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MGM Resorts credit card charges upon checkin

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by MattyVegas, Sep 4, 2021.

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  1. MattyVegas

    MattyVegas Low-Roller

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    I know when you checkin they put a hold on your card for incidentals but do they charge the full amount for your stay or is it done when you check out? I can’t remember.

    The reason I ask is because the confirmation email says “Estimated Balance Due Upon Check-In*” with the full amount of the stay listed.
     
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2021
  2. JosieCat

    JosieCat VIP Whale

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    They charge it when you check out. I paid for my sister's room in May, and used express comps to pay for it, which I didn't do until we checked out. I got a credit for the deposit I paid up front.
     
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  3. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    They don’t charge your card at check-in because things may change during your stay. Meals, cabanas and other charges for hundreds of dollars may be added to your account or your play may warrant comping off your bill. All of these things can drastically change the amount charged. So, they will put a minor hold on your credit card but won’t bill out until you leave…regardless of how it’s phrased on your confirmation.
     
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  4. midliferetired

    midliferetired VIP Whale

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    I hope the OP understands the difference between a charge and a hold. Either way there needs to be enough credit to cover everything at checkout.

    I always expect them to hold way more than the room cosr. I have also gone over the incidentals amount with billing to the room and I get credit card alerts that they added an additional amount to hold. The bottom line for me is to always check during and after to make sure they bill and charged my card properly. They often mess up.
     
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  5. MCann

    MCann I can't complain, but sometimes I still do...

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    Last time I paid for a room, they took a pretty big hold at checkin (was roughly $400 per night room and I think they told me they were holding 1 night room charge plus a couple or few hundred incidentals) but they charged each night's rate the next morning. So at checkin I had a hold of maybe 700-800 bucks, they put through the $400 for the first night on the second day, then charged the last night plus remainder of room charges minus resort credit on checkout day. I checked in with a real person at the front desk, and they definitely informed me in detail what they were holding - I used a debit card and they gave me the warning like hey we're going to place a hold for x dollars and cents and it might take a few days after you leave to release by your bank are you sure you want to use a debit card....etc. In my experience with comp rooms, it has varied pretty substantially what they would hold based on room type and length of stay, like I've been charged less per night on longer stays a few times, and anywhere from $50 to $200 per night for incidentals hold depending on resort and room.

    ETA: it seems to be their policy at least up until the end of 2020 when I last paid anything for a room, that they put the actual charge for the room through the next morning, daily. I've never had the full amount charged up front or heard of that happening.
     
  6. ronc

    ronc VIP Whale

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    We stayed in the Aria Sky Suites in May. The initial hold was something like $1400 ($350 a night; I think it was $150/night when we stayed in a regular room in March 2021, so it may depend on room). They only made additional holds to our card when we went above that amount. At the end of the trip, the hold charges disappeared fairly shortly after we left (a few days) and the actual total amount spent was charged. There may have been a few days where all the charges were held against my credit limit, but it was not very bad at all.

    On trips where we don't eat at nice places and no days are spent drinking in a pool cabana, we never exceed the regular daily limit.

    I have never had a hold placed for the total estimated room costs on any room that I have had. only the incidentals charge while staying at an MLife property.
     
  7. JosieCat

    JosieCat VIP Whale

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    Do they treat debit vs. credit cards differently? I always use a credit card.
     
  8. Legion

    Legion High-Roller

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    They don’t. Your debit card issuer might take longer to credit back the hold. That’s why it’s better to use credit card.

    Thinking out loud not taking about anyone.. Talking in general..

    Why are so many worried about room deposits?
     
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  9. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    There is little financial reason to use a debit card.
    Debit cards have way less protection.
    The money comes out of your checking account and can cause checking problems if using a debit.
    Holds on credit cards are no big deal.
    You earn miles/point or cash back with credit cards.
     
  10. midliferetired

    midliferetired VIP Whale

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    Some places don’t take debit but it’s useful if you can’t have credit. You don’t even need a checking account. You can just buy them at the supermarket and set it up with any name/address. People give them as gifts too.

    Edit: Maybe you don’t want the wife to know?
     
  11. JosieCat

    JosieCat VIP Whale

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    I always use a credit card, was just curious if the holds were different!
     
  12. MattyVegas

    MattyVegas Low-Roller

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    Thanks all. I’m staying at the Mirage for 5 nights. I called and they said they hold $100/night for incidentals but only up to 4 nights which would be $400. I’m good with that but if they charged the full 5 nights as well, there might not be enough available on my card the first and second night. I’m making a payment on the card on my second night which will be available on the third day so I will be fine at checkout. Just don’t want to get there the first night and not have enough available for everything. If it’s just the incidental hold I’m fine.
     
  13. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Maybe use a different card?
     
  14. lotso-bear

    lotso-bear VIP Whale

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    Somewhat. Holds on debit cards actually debits the amount from the person's total balance on their card, until the hold is released. However, it can take several weeks for the funds to appear back into the account. So, this really impacts those who rely on their debit card for their day-to-day purchases as they don't have access to those funds until it gets released and cleared by their bank.
     
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  15. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Yep, if the same account you use to pay the mortgage, electric bill, car payment, etc it could be an issue
     
  16. MattyVegas

    MattyVegas Low-Roller

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    Just to report back. They did try to charge my card the full amount for the stay plus the incidentals hold for 3 nights. I did not have enough on my card (waiting for a payment to clear) but they worked with me and allowed me to put a $300 deposit down which went towards the full amount owed for the stay. Before that, I did ask if they could waive the incidentals hold and they said yes but no room charges allowed. I was fine with that. So it all worked out.

    Moral of the story, make sure you have enough available credit for the nightly incidentals hold (if you want to charge things to your room) and the amount owed (room, taxes, resort fees) for your entire stay. Some hotels might not let you waive the incidentals hold.
     
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  17. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Thanks for coming back with a report.

    Possible suggestion - get another credit card to cover situations like this.

    Also - as to payments to a card clearing. Not sure which card that is, but when I do online payments, they usually clear the same or next day.
     
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  18. mdm4sfest

    mdm4sfest VIP Whale

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    When I was in customer service for the bank I work for (thank god them days are over)---we got calls all the time and would reserve the pending hotel transaction hold that way those held funds would be credited to the client available balance immediately however we would tell them "the transaction may still post thus debiting the funds from your account"---it rarely happened since 9 out of 10 times the holds were for incidentals.
     
  19. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    I feel for you. I am guessing there were times you wanted to reach through the phone and smack some of those people. LOL
     
  20. mdm4sfest

    mdm4sfest VIP Whale

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    Honestly, that was an easy request--quick phone call. Not refunding overdraft/NSF fees for businesses that continuously over drafted---didnt like them covos lol
     
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