New Credit Card Authorization Holds

[Sajchinook2015]

Just got back last night from a 14 nite trip. We did 3 resorts this trip. I want to report my experience with the new credit card auth hold. We had 3 adults in the room. My mom, sister and myself. We all arrived with our own Disney gift cards and cash. My credit card was the one on file for all resorts. We do this every trip and someone each nite figures out what each one owes. We use TIW or the annual pass discounts and charge everything on the MB.

At the Contemporary we had the $100.00 hold put on my capital one card before we left to go to airport in the morning. We had a 6 o’clock flight. I will be rounding up the charges for my report as it is easier me me.
—ate at Contempo cafe $27.00
—ate at the new story brook dining at artist point $206.00
— had an additional 233.00 new hold on my card

On the next morning I went down and paid off the balance with gift cards.
—ate breakfast at Garden Grill at Epcot $117.00
— bought items at mousegears $25.00
— ate at Calf Grill $177.00
— had an additional $319.00 for new holds

On this morning I went down and paid off balance with the gifts cards
— ate at liberty tree tavern $90.00

We paid this off in the afternoon as we were leaving to move over to BWI in the morning and had the desert party that nite. When we left for the desert party we decided to eat at Casey’s and just paid cash.

The morning of the move I doubled checked the bill we received via email and it showed zero balance. I then checked my capital one and I had multiple charges pending. The grand total of pending charges was over 500.00. I also during this stay had 2 text messages asking if I charged or if this was a fraud charge. I did call capital one before I left and told them my travel dates and where. But the person said it was not necessary since it was in the USA . This is when I decided to change my cc on file for the BWI stay and use my Disney chase credit card. I didn’t want to get multiple text messages on possible fraud. The stay at BWI and using the Disney chase card was so much easier.

My family is now awake and I have to go. I will report back on my stay at BWI and using the Disney chase card.

 

[AngiTN]

Wanted to ask if at this time you can tell any difference on the account activity between the holds and your authorization charges (the ones you went to the desk to make)?
Are they appear as individual line items?
Do they all, for now, appear as pending?
Can you come back and also update how these charges change as the do move from pending to approved and final?

 

[AngiTN]

I do wonder too if Chase is getting more used to it and having fewer problems now?

 

[LVSWL]

I would be even more disappointed with Disney if using the Disney Chase card keeps you from having all of these issues. Something about that just smells funny to me. I do not want to go to the front desk for a single minute during my resort stay for this ridiculous system.

 

[AngiTN]

Don't know that Disney has anything to do with how this all works in this case. Chase has the say here. If they have fewer problems it's simply because they have more guests using that card and have encountered it so often at this point they no longer consider it unusual activity.

 

[gwynne]

I would be even more disappointed with Disney if using the Disney Chase card keeps you from having all of these issues. Something about that just smells funny to me. I do not want to go to the front desk for a single minute during my resort stay for this ridiculous system.

I agree with you. This whole thing has been set up in a way that almost guarantees issues if you regularly use the "magic" band.
And if the way to avoid problems turns out to be use the brand Chase, that's not very nice either.

 

[Barry Wimsett]

Hi there - simple question (i'll get there)
We are coming to Disney World in August - staying at Coronado Springs on the dining plan - now we have been 5 times previous to Disney but never stayed at a Disney hotel or been on the dining plan. So these charges to the magic band are confusing me. I was excited about not carrying a wallet or cash and charging goods and other things to my room account. But reading all the horror stories about money being earmarked and charges being done before the limit being hit is alarming me.
So simply my question is - is this my best option to charge items to my room via my magic band or do I just take cash and my wallet ?
Thanks
Barry

 

[norhel]

Hi there - simple question (i'll get there)
We are coming to Disney World in August - staying at Coronado Springs on the dining plan - now we have been 5 times previous to Disney but never stayed at a Disney hotel or been on the dining plan. So these charges to the magic band are confusing me. I was excited about not carrying a wallet or cash and charging goods and other things to my room account. But reading all the horror stories about money being earmarked and charges being done before the limit being hit is alarming me.
So simply my question is - is this my best option to charge items to my room via my magic band or do I just take cash and my wallet ?
Thanks
Barry

If you have a credit card with a good limit, I would put that on the room account and use the magic band.
On my credit card I have a very good limit, so having several holds on it don't bother me. But that just my opinion.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Hi there - simple question (i'll get there)
We are coming to Disney World in August - staying at Coronado Springs on the dining plan - now we have been 5 times previous to Disney but never stayed at a Disney hotel or been on the dining plan. So these charges to the magic band are confusing me. I was excited about not carrying a wallet or cash and charging goods and other things to my room account. But reading all the horror stories about money being earmarked and charges being done before the limit being hit is alarming me.
So simply my question is - is this my best option to charge items to my room via my magic band or do I just take cash and my wallet ?
Thanks
Barry

It seems like some credit card companies get suspicious of the multiple holds placed on the credit card account and you can have your card frozen by your credit card company. If that happens to you then you might want to have a second credit card with you. Since you are on the dining plan you wouldn't have as many charges on your band as someone who doesn't have the dining plan.

If it was me I would try to keep the charges to the MB at a minimum and use gift cards, cash or credit card at the point of sale for any big charges. We found that we used the MB the most when we were at the pool or a kiosk in the park. It is definitely very convenient to have the MB for charging.

 

[Barry Wimsett]

It seems like some credit card companies get suspicious of the multiple holds placed on the credit card account and you can have your card frozen by your credit card company. If that happens to you then you might want to have a second credit card with you. Since you are on the dining plan you wouldn't have as many charges on your band as someone who doesn't have the dining plan.

If it was me I would try to keep the charges to the MB at a minimum and use gift cards, cash or credit card at the point of sale for any big charges. We found that we used the MB the most when we were at the pool or a kiosk in the park. It is definitely very convenient to have the MB for charging.

Many thanks for the advice - much appreciated
Barry

 

[AngiTN]

Hi there - simple question (i'll get there)
We are coming to Disney World in August - staying at Coronado Springs on the dining plan - now we have been 5 times previous to Disney but never stayed at a Disney hotel or been on the dining plan. So these charges to the magic band are confusing me. I was excited about not carrying a wallet or cash and charging goods and other things to my room account. But reading all the horror stories about money being earmarked and charges being done before the limit being hit is alarming me.
So simply my question is - is this my best option to charge items to my room via my magic band or do I just take cash and my wallet ?
Thanks
Barry

Band and card.
Personally, I find it impossible to never carry a credit card
Yes, we use our bands as our primary charging choice
But, I always carry the same card that is tied to the band in my wallet also.
Disney's tech is glitchy. You never know when the band charging system will crap out. Or just the individual device the CM is using when you are making the purchase. I can't tell you how many times I've had where the one that CM had didn't work. Locked up, wouldn't sign on to the server, whatever. Rather than fight with it or wait around while they try to figure out what's wrong I just grab the card and pay instead. It's SOOOO much faster/easier. It's all the same money too. Besides that, I use a Disney Visa and I have to bring it along to access the photo ops.
Now, cash I really never have. DH might but that's not even likely. I've never yet in all our trips had a single time where the only way I could pay was via cash.

 

[GillianP1301]

I'm confused and I think it's because of so many comments around paying daily with gift cards, etc... With the scenario of only using your cc that is linked to your account that you are accessing via MB changes, my understanding from the policy Disney have posted is....

They will put a $100 hold on your cc at check-in. You can charge to your account via your MB and they settle your charges every 5th day + day of check-out. If your charges exceed the $100, they place a new hold. To me that is a rolling $100 hold, so you should never have pending charges on your cc of more than what you've actually charged to the account + the $100.

Is there something that I'm not understanding?

 

[LuvvsMickey]

Okay folks, I just read all 58 pages of posts and my eyes are crossed. I do have major cognitive issues so apologize in advance if I'm not understanding something that is said or may have already been posted. I'm trying to understand this new brainiac Disney policy and how it applies to our situation.

We are DVC members so stay on our points and no balances owing upon check in. We are Canadian. We use our magic bands to charge everything, especially when going during Food and Wine. Hey, those charges add up throughout the day! We do like to indulge.

Here are my concerns:

- We have a US dollar bank account which is a visa/debit/checking account in Georgia. We have a limit of 8 transactions per month. (ridiculous, but that's the deal) Before the new hold policy, we used to pay our charges at check out with one transaction from this account. Now, we won't be able to from what I understand. (because holds will have been used up in 6 days. We are there for 12 days)
- Our credit cards are Canadian and we pay a higher exchange rate on the dollar in addition to a 2.5% additional fee on US$ purchases. Our credit card is notorious for flagging for fraud. (even when notifying them of travel)
- We like the convenience of using our magic bands to charge everything. Instead of worrying about holds/double holds (actual purchases made plus Disney's new holds) and tying up our bank/credit card accounts, can we just give the front desk $2000 cash and apply it to our magic band account so we don't have to walk around with all of this cash in our pockets? We enjoy drinks and meals at the pool and don't really want to carry cash with us, know what I mean? From the horror stories I've read, it would be our luck to get down there and have our credit cards flagged and purchases declined by no fault of our own and time wasted trying to sort this crap out. I hope this is not clear as mud... people should not have to stress out on their vacation. It's bad enough that we have to plan our park days, dining options and fast passes by the hour. Next, it will be bathroom breaks. Gone are the days of just getting up and going and not having a care in the world.

 

[sponica]

I'm confused and I think it's because of so many comments around paying daily with gift cards, etc... With the scenario of only using your cc that is linked to your account that you are accessing via MB changes, my understanding from the policy Disney have posted is....

They will put a $100 hold on your cc at check-in. You can charge to your account via your MB and they settle your charges every 5th day + day of check-out. If your charges exceed the $100, they place a new hold. To me that is a rolling $100 hold, so you should never have pending charges on your cc of more than what you've actually charged to the account + the $100.

Is there something that I'm not understanding?

The problem is that every bank operates differently, and if you've used a debit card it's worse. Holds of 650 dollars + actual charges of 550= 1200 dollars. Some banks will deduct those holds from your balance. If you have a debit card the holds are generally removed from your available balance. On day 5 when the charges post and the holds are cancelled, and a new hold is applied, some banks (especially Capital One, apparently) tag this activity as fraudulent.

 

[Kingdome8]

I'm confused and I think it's because of so many comments around paying daily with gift cards, etc... With the scenario of only using your cc that is linked to your account that you are accessing via MB changes, my understanding from the policy Disney have posted is....

They will put a $100 hold on your cc at check-in. You can charge to your account via your MB and they settle your charges every 5th day + day of check-out. If your charges exceed the $100, they place a new hold. To me that is a rolling $100 hold, so you should never have pending charges on your cc of more than what you've actually charged to the account + the $100.

Is there something that I'm not understanding?

When I called they explained it as it will never be more then what you charged plus 100 hold. They say that the money u spend takes that hold spot and u get a new hold. Problem is some card companies are taking longer to release holds. I wish we could hear from people who have good experience and what type of card they used that released holds fast.

In June I do have dining plan. So I’m going to do the strategy of spending no more then 100 a day in band and paying off at night. If I’m correct should never have more then 1 hold? Is that right? Kinda annoying though. Lol

 

[AngiTN]

I'm confused and I think it's because of so many comments around paying daily with gift cards, etc... With the scenario of only using your cc that is linked to your account that you are accessing via MB changes, my understanding from the policy Disney have posted is....

They will put a $100 hold on your cc at check-in. You can charge to your account via your MB and they settle your charges every 5th day + day of check-out. If your charges exceed the $100, they place a new hold. To me that is a rolling $100 hold, so you should never have pending charges on your cc of more than what you've actually charged to the account + the $100.

Is there something that I'm not understanding?

Only the part of the holds staying on the credit card (or debit card) account for days. Often times, still showing as a pending charge when the actual charge is processed. Which usually even starts out as a pending charge too. This winds up with 2 charges crossing paths electronically. If you have enough of them happening it can really add up
Imagine the hold as a virtual charge and the actual purchase as a physical charge.
At some point, the virtual charge will disappear. Just how long that takes is wildly varied.
I think the vast majority also deduct this virtual charge, while it remains on the account, from your credit limit. If both sit there long enough it can really be a huge hit on accounts with low credit limits.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Okay folks, I just read all 58 pages of posts and my eyes are crossed. I do have major cognitive issues so apologize in advance if I'm not understanding something that is said or may have already been posted. I'm trying to understand this new brainiac Disney policy and how it applies to our situation.

We are DVC members so stay on our points and no balances owing upon check in. We are Canadian. We use our magic bands to charge everything, especially when going during Food and Wine. Hey, those charges add up throughout the day! We do like to indulge.

Here are my concerns:

- We have a US dollar bank account which is a visa/debit/checking account in Georgia. We have a limit of 8 transactions per month. (ridiculous, but that's the deal) Before the new hold policy, we used to pay our charges at check out with one transaction from this account. Now, we won't be able to from what I understand. (because holds will have been used up in 6 days. We are there for 12 days)
- Our credit cards are Canadian and we pay a higher exchange rate on the dollar in addition to a 2.5% additional fee on US$ purchases. Our credit card is notorious for flagging for fraud. (even when notifying them of travel)
- We like the convenience of using our magic bands to charge everything. Instead of worrying about holds/double holds (actual purchases made plus Disney's new holds) and tying up our bank/credit card accounts, can we just give the front desk $2000 cash and apply it to our magic band account so we don't have to walk around with all of this cash in our pockets? We enjoy drinks and meals at the pool and don't really want to carry cash with us, know what I mean? From the horror stories I've read, it would be our luck to get down there and have our credit cards flagged and purchases declined by no fault of our own and time wasted trying to sort this crap out. I hope this is not clear as mud... people should not have to stress out on their vacation. It's bad enough that we have to plan our park days, dining options and fast passes by the hour. Next, it will be bathroom breaks. Gone are the days of just getting up and going and not having a care in the world.

No, you can't give the front desk money in advance. You can only pay off your balance after you make charges to your account.

Your best bet is to go to the front desk every few nights to pay off your balance, after you return to the room. while technically you should be able to get away with going to the front desk every 5 days, I wouldn't wait that long, as there system doesn't seem to be that consistent.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

I'm confused and I think it's because of so many comments around paying daily with gift cards, etc... With the scenario of only using your cc that is linked to your account that you are accessing via MB changes, my understanding from the policy Disney have posted is....

They will put a $100 hold on your cc at check-in. You can charge to your account via your MB and they settle your charges every 5th day + day of check-out. If your charges exceed the $100, they place a new hold. To me that is a rolling $100 hold, so you should never have pending charges on your cc of more than what you've actually charged to the account + the $100.

Is there something that I'm not understanding?

That's how it should work... but some are reporting additional holds anyway. I would not depend on this working correctly.

 

[LuvvsMickey]

No, you can't give the front desk money in advance. You can only pay off your balance after you make charges to your account.

Your best bet is to go to the front desk every few nights to pay off your balance, after you return to the room. while technically you should be able to get away with going to the front desk every 5 days, I wouldn't wait that long, as there system doesn't seem to be that consistent.

Thank you for weighing in. That's what I figured. So, if I am understanding correctly, we will be charged a $100 hold upon check in and if we wish to avoid any further holds (and tying up bank account/credit card funds) we could simply stop by the desk each night and pay off the charges made for that day. However, if we charge over $100 throughout the day, and we definitely will, we are headed for trouble. Am I understanding this correctly? Not trying to beat a dead horse, I promise!

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Thank you for weighing in. That's what I figured. So, if I am understanding correctly, we will be charged a $100 hold upon check in and if we wish to avoid any further holds (and tying up bank account/credit card funds) we could simply stop by the desk each night and pay off the charges made for that day. However, if we charge over $100 throughout the day, and we definitely will, we are headed for trouble. Am I understanding this correctly? Not trying to beat a dead horse, I promise!

If you charge more than $100 to your room in a single day, they will definitely put additional holds.

What I don't know is if these holds count towards your 8 transactions per month limit. It's possible they only count transactions that actually go through, and not the holds. You would have to call your bank to ask them.

Your other option would be to buy Disney gift cards before you leave home, and pay with those. Each gift card can hold up to $1000.