Paying Balance with Check/Debit Card??

[ugadog99]

I know this has been discussed before, but I can't find the thread. We check in at the Poly on June 9. Can I pay my room balance using my Visa check card? I didn't want to take so many traveler's checks with me. If I use the debit card for the balance then I only have to get traveler's checks for spending money. Thanks!

Melanie

 

[caitycaity]

you sure can -- that is how we usually pay!

 

[kdibattista]

Yes but just a word of caution.. be sure to check with your bank to see how much you can charge per day, make sure your balance is below that and find out how the bank schedules its days. This may sound idiotic but my bank only allows a maximum of $1,000 per day but they count the days from 3:00pm to 3:00pm. So, if I spend $800 at 4:00pm on Thursday, I cannot make a purchase of more than $200 until 3:00 on Friday. If I spend $1,000 at 2:30, I can then spend another $1,000 at 4:00 that same day. It's stupid but I just wanted to put that out there.

 

[PugLover]

I totally agree with Kim.... check your bank policies about charges per day or transactions!

Last Friday I went to Sears for four new tires, the total was 688.00 and I tried to pay with my Visa Debit Card. I was mortified when it was denied especially since I knew there was more than enough money in my account to pay for the purchase. I called my credit union right from Sears and they said they only allow 500.00 per debit transaction and to ask the clerk to make 2 transactions (500.00 and 188.00). Normally I use my credit card, dont ask me why I decided to use the debit card this time!

I usually shy away from large purchases with a debit card because if there is an error of some sort your ability to get cash can be compromised until the problem is fixed. I just find it easier dealing with a credit card.

 

[ILOVEDVC]

Holy Cow! I always use my check card but never knew there were limits if you had enough in there! Thanks for the info! Will have to check with my bank as we are staying at GF in Oct and don't want to get caught short.

 

[jgates]

The limits are set by individual banks. We have a $400 daily limit on ATM, $600 I believe on PIN based but no limit on signature based transactions. Consequently you could pay for a month at the GF if you had the $$ in your account. The limits should be set in their disclosures and normally can be altered via most processing systems for certain circumstances. Ours can even be altered permanently for certain customers if desired.

My caution would be that you make sure you have a good balance anyway- we frequently find at motels that they authorize a large amount when you check in and then don't always properly process the closing transaction - the original authorization does not immediately drop if it is not processed properly (normally 5 business days). We have had customers denied because a hotel authorized and completed the transaction wrong and they had the authorization holding the rest of their available funds.

 

[tar heel]

I'm another one who found out the hard way that I had a transaction limit. Last summer, I tried to pay for our annual passes with my debit card, and it was denied. I was horrified b/c I knew we had the $. We switched to a credit card, and after we checked in, I called the bank. Our limit is $1,200. They also advised spliting larger transactions into two.

 

[msteddom]

My caution would be that you make sure you have a good balance anyway- we frequently find at motels that they authorize a large amount when you check in and then don't always properly process the closing transaction - the original authorization does not immediately drop if it is not processed properly (normally 5 business days). We have had customers denied because a hotel authorized and completed the transaction wrong and they had the authorization holding the rest of their available funds.

I second this word of caution!!!! I have had it happen to me.

 

[Mskanga]

I have two debit cards from two different banks, the first one declined the first purchase I tried to make from Spain , dh called them from home and told them it was me, they took care of it and it was fine for the rest of the trip. When I came back , I called and asked why that happened , specially after I had called them before I left and told them about the trip, they said there was a note on the account , but one department forgot to note it. Then last December the other bank declined a $25 purchase, the next thing I know , they called at home asking for me ( Thank God dh was home ) and told him that someone was trying to use the card in Florida, dh said it was me and so that they could verify, they asked for me to call. I called from my cell phone and verified, again I let the institution know in advance , and they said I could use my card anywhere, even the teller told me , she used hers in Finland and she never told anyone she was going.
I appreciate the fact that they are looking out for me, but sometimes they just don't listen to us.
YES, they do have limits, every bank has different limits on ATM's and daily transactions, no matter how much money you have in the account, but if you ask , they will increase it for a few days.
Call them before you leave , it's only a phone call , and it can save you a big headache while on vacation.

 

[glewis1123]

I don't like using cc's too much and prefer to use my Visa Check/Debit Card from my bank.

If you contact your bank ahead of time and tell them that you are going on vacation and want to temporarily increase your daily limit they will do so provided you've got the funds in the account to back it up.

They do this for me without any problems.

I also do this at Xmas time as well.

 

[caitycaity]

I always use my check card but never knew there were limits if you had enough in there!

our credit union only has limits on pin-based transactions. we have no limits (other than what's in our bank account) for signature transactions.

 

[PugLover]

As stated earlier in the thread, I think the reason some people tend to shy away from debit with a hotel payment is the line of credit issue.

Hotels, in addition to what your nightly rate plus taxes, usually "hold" a portion of your credit line for 5 days after you check out. The amount they hold varies. Say you have 1200.00 in your checking account and your hotel bill is 500.00 paid with debit card... chances are they will hold an additional 500.00 for a timeframe of a few days. That would leave you with only 200 avail. cash even though 700.00 was actually in your account.

This happend to DH and I in March when we were traveling with some clients of his. Several days after we returned from our trip I was paying our mastercard online. I happend to notice (4 days later) there was a "hold" on 700.00 of our line of credit in addition to the 700.00 charge from the hotel. I think the "hold" was released about two days after that. This was a high end boutique hotel so perhaps this example was a bit extreme but there is almost always a hold of some sort. If the holding of your funds doesnt bother you for a few days and you still have plenty of cash as an overage then I say no problem. Also, like I said above... if there is a mistake I find it harder disuputing it with a checking account then I do an actual credit card. If you are out of town you could be without all the cash you planned on having access to.

Calling your financial institution is always a good idea but it doesnt guarantee anything. My brother in law and I went shopping last summer in the Bahamas. I was helping him choose the earring he was going to give my sister on their wedding day. From the jewelry store he called Citibank (they issue his credit card) and told them who he was, where he was and the exact amount of the purchase he was about to make. They said no problem. The purchase was denied. He called them back and they were able to authorize it over the phone.. annoying though for the consumer when he had already placed one call.

 

[beattyfamily]

I've had horrendous things happen to me with my Debit Visa card, some of which have been stated here.

So now I pay with my CC and then when I get home, I quickly pay the debt on my CC.

I would like to know though from you all, how would the front desk handle a CC AND some money? I'd like to give them some money I 'think' would cover our charges for the week but also have the safety of the CC backing us up.

Can I do that? Or do I just wait till check out and give them some money? I would hate to have to hold on to that money for so long...

 

[PugLover]

For those of you who dont like using a credit card and prefer the immediate payment of a debit card have you ever considered purchasing a prepaid Visa or Mastercard? I know Citibank offers one and once you fund the account it takes about 10-15 days to recieve your "credit card". I think there is a 9.95 one time activation fee.

If you put the amount you will need for the hotel on the prepaid credit card (and perhaps a few hundred extra for incidentals you may have not planned for) you still will be paying upfront, just in a very safe and simple manner and you will leave the resort with no debt. I am of the school of thought it is never a good idea to be carrying such large amounts of cash anywhere, for any reason.

Once your vacation is over you still have the "credit card"... if you still have funds avail. on there save it for your next trip. You can also load additional money in there via the phone or Internet. No, you wont earn any interest but for some it is the easiest way to budget... especially if you dont have the willpower to put vacation savings in an account not to be touched.

If that doesnt suit your fancy perhaps calling the resort ahead of time and ask them if they would accept travelers checks left at the front desk for the deposit/payment.

For me, when I travel, it is so much easier to put everthing on the credit card. I always have the money in my checking account BEFORE I leave for the trip so I can pay it off right away when the bill arrives.

 

[ugadog99]

Thanks ya'll! Sounds like a big headache to me. I'll just carry my traveler's checks. I'm used to it anyway and it just seems easier and safer. I knew I could get the "lowdown" here!

 

[caitycaity]

so if they put a hold on your account -- what if you are using a regular credit card and you don't have enough credit left for the hold?

like if your max credit line is $1000 and your room is $700 and they want to put a $500 hold? what happens then???

we've used our visa check card at disney like 5 times and never had to deal with this "hold" thing before. now i'm all worried.

what if you are checking in with a package (that you have alreday paid?) will they still put an additional hold on the cc they have on file?

 

[PugLover]

caitycaity -

You may have never noticed the "hold' on your account if you check out, travel for a day (especially if you get home on a weekend) and it is released the next or two.

I have never in my life heard of a motel/hotel/resort that did not hold a portion of your credit card/debit card as a deposit of some sort of the room (for damages and incidentals). In my experience the hold can be different amounts (anywhere from 50.00 per day to the entire cost of your room). I travel quite often and this is always the case.

If you pre-paid your pkg. and attempt to use a maxed out credit card (or a credit card close to the limit) it will most probably be declined and you will be asked to leave a cash deposit. One time DH and I stayed at a Marriott hotel that we had pre-paid via cheaphotels.com. It was for business and both our business credit cards were pretty close to the limits. Both our cards were declined for not having a sufficient amount of credit avail. and we were required to leave a cash deposit (which was 75.00 per day of our stay). When we checked out we were given our cash back (minus the cost of a few phone calls we made). The hotels are just protecting themselves.

I cant imagine a resort area as large as disney not holding a portion of your credit/debit card or requesting cash as a deposit. If you are that concerned why not call the resort and ask what their policy is regarding deposits. They should be able to tell you the per day amount so you can plan accordingly with the method you choose to use (cash, debit, credit card or travelers chk).

 

[clkelley]

In my experience, Disney will not ask for a credit card or a deposit on a prepaid package unless you want charging privileges.

On our very first trip, we went with a prepaid package and brought travelers checks. We never had to show them a credit card for anything.

On another note, on another trip I went on, I was using my Delta Skymiles AMEX for room charges. I knew that on the day I checked in the card was not good because of the way they set up the billing cycle (your credit limit is also a monthly spending limit, so even if the bill is paid, you have to wait until the billing cycle is over to use the card if you hit your limit the month before). The guy at All-Stars desk scanned the card and it came back usable for charging privileges. By the time I checked out, the billing cycle had turned over, so the charges went through.

 

[summerrluvv]

Disney puts a $1.00 hold on your debit/credit card upon check in. They do not hold any other amounts and they charge your card at checkout or when you reach your resorts maximum charging limits. I use my debit card everytime, and have never had a hold put on it.

 

[PugLover]

Good info... although I am stunned that Disney, being as large as they are, doesnt require a security amount for the duration of your stay.

Now that the info is confirmed I would see no reason why using your debit card would cause a problem. My apologies if my incorrect information confused you or caused you alarm. I am now curious to see the procedure myself when I check in!