think positive wrote:I couldn't figure out where to put this, but since there is someone going off on a big trip that posted here recently, and well, it was certainly a WTF at the time, here it is!
Be careful of car rental places, hotels, any hire place, and petrol stations putting big pending amounts on your credit card.
Apparently to stop the scammers, this is what they now do. It may only be the US, I don't know, but it can make life very difficult. First, we had hire bikes in New York, it was part of the New York Pass Card, so no cost, but we had to leave an old fashion scan of a credit card, in case we nicked off with, or damaged the bikes. The next day I discovered a $200 pending amount on my travel card, which had come off the total. It was Sunday night, 4th July, so I couldn't ring. I googled and found it a common practice with this company. On trip advisor a company rep replied it would just drop off as the voucher was not actually put through to the credit supplier. It took 10 days to drop off my card. Then I discovered our New York hotel had done it too, $50 odd for each night we stayed there, just in case! That disappeared in 5 days. Then the Niagara Falls hotel did it, $189 (go figure!) for one night, and as it was not a prepaid hotel, the total was over $500! So I thought they had charged me for the upgrade from 5-12 floor to 19th, which gave me that amazing photo. It took a week for the correct total of $312 inc a couple of incidentals, to show as a charge,and the pending amount disappeared. All that doesn't seem much, but then the cruise ship didit! It took a pending payment for every charge, a bus excursion in Mexico, drinks cards for two adults, a photo, a couple of things from the girt shop, mandatory tips ($50 each) total over $700, then the big whammy, the day after the cruise, they charged the full amount and the pending charges were still there too. In fact they are still there now! We did a big shop at an outlet, and next Day, my travel card gets knocked back for being over. This is naturally on the weekend, and I didn't want to ring from the US. So I used my Amex (no fees for the transfer). We go to get fuel, I put my Amex in, it asks for a five digit zip code, so I put the zip of our hotel in, nope didn't like it, so I paid cash. Next day I discover a $130.39 pending charge on my card! Google shows this to be common practice! All except the cruise charges are gone now, I'll be ringing carnival today to sort it out. Other hotels did it with small amounts too, (from 30- 50) they have all dropped off now. But if I had not taken my Amex and Visa, we would have been stuffed.
Maybe it's just the US, but hertz did it to the tune of $269 for a four day hire, and I had prepaid that amount already! Be aware of this, my prepaid holiday card is not with my normal bank, so I don't have to worry about hacking when I'm overseas. Check your balance regularly. Nothing worse than having a payment knocked back, especially if you are in a servo, out of fuel and cash! This was our fourth US trip, been to Hawaii and Bali too, and it's never happened before. Maybe it's the new thing to counter the thieves. Cheers
Had that happen at the Beverly Hilton in the US, has only happened to me there. They took 2 weeks to return my $500 "security hold fee" or whatever they call it. You know, in NZ they take $1 from your card at check in & really, that's all they need - if you trash the room or empty the mini bar they have your card details so can take the $$$ then, that makes more sense IMHO.
On this trip we've brought a credit card that's never used just for the purpose of checking in - won't matter how long they hold funds, not going to affect shopping money
