tezzer

Checked into one of my favorite Hiltons in Kl on Sunday, after a long tiring set of flights from the UK, via Dubai.

Check in was less than good, no welcome, no recognition, no exec lounge check-in or room check in. Fair enough.

Paid the my 20 night stay using a debit card, 16,600 MYR (�3200) and don't mind that.

Checked my bank account at midnight last night to see that that amount, had been debitted twice, not at the same time, but at separate times. Double checked with the hotel and the bank, the hotel said no, the bank said oh yes, definately, coming out tomorrow (for the 2nd time).

Needless to say, I went mental, �6,400 coming out of my bank for a 20 night stay, I would have expected an amount to be put aside for extras charged to the room, but not �160 / night's worth.

All in all, a dissapointing say so far, one of the disadvantages of a long stay I think is the reduced chance of a room upgrade, they don't want to vlock a premium room for a long period.

Probably my last stay here, I'm afraid.

slidergirl

Your story is also a cautionary tale. If you can do it, do NOT use a debit card at check in. The money is tied up. If you encounter an issue, like you did, you're stuck. Give a credit card at check in. At any time, you can make payments using your debit card as an alternative. Doing this keeps your money in the bank but lets you stay at the hotel.
This isn't just a Hilton issue, but an issue anywhere you use a debit card for a stay. A credit card is just given a request for authorization - asking the CC company if you have enough credit balance to cover. A debit card is just like a check - the money is taken right then. I've heard it can take anywhere from 5-14 days to get the money back into your accounts, depending on how the banking institution works.

Sorry you got caught in this.

cordelli

No matter how you pay, debit or credit, I always prefer weekly settling or whatever the hotel will allow so that there is no huge outlay like this. If there's a mistake, it's on a much smaller amount of money.

I would guess that one is the hold on the account and the other is the actual charge, and when they process the charge the hold may disappear.

If the bank is seeing them both as charges though there is probably a problem.

colpuck

I have to agree with this. I just completed a 2 night award stay at the Conrad Tokyo. They put a $1,500 hold on my CC. I would not have wanted that on my debit card.

formeraa

I agree that credit cards should be used at hotels. There's just too much risk of deliberate or accidental mistakes surrounding debit cards.

holtju2

OP hasn't been "debited" twice. The hotel just made an authorization at check in for the stay. When checking out the hotel run the final bill. Very simple. The original authorization will drop off at some point depending of the OP's bank. The hotel has nothing to do with it.

tezzer

Nope, the money was due to actually leave my account, the day after I called my bank to ask them why my account was empty!

The hotel are checking as to why they took �3220 for the room PLUS the same amount again. To date, 2 days after I advised them, they still can't answer me, but are investigating which machine was used, and by whom.
My bank are of the opinion the transaction was fraudulent, I'm not so sure, how would the alledged participient free the monies from the Hilton's merchant account ?

holtju2

When the hotel authorizes the card the money is reserved from your account. It probably shows as a debit, although the merchant doesn't get it. They should have updated the authorization, but they apparently just run it as a new charge.

stifle

This is not anything to worry about. The hotel has preauthorized the amount and then charged it separately. It should have reused the preauthorization. The money is not going anywhere, but will show as a debit or hold on your account for up to 30 days. You can contact the hotel and ask them to void the unused preauthorization.

Often1

What happened to OP is only one more reason never to use a debit card to pay for any service to be rendered in the future. This includes air tickets, hotels, car services, package tours and the like. Ths is especially true overseas and even in countries where there are surcharges levied for CC use.

When all is well, it doesn't matter. When something goes wrong, you are fighting to get your money back rather than simply fighting to have to pay.

What happened to OP is likely a simple clerical error in failing to use the hold for the actual debit, but the hotel's response has been lacadaisical and there's little OP can do about that. Had this been a CC, if the hotel didn't issue a credit immediately, initiating a chargeback would at least have relieved OP of the obligation to pay until the mess is sorted out.

Also, remember that many countries also provide bankruptcy protection for CC users and not debit card users. If for some reason, the hotel goes under and you've paid by CC, you will receive an unquestioned credit upon proof of the bankruptcy filing (which most major CC companies track and verify for their customers). In the case of a debit card, in most countries, you are stuck for years fighting to get your money in a legal proceeding which will ultimately get you close to nothing.

RogerD408

Yes, what you are describing is what happens with credit cards, when you check in the account is queried for validity and expected credit availability. Once the account is closed out only the actual charge should make it to the account. However, if the agent's don't follow procedures the authorization can be left hanging and takes several days to cycle off. This will affect your available credit until then.

Debit cards get a different processing track and your account is hit immediately as there is no "credit" granted, hence the name debit card. It is like handing the merchant a blank check. If they mess up you loose. If there is a billing issue again you loose. Banks take several days to resolve issues so they don't end up holding the bag.

If it wasn't for the perks I get for using my debit card, no one but the bank would ever see it. I keep to small charges and keep the balance low in my account. But that's what works for me. I hope the OP's bank will work with him and refute the charges until everything is settled.

holtju2

It is RESERVED from the account yes, but not actually charged. It is entirely to OP's bank to cancel authorizations after certain number of days. The banks that I use take anywhere from 5 to 30 days.

RogerD408

... and during that time you do not earn interest, you can't spend it elsewhere, and if it's more than your balance, you're charged an overdraft. I don't see the difference. The money is gone!

And let's not forget the loss of any consumer protections when using a debit card.

stifle

That may be true when a card is run as "debit" within North America. The "debit" function like this doesn't exist in the rest of the world, and debit cards can only be processed as "credit", where it works as I described.

squeakr

thanks all

squeakr

co Mod HH