New Credit Card Authorization Holds

[Samantha Morgan]

Even a 75 dollar per night hold would be more in line with industry standards. And as long as it's clearly explained in your booking documents, I don't think it would be a huge deal. If your card CANNOT carry the per night charge, then you would not be able to charge to the room.

YES! I think they main point here is “Clearly defined”. That is severely lacking here.

Not to mention, $100 is too low simply because practically every purchase exceeds that. So it means each day is a new hold. Hardly anyone will go a day without a new hold.
I get they were running into a whole lot of chargebacks. Truly I do. Letting people run up a $2000 charge first was probably really biting them in the butt quite often.
But to go from $2000 to $100 is a bit of an extreme. Surely there was something in between that would work better.
Leave it to Disney to come up with a solution that "throws the baby out with the bathwater"

They should have put out ranges like:
Between $1-399 will have $X hold; $400-$699 will have $X hold $700-$999 will have $X hold. $1000 and above have $X hold. Then guests would clearly be able to know where they stand and stay hold to expect.

 

[kmmfl2va]

For those following how long it takes the holds to drop off...we’ve been back 2 1/2 weeks and they’re still there.

 

[AngiTN]

For those following how long it takes the holds to drop off...we’ve been back 2 1/2 weeks and they’re still there.

The more important item here is what processing company. THAT is who really controls how fast they fall off more than Disney

 

[EACarlson]

Can we get data points on what card companies people are using and how long the holds go before dropping off? I'm specifically interested in Chase and AMEX since I'm still debating which cardo to attach to my room.

 

[bumbershoot]

Wading back in... The day before I checked out in Feb there was a message on the phone about the changes the following day. I was glad I'd just missed it.

This would be problematic for those who don't have a high enough credit limit on their card to handle the $1000+ hold. With the approach they have adopted, people with modest amounts of available credit on their card are still ok, as long as they only charge small amounts to their room or pay off room balances every day or two with gift cards, cash or debit card.

So now the people of modest amounts of credit have to have the CASH available to pay, and not have a week or so of float like others before they pay their CC bill (I've been on youneedabudget, so I don't use credit like credit and I pay the CC every week or two). Doesn't seem right, does it?

I almost didn't have a credit card because my credit union (Disney) threatened to take it away if I didn't start using it.

Disney has a credit union? Cool.

Thing is there could be other people that only use a debit card and do not have credit cards.

Yep. Or a low limit credit card while rebuilding credit post-divorce.

can we just opt NOT to be able to charge to the Magicband/room?

Yes.

And hi Cheryl! Long time no see!

My main issue is that I like doing online checkin, and that now requires a card. I worry that the hold will be put there because they assume you want to use charging. With my low limit CC even that $100 could become an issue.

But meh, I went a LONG time barely ever using room-charging. The only time I really ever did was the two times there were such issues at the resorts taht we got a credit. Room credits are used via room charging. So you had to set up room charging.

So...if I have an issue again (please no), I'll have to set up room charging, and get hit with authorizations each day, to use the credit....? Laughable.

Leave it to Disney to come up with a solution that "throws the baby out with the bathwater"

So darned true.

I know! Add that to the easy peasy MB swiping that Disney implemented in part I believe, to make spending easier, and you have a problem.

It's what they are good at! Make something nice, advertise it like crazy until it's a problem, and go nuclear on it rather than make normal limits.

For those following how long it takes the holds to drop off...we’ve been back 2 1/2 weeks and they’re still there.

Ugh.

 

[Patches Lee]

I'd hate to compare but hotels at Uni allow you to tell them how much of an initial hold to put through equaling up to 200/day if I remember correctly. I already knew our spending budget in that case and put our hold at that. If Disney would allow us to set a higher initial hold, the charge backs would be the same, but not so many transactions to track. I was planning to bring only my vacation card, but if there is a chance my bank denies the charges because of suspicion activities, I'd be without funds until straightened out. So guess I will have to bring my normal bank card as well now.

 

[jbethel77]

Is anyone else going to start sending guest services complaints?
Obviously not insisting they go back to the old method since I’m sure they were getting burned... so I’m understanding of the need for a policy change.

But, maybe they need to hear some complaints that they need do handle it much differently. Like posters have said, other hotels/resorts do this, but in a different way. And Disney is a whole different kind of vacation than most with all of the charging available, $100 is kind of a joke!

Probably a long shot, and no changes will happen... but you never know..

 

[Nancyg56]

Is anyone else willing to start sending guest services complaints?
Obviously not insisting they go back to the old method since I’m sure they were getting burned... so I’m understanding of the need for a policy change.

But, maybe they need to hear some complaints that they need do handle it much differently.
Probably a long shot, and no changes will happen... but you never know..

I am not willing to send a complaint because I think that adjusting how I spend is easier. I am not going to speak for anyone else on how they choose to manage their vacations, but moving forward my family is going to simply pay as we go. The change will not make a difference in how much we spend, that is planned in advance, and we never go over. I will still put a card up for online checkin, but even not doing that is no problem for me. I do not need to go straight to my room, and actually like the checkin at that desk process.

I do believe that for any business, the results of a decision are key, and no amount of blathering changes the decision. Action will. If people are inconvenienced by this change, and therefore their spending habits change, Disney will revisit the policy. Frankly, I think that as a company they got themselves into this mess because they were so absorbed in how easily spending was going to be, and how much money they could make, they never looked at the previous bad balances left at their resorts, and then looked ahead to see if this could multiply. A $2000 line of credit just because a guest chose to stay at a deluxe resort? Really? Did no one at the planning side see this as a potential concern to extend that kind of credit?

Anyway, the business needs to feel a loss before a change is made. If the way in which holds are placed negatively impacts guest, they may need to drastically reduce spending before someone at Disney figures out why the revenues are not as planned. I firmly believe that they will have to adjust, but will not unless they feel pain. If listening as their strong suit, they would not be in the boat they sometimes find themselves in.

 

[jbethel77]

I am not willing to send a complaint because I think that adjusting how I spend is easier. I am not going to speak for anyone else on how they choose to manage their vacations, but moving forward my family is going to simply pay as we go. The change will not make a difference in how much we spend, that is planned in advance, and we never go over. I will still put a card up for online checkin, but even not doing that is no problem for me. I do not need to go straight to my room, and actually like the checkin at that desk process.

We also don’t plan to change our spending, Going to buy a gift card & pay as we go at the parks instead of charging with our MB’s.
I understand your point, eventually they will have to make a change if it’s affecting them in a negative way. Time will tell..
I can’t help but be curious how this is affecting everyone else (who isn’t on Disboards)? You know the resorts are prob all close to capacity during spring break, so I’m wondering if the resort cast members are dealing with a lot of complaints?
Maybe not... maybe there’s only a select few this causes issues for.
I plan to send a complaint... if anything to try to get more clarification.

 

[Nancyg56]

We also don’t plan to change our spending, Going to buy a gift card & pay as we go at the parks instead of charging with our MB’s.
I understand your point, eventually they will have to make a change if it’s affecting them in a negative way. Time will tell..
I can’t help but be curious how this is affecting everyone else (who isn’t on Disboards)? You know the resorts are prob all close to capacity during spring break, so I’m wondering if the resort cast members are dealing with a lot of complaints?
Maybe not... maybe there’s only a select few this causes issues for.
I plan to send a complaint... if anything to try to get more clarification.

I am not sure, basically because I am not sure they "clearly define" anything to everyone. I know how we travel. We take cash and we are sure we have plenty of open credit for an emergency. I do not leave with anything charged to my card. On departure day if we use our bands for meals, I am sure to write CASH in big letters where the tip is outlined.

If there are folks who get blindsided by holds applied to their cards, either credit, or YIKES! Debit, and a problem arises, I am sure the CM will be the first to know, and that might be unpleasant.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Is anyone else going to start sending guest services complaints?
Obviously not insisting they go back to the old method since I’m sure they were getting burned... so I’m understanding of the need for a policy change.

But, maybe they need to hear some complaints that they need do handle it much differently. Like posters have said, other hotels/resorts do this, but in a different way. And Disney is a whole different kind of vacation than most with all of the charging available, $100 is kind of a joke!

Probably a long shot, and no changes will happen... but you never know..

Placing a hold on a credit card is standard practice in the hotel and rental car industries, to name two of them. I've seen a hold of $250 for a hotel room that was only $130 a night for a hotel in North Carolina (not Disney) and Enterprise rental car places a $250 hold when you rent a car. Both of those holds are less than the $100 Disney places on your account when you check in.

The only guests that this new policy are going to affect are people who don't have enough a big enough credit limit on their credit cards to handle these costs. Those people are going to have to change the way they pay for vacations. They should plan on incurring the initial $100 hold and then if they need to, pay their charges off daily. Then they won't have anything to worry about.

 

[Nancyg56]

Placing a hold on a credit card is standard practice in the hotel and rental car industries, to name two of them. I've seen a hold of $250 for a hotel room that was only $130 a night for a hotel in North Carolina (not Disney) and Enterprise rental car places a $250 hold when you rent a car. Both of those holds are less than the $100 Disney places on your account when you check in.

The only guests that this new policy are going to affect are people who don't have enough a big enough credit limit on their credit cards to handle these costs. Those people are going to have to change the way they pay for vacations. They should plan on incurring the initial $100 hold and then if they need, pay their daily charges off daily. Then they won't have anything to worry about.

You are looking at the initial 100 hold. I think people are worried about the incremental holds that may be placed while they stay.
If Enterprise placed additional holds after incremental mileage increases that would affect how people looked at that hold.
You also are ignoring that many peole use their debit cards as security, and the holds may affect them and their available balances differently.

I do agree that people will need to change how they approach WDW spending asked on their own individual circumstances.

 

[jbethel77]

Placing a hold on a credit card is standard practice in the hotel and rental car industries, to name two of them. I've seen a hold of $250 for a hotel room that was only $130 a night for a hotel in North Carolina (not Disney) and Enterprise rental car places a $250 hold when you rent a car. Both of those holds are less than the $100 Disney places on your account when you check in.

The only guests that this new policy are going to affect are people who don't have enough a big enough credit limit on their credit cards to handle these costs. Those people are going to have to change the way they pay for vacations. They should plan on incurring the initial $100 hold and then if they need to, pay their charges off daily. Then they won't have anything to worry about.

As I stated... I completely understand why they had to make the change. I completely understand that this is standard practice at other hotels & businesses. I am totally okay with Disney placing a hold on my card to cover themselves. My problem lies with the way they are doing it.

 

[Searc]

I did online check in to expedite check in process for today. I was just notified Disney charged (charged, not a hold) $100 to my account. I am still at home.

 

[Nancyg56]

As I stated... I completely understand why they had to make the change. I completely understand that this is standard practice at other hotels & businesses. I am totally okay with Disney placing a hold on my card to cover themselves. My problem lies with the way they are doing it.

I am kind of surprised at the lack of empathy for guests who are now faced with a problem. I remember when my family was growing and my circumstances were different. WDW is not exactly like other vacation destinations, and when they drop the hammer they don't do it gently so as to cause a small dent. Nope. It crashes down and the cracks spread out indiscriminately.

 

[Nancyg56]

I did online check in to expedite check in process for today. I was just notified Disney charged (charged, not a hold) $100 to my account. I am still at home.

Interesting. They just cannot get it right.

 

[Dug720]

Placing a hold on a credit card is standard practice in the hotel and rental car industries, to name two of them. I've seen a hold of $250 for a hotel room that was only $130 a night for a hotel in North Carolina (not Disney) and Enterprise rental car places a $250 hold when you rent a car. Both of those holds are less than the $100 Disney places on your account when you check in.

The only guests that this new policy are going to affect are people who don't have enough a big enough credit limit on their credit cards to handle these costs. Those people are going to have to change the way they pay for vacations. They should plan on incurring the initial $100 hold and then if they need to, pay their charges off daily. Then they won't have anything to worry about.

I know it is early and math is not my best subject, but...

How is $250 less than $100?

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

I did online check in to expedite check in process for today. I was just notified Disney charged (charged, not a hold) $100 to my account. I am still at home.

YIKES! After reading the posts yesterday I called and made my last room payment with a GC. DH and I have decided to use a GC for food and pay as we go. I have plenty of credit and pay my card off every month but don't want the headache of those holds.

 

[Searc]

This is a Chase SW Visa, btw. I don't have my disney visa on MDE.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I did online check in to expedite check in process for today. I was just notified Disney charged (charged, not a hold) $100 to my account. I am still at home.

I have text notifications of online purchase to my Disney Visa. I was notified that WDW had put through $100 charge before I arrived. It was never a charge though. It was always pending until I checked out.