Resort Charges - cash, debit, credit card?

[I_heart_Tigger]

I will be spending my next stay between the Caribbean Beach resort and the Swan. (Side note I was going to do my first 5 days at ASMo but found the CB would only be $36 more total!)

Does anyone know what the incidental deposit or fees are for both resorts if you pay using a debit card or cash? How much extra is held on the credit card if I choose to use that? Also do they treat a debit Visa the same as a debit or a Visa?

My preferred method of payment is my debit Visa but if they hold an extra $200 or so for incidentals that I will never use I would rather use my credit card.

If anyone has insight I would appreciate it!

 

[flynnibus]

my advise... train yourself to use your credit card with restraint so you can stop worrying about such details in the future

Using a credit card for all purchases/bills is so much better on all fronts - some people just can't manage their spending themselves so they can't do it. Balancing cash/debit/credit just complicates your life

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

my advise... train yourself to use your credit card with restraint so you can stop worrying about such details in the future

Using a credit card for all purchases/bills is so much better on all fronts - some people just can't manage their spending themselves so they can't do it. Balancing cash/debit/credit just complicates your life

Restraint isn't the issue at all. I just switched banks. My current bank card is a Debit Visa. My old bank is a Visa. I don't want to use the card from my old bank but I want to know if they will withdraw funds from my debit account then put it back in later. If they do I get dinged twice for international banking fees. Also the amount they hold usually sucks for conversion rates. Right now the Canadian dollar is about par but I will get charged for using extra US$ which is a crock.

My Visa has a $10,000 limit with a $0 balance so I can use it if I have to but don't want to since all of my current banking is fine with my Visa Debit.

 

[flynnibus]

My Visa has a $10,000 limit with a $0 balance so I can use it if I have to but don't want to since all of my current banking is fine with my Visa Debit.

If using the debit were fine.. you wouldn't have such questions to start with right?
Using a debit card as your primary card just opens up problems and it's only benefit is for those who can't manage their spending without hard limits.

I'm sorry I can't answer your specific questions regarding the various incidentials and holds - I can just say you can make all the questions go away if you just use a regular credit card going forward.

Curious.. if your debit visa gets hit with international fees the same as the credit card? I know in the US a 3% international fee is common on visa cards.. but when I use my ATM there is no explict international fee, just paying their conversion rate.

 

[DisneyJoe]

No Disney owned resorts place a hold. I am not sure about the Swan/Dolphin.

CBR will have no room fees except what you charge to your room.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

No Disney owned resorts place a hold. I am not sure about the Swan/Dolphin.

CBR will have no room fees except what you charge to your room.

That's what I always thought about the Disney ones when using credit but I have never stayed at Swan/Dolphin before. Do you know if I use cash/debit if CB will ask for an extra amount? Most hotels do but it varies so widely in the amount I'd at least like to be prepared.

 

[flynnibus]

Sorry to hear about your past bank experience. I'm not making assumptions, just confused by your delima.. unless credit cards are handled dramatically different in Canada..

'if they[Disney] treat it as a debit or credit' is based on two things
1) What you tell them to run it as
2) If the card is actually a credit card or not

Disney will do whatever you tell them to as long as its compatible with the card. The limit is not Disney, but rather what service your card has.

The spending limits you are talking about tend to be about CASH transfers - and mean nothing when writing checks or using credit. So why not get an actual credit card with your new bank and not just the ATM card? Then you aren't giving any business to your old bank and you don't have to worry about cash limits or automatic withdrawals for incidentals.

I guess I'm just confused on why your history with the bank is so tied to your use of a credit card or not. Can you just not open a credit card anywhere like you can here in the states? It takes all of 5minutes and then waiting for the card to get there in the mail to get a credit card in the states. It's not tied to my actual checking/savings bank at all. I owe the credit card company and I pay them directly from whatever source I chose.

Like I said - I can't answer all the variations in how Disney will handle an incidental hold based on the various amounts of payment.. all I'm saying is you can avoid the question entirely if you just use a credit card. I understand your issue about using your past bank.. I just don't understand what is preventing you from obtaining a credit card elsewhere. That certainly sounds easier than jumping through all these hoops about how to pay.

 

[Lucyred]

Geez!

@I_heart_Tigger you shouldn't have had to into such great detail about your personal business. If no one can give you a definitive answer maybe you should just call the resort. I haven't been to WDW yet so I unfortunately can't answer for you.

Good luck!

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

Geez!

@I_heart_Tigger you shouldn't have had to into such great detail about your personal business. If no one can give you a definitive answer maybe you should just call the resort. I haven't been to WDW yet so I unfortunately can't answer for you.

Good luck!

I sent them an e-mail. I actually thought with the friendly, knowledgable people on here it would be "quick and dirty" as my grandmother would say. It usually is. I get a lot of fast and accurate information on this site. I see you are fairly new so I wanted you to know that this site is a great resource when trip planning and also just a fun outlet when you're missing Disney.

Cheers!

 

[luv]

Most hotels and rental companies put holds on cards that you'd never notice unless your balance was low and you were trying to spend the $200 or whatever it was. That's why most companies have signs up at the desk about debit cards (look for the sign at Disney, but look hard - the companies do their best to make them blend in, lol). It is more your issuer (and then then your bank itself) that causes the hold-up on making the funds available again. Disney can release their hold, but it could still take weeks for your issuer/bank to follow through on that.

You might want to read all the small print you were given, if you held on to that (and have better eyes than I do.). It's in there.

It is always best to use a credit card when traveling, especially if you're getting into issues of low balances and stuff. Always assume your debit card will be treated as a debit card, regardless of what the clerks tell you.

As I think you've already guessed, they charge the card at check-in for the entire stay's room and tax. Incidentals are the only thing to worry about after that. If I were you, I'd just give them cash at check-in for the room and tax. And if there is any concern about holds, just pay as you go. You need not give them any card at all.

They do have internal limits for how much you can charge before they charge the card. They were $500 for Value, $1000 for mod and $1500 for Deluxe, but may have changed because people were taking advantage of that (duh.)

The Swan isn't Disney. They have a daily "resort fee" and charge for parking, so call them to find out about that. Disney has no incidental fees unless you add them by making phone calls or charging stuff to the room. Pay the room & tax at check-in and you're good to go unless you add valet parking, etc.

I wish I could be more help, but I don't know the ins and outs of Disney Accounting. And trust me on this, neither will the front desk clerks, even if they think they do, lol.

Good luck!

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

I will be spending my next stay between the Caribbean Beach resort and the Swan. (Side note I was going to do my first 5 days at ASMo but found the CB would only be $36 more total!)

Does anyone know what the incidental deposit or fees are for both resorts if you pay using a debit card or cash? How much extra is held on the credit card if I choose to use that? Also do they treat a debit Visa the same as a debit or a Visa?

My preferred method of payment is my debit Visa but if they hold an extra $200 or so for incidentals that I will never use I would rather use my credit card.

If anyone has insight I would appreciate it!

I would actually call the CB and Swan and find out up front. I think, they put the hold on the room amount only when using a debit card. I don't believe the actual charge goes through until checkout. However, it's still not available to you once they put the hold on. Places like Wal Mart put a 75.00 hold on any debit amount even if it's not 75.00. So, I understand your question. I didn't even know Wal Mart was doing that until about a month ago. Luckily, we always have enough in the account that this doesn't affect us.

As I said, I would call the CB and Swan and ask them directly. I wouldn't go through the Disney main number.
You could get bad info and get into a mess.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

Sorry to hear about your past bank experience. I'm not making assumptions, just confused by your delima.. unless credit cards are handled dramatically different in Canada..

'if they[Disney] treat it as a debit or credit' is based on two things
1) What you tell them to run it as
2) If the card is actually a credit card or not

Disney will do whatever you tell them to as long as its compatible with the card. The limit is not Disney, but rather what service your card has.

The spending limits you are talking about tend to be about CASH transfers - and mean nothing when writing checks or using credit. So why not get an actual credit card with your new bank and not just the ATM card? Then you aren't giving any business to your old bank and you don't have to worry about cash limits or automatic withdrawals for incidentals.

I guess I'm just confused on why your history with the bank is so tied to your use of a credit card or not. Can you just not open a credit card anywhere like you can here in the states? It takes all of 5minutes and then waiting for the card to get there in the mail to get a credit card in the states. It's not tied to my actual checking/savings bank at all. I owe the credit card company and I pay them directly from whatever source I chose.

Like I said - I can't answer all the variations in how Disney will handle an incidental hold based on the various amounts of payment.. all I'm saying is you can avoid the question entirely if you just use a credit card. I understand your issue about using your past bank.. I just don't understand what is preventing you from obtaining a credit card elsewhere. That certainly sounds easier than jumping through all these hoops about how to pay.

I don't have time for a card to come in the mail since my latest trip is a last minute one. Hopefully I have everything sorted out more for my trips in June and October. Also my Debit Visa seems to be used as a debit or a Visa based on the type of purchase I am doing, not what I tell people to use it as. It is basically a debit card for every purchase I have made in person (a total of 4 so far so not much of an example) but I'm told I can use it online for purchases that require credit cards. I cannot book my flights with it because they don't recognize it as a credit card number (luckily I have a flight credit anyway so it wasn't an issue). I can however book the hotel for it but the amount for one night came directly from my chequing account for CB but not for the Swan.

 

[flynnibus]

I don't have time for a card to come in the mail since my latest trip is a last minute one

Ok

Also my Debit Visa seems to be used as a debit or a Visa based on the type of purchase I am doing, not what I tell people to use it as. It is basically a debit card for every purchase I have made in person (a total of 4 so far so not much of an example) but I'm told I can use it online for purchases that require credit cards

They are confusing you with the terminology. It sounds like your card is purely a Visa debit card. It's not a credit card, but simply a debit card that can be used where Visa cards are accepted -- that's why you can use it online, but its not ever being used as credit.. purely debit.

The point of sale or credit terminals differ in how they prompt if debit or credit. For some, it assumes or determines on its own from the card numbers, for others you must tell it. It also depends on the card. For instance, I have a chase visa that always prompts debit or credit.. yet it's purely a credit card.. while I have other visa cards that when used in the same exact terminals do not prompt. Usually for cashier rings.. they can specify debit or credit.. but again depends on their setup.

Really your best answer is to call the swan and ask for reception/front-desk and talk to a clerk there. Their website does not sound like it is in your favor for your scenario...
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/announcements.html?propertyID=1018

Credit/Debit Card Policy
Debit and Credit cards will be authorized at check-in for the amount of your stay, plus an amount to cover incidentals. The authorization will hold the funds until check out, at which time the amount actually incurred during the stay will be charged. Authorized amounts may take up to 30 days after departure to be released by your bank or financial institution and the hotel will not be responsible for any resulting fees or charges.

What I would do based on the scenario you offered is
- check in with the credit card so it has the hold against it and not your debit card
- pay in installments with your debit card so you do not exceed your daily limits (so pay some amount daily to reduce your total balance with the hotel)
- then on final checkout day, pay your remaining balance with the debit card - leaving zero balance on the account

They will not charge the credit card until you either
a) exceed some spending limit on room charges
b) checkout with a balance and request to pay that balance with your credit card

 

[RedDad]

We always use our debit when checking in at Disney hotels, and they have never placed any hold on the card. (I have used our debit for other hotels around the country as well, and even though they claim that a hold will be placed, I have never noticed one. I think it depends somewhat on your bank.)

As for on-site Disney hotels, you can give them your debit or credit for incidentals (room charges) if you want to, but it's my understanding that you don't have to. You can also give them cash up front to apply to your room account as a credit. We've done this as well. If you use the room charging privileges then they will only charge your card once you reach the limit ($500/$1000/$1500 for value/mod/deluxe) or at checkout, whichever comes first. You can also pay the balance at checkout with cash or gift cards if you want.

And use your debit all you want. I stay away from credit cards all together and it has nothing to do with being irresponsible...

 

[tracyandalex]

When you check in you will have to pay off your remaining balance, you can pay that however you choose. We have used all forms of payment and there is no issue. They will ask you if you want charging privileges and you will say no and then they will put on holds on your card. We always do this and have never seen any holds on any of our cards be they credit or debit. The only thing Disney puts a hold for is charging privileges. Thanks to @RedDad for correcting that for me.

 

[flynnibus]

And use your debit all you want. I stay away from credit cards all together and it has nothing to do with being irresponsible...

You're free to turn away free money... and free add-on services. me? I'll take it.

 

[DaddyDisneyMan]

No Disney owned resorts place a hold. I am not sure about the Swan/Dolphin.

CBR will have no room fees except what you charge to your room.

That was the answer I'm sure the OP was looking for. Simple and sweet!

 

[RedDad]

Then only thing Disney puts a hold for is charging privileges.

Actually, they have never placed a hold on our card even when we used charging privileges. They just wait until the account hits the limit and then charge the card.

 

[tracyandalex]

Actually, they have never placed a hold on our card even when we used charging privileges. They just wait until the account hits the limit and then charge the card.

Good to know. As DD gets bigger we have to consider the charging privileges for her.

 

[RedDad]

Good to know. As DD gets bigger we have to consider the charging privileges for her.

We've used it several times now and it's pretty convenient to only have to carry your KTTW card for everything. We're trying to decide now whether or not to let our DD14 have charging privileges this trip...