room keys and credit cards

[quidam373]

I've heard on here before that credit cards will deactivate room keys...is this true? also, how does linking our credit card to the room key work? when do we actually pay the bill?
thanks for any information!

 

[fla4fun]

You are more likely to demagetize your room key with a cell phone or magnetic closure on a handbag, than with a credit card, but it can happen. I try to keep mine totally separate from any other card and not near my cellphone.

When you check in, they will ask if you want room charging privileges on your room key. Most of the time I say no, but if you say yes, then they will tell you the maximum you are allowed to charge and a hold is placed on that amount. At this point, you can use your room key just like a credit card to buy food, souvenirs, or pay for recreation. I believe they can reset the maximum if you get up to it, but since I prefer to actually use my cc if I want to purchase instead of using the KTTW card, I have not been in that position. At the end of your trip, you will receive a printout of your room folio, listing everything charged to your credit card, including the room nights and anything you charged on your KTTW card. It's a good idea to look it over carefully, as it's easier to fix things while you're still there instead of after you get home.

 

[bradk]

there's no hold placed on the credit card. even if they tried, within 3 days (depending on the bank), it'd be released so it'd become moot anyway.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I've heard on here before that credit cards will deactivate room keys.
. . . old wife's tale
. . . actually a tale told by CM's to guests with bad keys
. . . very seldom do outside influences scramble the keys
. . . mostly it is a fault of the key and the key imprinter
. . . they never got it solved when they switched last year


How does linking our credit card to the room key work?
. . . you place a credit card imprint on file
. . . when you reach your charge limit, the credit card is charged
. . . you start again at zero-balance on room key charges
. . . the room charging limits are $1500 (Deluxe), $1000 (Mod), $500 (Value)
. . . clearing the key to the credit card is not always automatic
. . . you need to call or go to the Front Desk
. . . usually good to check your balance every day or two

When do we actually pay the bill?
. . . all room and package charges/bills are paid at check-in
. . . via credit card, cash, disney reward dollars, traveler cheque, gift card
. . . personal checks for the amount of the bill are allowed
. . . charges during the stay are cleared before you leave
. . . if you have a credit card & express checkout, it is done automatically
. . . the card gets billed 2am-4am of the checkout day

 

[bradk]

actually, i've literally only had problems with my room key once and it very coincidentally happened to be the one time i had the key next to my cell phone for all of 10 minutes. up until then, it worked fine. afterwards, i had to swipe it 10x to have it register once.

normally this is not an issue for me because my room key (and wallet) goes in one pocket and my cash and cell phone go in another. i've only made this error once.

 

[disnut8]

there's no hold placed on the credit card. even if they tried, within 3 days (depending on the bank), it'd be released so it'd become moot anyway.

This, though, might be true of using a debit card that looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck. That's what mine does - it acts just like a VISA but whenever there's a situation where there's a possibility that additional charges will be incurred, there's a hold on the debit card. Had that happen to my husband when he had to rent a car and all he had was a debit card. Even some gas companies will put a hold on your debit card (usually $50-$75) when you use it to pay at the pump. You rarely notice it because it goes away in a few hours but some companies will leave it on there for up to 24 hours.

 

[bradk]

what happens when you use a card normally is an authorization goes through. the bank approves the charge - this results in a hold, or a pending transaction. the merchant then has to take a second step of closing out the batch that the transaction is in. this is typically done once a day, but can be done multiple times per day. if the transaction is closed out for a lesser amount, the rest of the held funds are released. but if the transaction isn't closed out, it will be suspended virtually indefinitely. banks will typically release such holds after 1-3 business days. that doesn't mean the creditor still doesn't have the right to charge though - it can still go through and take away available funds without the hold.

but it'd be impractical at disney as i said since you're charged the morning you check out, so all it'd prove is that you had the funds when you checked in, not that you necessarily have it when you check out. and i'm sure any resort cm can tell you, there are always guests that encounter such issues when charging them that final morning.

that's partially why they limit their liability by issuing limits based on the level of resort you're at, albeit a bit ambiguous. rest assured, disney is a company that can afford to get their money back if they get stiffed

 

[katiesmomluvsdizne]

No, a credit card will not deactivate your room key BUT a cell phone and a magnetic closure will.
On the first day of our 2nd trip I tried to use the key but couldn't because I had put it in the same pocket with my cell phone. Guest services gave me a new one and it worked. Then on the second day I tried using it again, and again it didn't work. In the effort to keep my phone and key seperate I accidentally put the key in an outer pocket that was near the magnetic closure of my bag!!! DUH!!
Needless to say, I pay attn to where everything gets placed w/i my bag. This year I am taking a Overland donner bag for the first time. It has lots of pockets so I shouldn't have the same problem.

 

[yasmina]

Boy does this bring back memories! Back in late June, I took a group of 90 middle school kids to Quebec. This was our 4th trip. Each trip, we insist on the kids wearing name badges w/ hotel and emergency info on it. In the past the kids hated them, because they had elastic strings they had to wear around their necks. This year, we used magnets, in the hope of making the kids more comfortable.

What a disaster! Alot of the kids put their tags on their shorts/jeans in the pocket area, where they put their room keys. (although I'm sure some of them had cell phones, which were forbidden on our trip) Needless to say, the chaperones spent much of the trip at the front desk with various groups of kids getting their keys reactivated!