visa to get the discount. So that $1,000 was basically snacks, drinks, and 1 QS meal a day per person. We didn't do any TS meals or special events (like a fireworks cruise) that trip or it would have been higher and we only got a few adult beverages and those were almost always included with our QS meal credits so not part of the $1000.

I also think A LOT of people -- especially first-time or once-in-a-lifetime visitors -- get the Dining Plan because they think it's an awesome deal. And plenty of people get it just because they like to have everything paid up front even if they're losing money by doing that. I wouldn't be surprised if most of those families charge less than $100 back to their room during the week. Heck, I'll bet a lot of people don't charge anything back to their rooms simply because they don't understand that you *can*. I have no doubt that if Disney only averaged out the guest spending by those parties who don't have any dining plan, that $100 figure would jump significantly.

 

[bocaj1431]

*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.

I did use a different telephone number found on all ears. But I knew it was not the front desk. I did speak with that departments manager. The DW cm is not going to lie about switching to a department manager.

I do not think it’s the best advice to tell people not to call DW for assistance. While this board is a wealth of information, it is clear, based on all the responses on this thread, there have been many different experiences with this new change.
This is very similar to the changes made when they added security checks. It is handled differently in each hotel, and many people have had different experiences with the new policy.
Just as there are varying experiences with the DAS.

While I also know you can get misinformation with DW assistance, as I noted in my first attempt for clarification on the holds, I personally feel better after discussing this with one of the department managers. She shared with me SOME of the issues that have arose,while personally dealing with the problems from the new policy.
Based on some of the problems shared here, it makes sense when using a debit card there might be problems.

I think using both DW assistance and the forum is helpful when dealing with issues such as this. Then you can go with what feels best for you.

 

[bocaj1431]

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.

That is exactly what the guest assistance manager explained to me. They are adding $100 holds based on your purchasing amounts and then they are all released on the day of checkout. That ensures they are getting paid. If the hold does not go through, then they discontinue your ability to charge to the room. If you are using a debit card, this can be a problem because the funds are not available the day they release the holds. You have to wait until your bank releases the hold. If you use a debit card it’s almost like you have to have double of what you are spending to ensure you have enough funds until the holds are released from your bank.

 

[kmg1107]

To clarify, if I pay the balance every night via GC, I’d avoid extra holds? Does this work even if our daily charges exceed $100? We’re traveling with family and taking care of their expenses. I’d like them to be able to use to use MB for charging but we’re doing a split stay with a large group ($$$) and those holds could add up quickly, mucking up available credit. Thanks for clarifying for me!