Hotel charging me twice ..advice please.

[ohtheweatherisfrightfil]

I have booked a hotel in Madrid through booking.com which is pay on arrival for £278
I am travelling there tomorrow
My banking today is showing £278 pending from the hotel.
I rang the hotel who said it's a pre authorisation and they won't take that payment I pay on check in .
So I'm going to have two amounts pending tomorrow? And only 1 taken
My bank says it takes 5 -10 days for the amount to fall back into my balance.
So now I'm £278 short in my spending money

Is this normal ?

When you check in they will take £278. They will not be taking the money twice.

You're not £278 short though. You can still spend that money as it won't be taken by the hotel.

I am £278 short as it's in pending transactions so I can't touch it till it drops back in my available balance -which the bank says is 5 days so I will be home by then.

When you check in, the pending will clear your account and that will be that. There will be no second charge.

It's like when you order, say, a Deliveroo grocery delivery. They will do a pre authorisation with your bank account. For example, your order comes to £50, your bank shows that as pending. The store doesn't have all your items and the order comes to £25. Your bank is debited £25 and the pending amount has gone. Also like filling up your car with petrol at a pay at pump.

You’re not going to be paying twice, the pending transaction will complete when you check in.

Yes I understand that but it won't go back in my balance straight away
It will drop off once the hotel don't claim it
Motel one said depending on your bank it can take 5-10 days
The bank says 5 -10 days also
So I won't have that money available to spend

The hotel have said the money pending won't be taken
The amount on check in will
I will have to enter pin etc
The other amount won't drop off for 5 days when motel one don't claim it

Yes it’s normal but I guess different for a credit card (which I suspect that they are used to) as opposed to a debit card.

it is one of the advantages of a credit card (if managed well)

The amount pending is what you will pay tomorrow, they won't take another payment.
There's no second payment or need for a refund 🤷🏼‍♀️

IME the holding charge drops off straight away and is available immediately

It depends on which card you are using. With visa the payment you make at check in is taken as a new payment and the preauthorisation gets released later. With other cards the payment is taken from the preauthorisation so you won't have it pending afterwards.

It won’t double , the hotel has effectively put a hold or a payment commitment on your card to guarantee you have funds available on check in - when you check in the hold will disappear and you will pay them

That’s isn’t correct.

The hotel I booked was pay on arrival free cancellation till tomorrow at 6pm
So I'm not even sure why they have held the money when I'm still in a free cancellation period
The hotel has confirmed they will charge my card at check in and I will get the first amount refunded as they won't take it.
I will have to wait till it drops off which is why I'm annoyed
The bank and hotel have both said the same thing

It's a visa debit card I booked with

I really do wonder how people get on through life....
It's pending now but will officially come out tomorrow at the hotel. ONLY 1 PAYMENT. GET A GRIP ON LIFE

The payment will be released to the hotel when you arrive. You won't be debited twice. Presumably it is a non cancellable booking now.

It does depend on the card and the bank, sometimes the first one drops off immediately but sometimes it takes a couple of days during which time you can’t spend it! There is no one answer.

Have you ever bought fuel?

You will not be charged twice!

@Pirating55 how many times do I have to repeat the same thing
I have rang the hotel
The hotel have confirmed to me that the payment they have pre authorised today was to check my card
They have also said tomorrow once I arrive they take another payment for the hotel and tax which will be a different transaction
The one pending today will not be taken by the hotel but will not be released by my bank for 5 days as that's when pending transactions drop off

I'm annoyed because this money is pending and I won't be able to touch it whilst in Madrid
I know they won't charge me twice but they will have 2 transactions pending and will only take 1

I don’t think it is about that I think with debit cards pending goes against the balance and you can’t access it until it goes so even though she won’t be charged she can’t access it until the pending is released

it is where credit cards are really useful

This is why hotels say to use a credit card

Unfortunately this is why you should always use a credit card for bookings. The hotel are right to reserve the money against a no-show, but it's your bank that takes forever and a day to release the pending transaction.

Do you have a credit card you can present at the hotel to pay with instead, so you're now down double the amount on your other card?

Unfortunately I don't have a credit card
I think it's the fact that the hotel was pay on arrival and cancel till 6pm tomorrow ...so I don't understand why they have pre authorised it when I am still in a free cancellation period
Never mind nothing I can do now
Just a bit annoying