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sunchaser

Conductor
Joined
Feb 12, 2009
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1,715
Location
Salt Lake City, Ut
Hello everyone!

Well, here goes...we are reserving tickets tomorrow for the California Zephyr from SLC-SAC then the Coast Starlight from SAC-OLW , with bedrooms on each, for June 30. We will reverse the trip July 11. Any last minute suggestions? I can't think of any questions specifically, but since many of you have ridden this route I thought I would ask you.

Thanks for all your help! :) Sunchaser
 
If you are thinking of doing it now, DO IT NOW - Amtrak fares are time sensative - I realize that the chances of June/July fares going up TONIGHT are slim but ......

Do you have an AGR Mastercard and an AGR account? Real good idea to get them.

ENJOY
 
If you are thinking of doing it now, DO IT NOW - Amtrak fares are time sensative - I realize that the chances of June/July fares going up TONIGHT are slim but ......
Do you have an AGR Mastercard and an AGR account? Real good idea to get them.

ENJOY
Must wait until tomorrow-not using cc, must have fundage first. Will have the last bit it in the am. Been saving.

This will be our first trip (hopefully of many)

Sunchaser B)

If you are thinking of doing it now, DO IT NOW - Amtrak fares are time sensative - I realize that the chances of June/July fares going up TONIGHT are slim but ......
Do you have an AGR Mastercard and an AGR account? Real good idea to get them.

ENJOY
Must wait until tomorrow-not using cc, must have fundage first. Will have the last bit it in the am. Been saving.

This will be our first trip (hopefully of many) Will get AGR closer to trip date. Been watching the fares real close.

Sunchaser :D
 
On my last train vacation after much planning and cost figuring I finally settled on an itinerary and price. It was late so I went to bed and booked the trip when I woke up. Six hours of sleep cost me $200 more for a roomette on the Empire Builder. If only you could have seen my face when I saw the new price and how close I was to securing the cheaper fare.
 
If you are thinking of doing it now, DO IT NOW - Amtrak fares are time sensative - I realize that the chances of June/July fares going up TONIGHT are slim but ......
Do you have an AGR Mastercard and an AGR account? Real good idea to get them.

ENJOY
Must wait until tomorrow-not using cc, must have fundage first. Will have the last bit it in the am. Been saving.

This will be our first trip (hopefully of many) Will get AGR closer to trip date. Been watching the fares real close.

Sunchaser :D
I take it you are not using a credit card to pay for it. If that is so, I would still call Amtrak by phone (1-800-USA-RAIL) and speak and reserve with an AGENT! The reservation will be booked immediately, but you will have a few days to pick up the tickets! (And will lock in today's fare! ;) )
 
If you are thinking of doing it now, DO IT NOW - Amtrak fares are time sensative - I realize that the chances of June/July fares going up TONIGHT are slim but ......
Do you have an AGR Mastercard and an AGR account? Real good idea to get them.

ENJOY
Must wait until tomorrow-not using cc, must have fundage first. Will have the last bit it in the am. Been saving.

This will be our first trip (hopefully of many) Will get AGR closer to trip date. Been watching the fares real close.

Sunchaser :D
I take it you are not using a credit card to pay for it. If that is so, I would still call Amtrak by phone (1-800-USA-RAIL) and speak and reserve with an AGENT! The reservation will be booked immediately, but you will have a few days to pick up the tickets! (And will lock in today's fare! ;) )
Not enough money in checking acct until tomorrow (auto deposit). Using Debit card, which usually posts right away. :p
 
I would still call Amtrak by phone (1-800-USA-RAIL) and speak and reserve with an AGENT! The reservation will be booked immediately, but you will have a few days to pick up the tickets! (And will lock in today's fare! ;) )
Not enough money in checking acct until tomorrow (auto deposit). Using Debit card, which usually posts right away. :p
But if you book with an agent tonight, you still don't need to pay until tomorrow! ;) Unless you are doing it this way so you can book online and not have to print your tickets. But keep in mind that the fare could (but probably will not) go up a lot between now and then!
 
I would still call Amtrak by phone (1-800-USA-RAIL) and speak and reserve with an AGENT! The reservation will be booked immediately, but you will have a few days to pick up the tickets! (And will lock in today's fare! ;) )
Not enough money in checking acct until tomorrow (auto deposit). Using Debit card, which usually posts right away. :p
But if you book with an agent tonight, you still don't need to pay until tomorrow! ;) Unless you are doing it this way so you can book online and not have to print your tickets. But keep in mind that the fare could (but probably will not) go up a lot between now and then!
I want to avoid printing the tickets until the last minute, in case we have to change the dates. Hubby has been having medical issues & we don't know if that is going to affec the trip yet. :unsure:

Sunchaser
 
We took our first Amtrak trip last week, from Chicago to New Orleans, and loved it. A few things you might want to consider, mostly girly stuff that our other forum members will think is silly:

--I'm assuming you will have your own bathroom since you said are reserving a bedroom. Despite Amtrak's claim of providing shower amenities, it's just a bar of soap. Or at least in our case, it was just a bar of soap. Maybe other trains provide shampoo, or maybe there is shampoo down in the community bathroom. In any event, I was glad I brought shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Don't take a whole lot of stuff, however, because the bathroom in your bedroom will be beyond tiny.

--Amtrak does not provide hairdryers in the bedrooms -- not sure about the community bathrooms. I should have foreseen this but didn't bring my own because I'm so used to hotels providing one. Not having a hairdryer didn't bother my male travel partner at all, but I was really wishing I had one.

--I found myself wishing I had brought some flipflops to wear in the shower. It was a private bathroom, but still. The bathroom seemed clean enough but my travel partner still felt the need to spray the entire bathroom with Lysol. OCD, anyone?

--Amtrak tried to talk us into checking our bags. We decided to take our chances with carrying them on and found that our one bedroom had adequate space for two suitcases and two laptop bags. It was a little hard lugging everything up the steps but it was nice having all our stuff close by.

--And finally, something we learned the hard way...when you lay your blackberry on the ledge between the upper and lower bunks and then decide at 3:00 a.m. to pull down the top bunk, move your blackberry first. Failure to do so will result in a shattered screen.

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it again. Just relax and enjoy the trip!
 
--And finally, something we learned the hard way...when you lay your blackberry on the ledge between the upper and lower bunks and then decide at 3:00 a.m. to pull down the top bunk, move your blackberry first. Failure to do so will result in a shattered screen.
Oh dear! I could see that happening to eyeglasses too! Ouch! :eek:
 
We took our first Amtrak trip last week, from Chicago to New Orleans, and loved it. A few things you might want to consider, mostly girly stuff that our other forum members will think is silly:
--I'm assuming you will have your own bathroom since you said are reserving a bedroom. Despite Amtrak's claim of providing shower amenities, it's just a bar of soap. Or at least in our case, it was just a bar of soap. Maybe other trains provide shampoo, or maybe there is shampoo down in the community bathroom. In any event, I was glad I brought shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Don't take a whole lot of stuff, however, because the bathroom in your bedroom will be beyond tiny.

--Amtrak does not provide hairdryers in the bedrooms -- not sure about the community bathrooms. I should have foreseen this but didn't bring my own because I'm so used to hotels providing one. Not having a hairdryer didn't bother my male travel partner at all, but I was really wishing I had one.

--I found myself wishing I had brought some flipflops to wear in the shower. It was a private bathroom, but still. The bathroom seemed clean enough but my travel partner still felt the need to spray the entire bathroom with Lysol. OCD, anyone?

--Amtrak tried to talk us into checking our bags. We decided to take our chances with carrying them on and found that our one bedroom had adequate space for two suitcases and two laptop bags. It was a little hard lugging everything up the steps but it was nice having all our stuff close by.

--And finally, something we learned the hard way...when you lay your blackberry on the ledge between the upper and lower bunks and then decide at 3:00 a.m. to pull down the top bunk, move your blackberry first. Failure to do so will result in a shattered screen.

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it again. Just relax and enjoy the trip!
Thanks for all the ideas! I certainly plan on 'bringing my own' shampoo, conditioner, etc (travel sizes). I'm even bringing 'travel' french press coffee mugs. Don't use a hair dryer, so no worries there. Our destination does not have checked baggage, so it will be onboard all the way. I'll be sure to pack the flip flops. I will pack a bit heavy, but we will be gone 2 weeks. We're calling it our honeymoon. (married 34 yrs!) Hoping to go by train many times after this one!

Thanks again! Sunchaser :p
 
--I'm assuming you will have your own bathroom since you said are reserving a bedroom. Despite Amtrak's claim of providing shower amenities, it's just a bar of soap. Or at least in our case, it was just a bar of soap. Maybe other trains provide shampoo, or maybe there is shampoo down in the community bathroom. In any event, I was glad I brought shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Don't take a whole lot of stuff, however, because the bathroom in your bedroom will be beyond tiny.
Soap is the only thing left out, as it were. You must request shampoo from your attendant as there is a limited supply, so they don't leave it out. And on some trains it is possible that they didn't get any at all.

--Amtrak does not provide hairdryers in the bedrooms -- not sure about the community bathrooms. I should have foreseen this but didn't bring my own because I'm so used to hotels providing one. Not having a hairdryer didn't bother my male travel partner at all, but I was really wishing I had one.
No hair dryers on the train at all, beyond what the passengers bring with them.
 
Question??

Can one make a reservation on-line without a credit card, go to a manned station in a day or two, pay for the tickets (which "completes" the reservation) but NOT pickup the tickets???

When I make an online rezzie & pay with my credit card, I don't print the tickets until just prior to boarding (quick-trak). Can my friends who do not use credit cards do the same thing??
 
Question??
Can one make a reservation on-line without a credit card, go to a manned station in a day or two, pay for the tickets (which "completes" the reservation) but NOT pickup the tickets???

When I make an online rezzie & pay with my credit card, I don't print the tickets until just prior to boarding (quick-trak). Can my friends who do not use credit cards do the same thing??
I just 'reserved' the tickets online today with a debit card. They have already posted to the bank acct. You MAY be able to attempt to pay later by 'reserving on the weekend', but my thought is they (Amtrak) would still post to your friends acct fairly quickly. Thats why I waited til today to do the reservation, because I knew it would be posted (removed from the acct) within minutes. At least that has been our experience. You might call Amtrak & speak to an agent & see if they have a workaround.

Sunchaser
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Question??
Can one make a reservation on-line without a credit card, go to a manned station in a day or two, pay for the tickets (which "completes" the reservation) but NOT pickup the tickets???

When I make an online rezzie & pay with my credit card, I don't print the tickets until just prior to boarding (quick-trak). Can my friends who do not use credit cards do the same thing??
I just 'reserved' the tickets online today with a debit card. They have already posted to the bank acct. You MAY be able to attempt to pay later by 'reserving on the weekend', but my thought is they (Amtrak) would still post to your friends acct fairly quickly. Thats why I waited til today to do the reservation, because I knew it would be posted (removed from the acct) within minutes. At least that has been our experience. You might call Amtrak & speak to an agent & see if they have a workaround.

Sunchaser
Rrich was talking about the possibility of paying for tickets in person, but not PRINTING them. The advantage of not printing tickets is the ease of cancelling or changing a paid reservation without a 10% fee. It's better to wait til the last minute to PRINT tickets in case of a change of plans or some unforseen circumstance.

When booking online and paying online with a credit card, it is always possible to delay printing tickets. He was wondering if you can do the same thing when you pay for your reservation at the ticket counter.
 
Question??
Can one make a reservation on-line without a credit card, go to a manned station in a day or two, pay for the tickets (which "completes" the reservation) but NOT pickup the tickets???

When I make an online rezzie & pay with my credit card, I don't print the tickets until just prior to boarding (quick-trak). Can my friends who do not use credit cards do the same thing??
I just 'reserved' the tickets online today with a debit card. They have already posted to the bank acct. You MAY be able to attempt to pay later by 'reserving on the weekend', but my thought is they (Amtrak) would still post to your friends acct fairly quickly. Thats why I waited til today to do the reservation, because I knew it would be posted (removed from the acct) within minutes. At least that has been our experience. You might call Amtrak & speak to an agent & see if they have a workaround.

Sunchaser
Rrich was talking about the possibility of paying for tickets in person, but not PRINTING them. The advantage of not printing tickets is the ease of cancelling or changing a paid reservation without a 10% fee. It's better to wait til the last minute to PRINT tickets in case of a change of plans or some unforseen circumstance.

When booking online and paying online with a credit card, it is always possible to delay printing tickets. He was wondering if you can do the same thing when you pay for your reservation at the ticket counter.
I'm sorry if I wasn't real clear-My understanding of how to 'reserve tickets' with Amtrak. I called Amtrak several weeks ago to find out about reserving online. When you do it online, it is a charge or debit of the full price, not a 'reservation' the way most people think. When I spoke to the agent, he said 'I can hold your tickets for a week'. BUT, they would still charge/or debit your account.....Thats why we waited to make sure we had the full amt in our checking acct-I did read somewhere on this forum (not sure where) about ordering the tickets online, then calling & changing by phone. (like if you want change to roomette, etc. It was mentioned that you would not need to pay the difference in price until the ticket(s) are printed. Thats why I suggested callling Amtrak or maybe the local station for advice. I did not choose to try it this way, I wanted to make sure I got it all done at once, including the bedrooms. We will be picking up the tickets right before we go.

Sunchaser :)
 
Question??
Can one make a reservation on-line without a credit card, go to a manned station in a day or two, pay for the tickets (which "completes" the reservation) but NOT pickup the tickets???

When I make an online rezzie & pay with my credit card, I don't print the tickets until just prior to boarding (quick-trak). Can my friends who do not use credit cards do the same thing??
I just 'reserved' the tickets online today with a debit card. They have already posted to the bank acct. You MAY be able to attempt to pay later by 'reserving on the weekend', but my thought is they (Amtrak) would still post to your friends acct fairly quickly. Thats why I waited til today to do the reservation, because I knew it would be posted (removed from the acct) within minutes. At least that has been our experience. You might call Amtrak & speak to an agent & see if they have a workaround.

Sunchaser
Rrich was talking about the possibility of paying for tickets in person, but not PRINTING them. The advantage of not printing tickets is the ease of cancelling or changing a paid reservation without a 10% fee. It's better to wait til the last minute to PRINT tickets in case of a change of plans or some unforseen circumstance.

When booking online and paying online with a credit card, it is always possible to delay printing tickets. He was wondering if you can do the same thing when you pay for your reservation at the ticket counter.
I'm sorry if I wasn't real clear-My understanding of how to 'reserve tickets' with Amtrak. I called Amtrak several weeks ago to find out about reserving online. When you do it online, it is a charge or debit of the full price, not a 'reservation' the way most people think. When I spoke to the agent, he said 'I can hold your tickets for a week'. BUT, they would still charge/or debit your account.....Thats why we waited to make sure we had the full amt in our checking acct-I did read somewhere on this forum (not sure where) about ordering the tickets online, then calling & changing by phone. (like if you want change to roomette, etc. It was mentioned that you would not need to pay the difference in price until the ticket(s) are printed. Thats why I suggested callling Amtrak or maybe the local station for advice. I did not choose to try it this way, I wanted to make sure I got it all done at once, including the bedrooms. We will be picking up the tickets right before we go.

Sunchaser :)
You can call & have your itenerary (RESERVATIONS) held for a week. If you decide to go with it then call back with confirmation # and book it with your debit/credit card.

During the week if you decde not to book, you can call & cancel or they will drop your reservations at the end of your grace period. (a week)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Question??
Can one make a reservation on-line without a credit card, go to a manned station in a day or two, pay for the tickets (which "completes" the reservation) but NOT pickup the tickets???

When I make an online rezzie & pay with my credit card, I don't print the tickets until just prior to boarding (quick-trak). Can my friends who do not use credit cards do the same thing??
It is not possible to complete an online reservation without paying for the entire reservation in full.

The only way to delay paying, is via a phone reservation.
 
Question- If you want to reserve the tickets, but decide to pay later, say at the 6th day after reserving the tickets, does it guarantee to lock in the price?
If you've made a phone reservation with an agent, but did not provide a payment, the price is locked in until the date that you were given as the "cancel date." Typically that's 6 to 7 days, but there are circumstances where your grace period could be shorter or longer. As long as you make the payment by that date, then the price does not change. If you fail to make the payment by the cancel date, then your reservation goes bye-bye and you are subject to whatever price changes may have occured in the meantime.
 
Question- If you want to reserve the tickets, but decide to pay later, say at the 6th day after reserving the tickets, does it guarantee to lock in the price?
If you've made a phone reservation with an agent, but did not provide a payment, the price is locked in until the date that you were given as the "cancel date." Typically that's 6 to 7 days, but there are circumstances where your grace period could be shorter or longer. As long as you make the payment by that date, then the price does not change. If you fail to make the payment by the cancel date, then your reservation goes bye-bye and you are subject to whatever price changes may have occured in the meantime.
Alan,

thanks for clearing this up. The agent I spoke to on the phone told me that they would process the cc/debit right away(the day you start the hold) to 'hold it for 7 days.' He must have been wrong. My mistake! Sorry! I know I was very clear about the question of charging/debiting to the agent because I wanted to make sure funds were available. Not trying to argue though. Needless to say, we purchased with Debit card online this morning without any trouble, I would have liked to pay less for the bedrooms, though. Still glad its done.

Sunchaser
 
I just 'reserved' the tickets online today with a debit card. They have already posted to the bank acct. You MAY be able to attempt to pay later by 'reserving on the weekend', but my thought is they (Amtrak) would still post to your friends acct fairly quickly. Thats why I waited til today to do the reservation, because I knew it would be posted (removed from the acct) within minutes.
I know the question was resolved by Alan and others a few posts below this one, but I wanted to clarify something in the way the credit card system works.

When paying for an item with a credit or debit card, regardless of the day of the week or time of day, the credit card POS (point of sale) device will request--in real time--an "authorization" from the cardholder's account from an authorization network like Global Payments. This authorization will decline if the funds are not available, and the authorized funds will immediately be removed from the customer's available credit (or available balance, in the case of a debit card).

This step in and of itself does not transfer any funds out of your account and to the merchant--it simply prevents you from using them elsewhere (i.e. it earmarks those funds for the merchant).

At the close of each business day, the merchant will then upload the day's credit card transactions to his or her acquiring bank (the bank the merchant deals with), which then begins the step of actually transferring money by sending the transaction data through several intermediaries (there are probably five or six different companies involved in the whole process) and finally actually transferring the funds via the ACH network. The ACH network is not a real-time network, and funds take two or three days to be transferred between banks. This is why it usually takes a few days for the charge to "post" to your credit card activity (rather than just appear as an outstanding authorization).

Again, the exact moment that the merchant runs your card, you are no longer able to use those funds (and the merchant will not complete the transaction if the funds are not available), even if it is done at 2am on a Sunday morning.

The complicated system stems from the days of old before electronic credit card processing systems were in existence. When making a major purchase in those days (smaller purchases--under the merchant's "floor limit"--were exempted from the first step), the merchant would have to call a phone number and give the customer's credit card number to receive an authorization code for a given transaction. (This authorization code worked the same way--the funds were held for the merchant and unavailable for use by the customer.) The merchant would then use one of those old-style credit card imprinters and imprint a sales draft slip with the customer's credit card and have the customer sign the sales draft. The sales draft would have the authorization number written on it. At the end of each business day, the merchant would take the stack of sales drafts to his or her acquiring bank (much like depositing a check), who would then process them physically (again, much like a check) and send them to the appropriate cardholder bank to receive the funds.

The new system is basically just an electronic extension of the old system, but the process remains the same. Instead of calling an authorization network for an authorization number, the POS device dials up the authorization network (or, more recently, connects via a high-speed Internet connection) and requests an authorization number automatically. The batch upload at the end of the night is analagous to taking the stack of sales drafts to the merchant's bank. The multiple companies involved in all of this still play nearly the same role that they did 20 years ago.

One other note: it is possible (and common in the case of rental car agencies and hotels, where the merchants are in effect loaning you a tangible item) for a POS to create an outstanding authorization but not process it as part of the daily credit card batch. This results in the authorized funds (say, $350 for a rental car) to be unavailable for your use but not to actually see the charge post to your account. Typically, the merchant has up to 30 days to submit for payment against an unused authorization, although most card-issuing banks will "release" the authorization back to your account (and available credit) after anywhere from 7 to 21 days (though some debit card-issuing banks will only hold debit authorizations for as little as 3 days). In other words, if you have $5000 available credit on your card, after you rent the car, you will only see $4650 available credit. When you return the car, your final charges of $100 will post to your card, and your available credit will go back to $4900. If before you take the car out of the lot you change your mind and have the rental agency void your contract, the $350 authorization will continue to sit on your card until it expires in 7, 10, 14, 21, or however many days your card-issuing bank determines (and there's nothing the merchant can do to void the authorization--your best bet would be to call your bank and ask them how to void it).

Online merchants will also typically do an authorization for your total when you complete the "check out" process, but they will not (by credit card merchant agreements) actually process the charge until your materials ship.

The modern PIN-based ATM networks are a real-time network and charges post immediately to accounts, but the credit card industry has not reached that point yet. ATM debit cards ("online debit cards") and debit/check cards ("offline debit cards") operate more or less separately from each other, which is why merchants will ask "debit or credit?" when completing a transaction.

Now that I've thoroughly confused everyone... :lol:
 
I know the question was resolved by Alan and others a few posts below this one, but I wanted to clarify something in the way the credit card system works.
When paying for an item with a credit or debit card, regardless of the day of the week or time of day, the credit card POS (point of sale) device will request--in real time--an "authorization" from the cardholder's account from an authorization network like Global Payments. This authorization will decline if the funds are not available, and the authorized funds will immediately be removed from the customer's available credit (or available balance, in the case of a debit card).

...
Thanks, that was actually pretty interesting, but you left out the part about the cc execs getting their bonuses, er, I mean awards. :angry:
 
If before you take the car out of the lot you change your mind and have the rental agency void your contract, the $350 authorization will continue to sit on your card until it expires in 7, 10, 14, 21, or however many days your card-issuing bank determines (and there's nothing the merchant can do to void the authorization--your best bet would be to call your bank and ask them how to void it).
Unless that's a very recent change, that's not true at all. You can't do anything about it, as your bank has no way to know if you're lying about the authorization. The merchant, and only the merchant, can request that the credit card company undo the authorization.

Years ago when I worked for JCPenny, we had a special computer terminal in the store's local credit office which was used to cancel authorizations for the JCP card when a transaction needed to be voided. Actually it didn't really cancel the authorization, but instead in effect issued a temporary credit authorization for the same amount and in effect restored the customer's credit limit. At the moment I can't recall if we were able to use the same terminal to undo Visa/MC or if we actually had to call them, but I do know that it was up to us to deal with Visa/MC, as again the CC companies had no way to know if the customer was lying or telling the truth. Only the merchant was trusted to request undoing the authorization.
 
If before you take the car out of the lot you change your mind and have the rental agency void your contract, the $350 authorization will continue to sit on your card until it expires in 7, 10, 14, 21, or however many days your card-issuing bank determines (and there's nothing the merchant can do to void the authorization--your best bet would be to call your bank and ask them how to void it).
Unless that's a very recent change, that's not true at all. You can't do anything about it, as your bank has no way to know if you're lying about the authorization. The merchant, and only the merchant, can request that the credit card company undo the authorization.

Years ago when I worked for JCPenny, we had a special computer terminal in the store's local credit office which was used to cancel authorizations for the JCP card when a transaction needed to be voided. Actually it didn't really cancel the authorization, but instead in effect issued a temporary credit authorization for the same amount and in effect restored the customer's credit limit. At the moment I can't recall if we were able to use the same terminal to undo Visa/MC or if we actually had to call them, but I do know that it was up to us to deal with Visa/MC, as again the CC companies had no way to know if the customer was lying or telling the truth. Only the merchant was trusted to request undoing the authorization.
OK, all right, you called me on the carpet.

I oversimplified things (partially because I was literally on my way out the door and didn't feel like adding yet another paragraph or ten). You are (mostly) right.

The procedure for reversing an authorization is something that varies by the card-issuing bank. Once the authorization number has been granted, that authorization belongs to the cardholder's bank, and that bank can make up whatever rules it wants about how to handle that authorization--from how many days until the authorization expires (though card association rules state that the merchant is guaranteed the money from an authorization up to 30 days, even if it causes a cardholder to go over his/her credit limit) to what is required to void an authorization.

Some banks will accept a phone call from the merchant as grounds for reversing the authorization, and different banks have different levels of verification (I've had some take my word just with the dollar amount and authorization number--both of which are printed on the customer's receipt--while others make me give my merchant number and bank number).

Other banks require a faxed letter on company letterhead from the merchant before releasing the authorization.

Still other banks won't even talk to the merchant if the merchant calls (note that there are no special backdoor numbers that a merchant can call for this purpose--in order to get in touch with the card-issuing bank, the merchant must call the number on the back of the cardholder's credit card; if the merchant calls their authorization network [e.g. Global Payments], they will not be able to help the merchant, as the authorization is now under the control of the bank) and require the cardholder to request the authorization to be released. Most then want to verify information from the merchant, but I've actually seen a bank release an authorization without speaking to anyone other than the cardholder.

And there are even a few banks out there that won't touch the authorization and will force the cardholder to wait until it expires.

Unfortunately, there are no "special machines" like you had at JC Penney that will reverse an authorization. Actually, the procedure you describe for the JCP machine is interesting and can't be duplicated for other card types, since a credit processed by a merchant does not involve any kind of real-time authorization process (there's no money to be "held," so it's not necessary to run an authorization to verify and earmark funds). A credit is a completely offline process: the credit is processed as part of the end-of-day batch. JCP, as a retailer issuing its own card, can set its own system up in the way it chooses, but VI/MC/AX/DS/DC/CB, etc. don't work this way, and with those cards, none of the back-end banks or authorization networks involved know about the credit until it is uploaded at the end of the day.

There is one exception: Visa's systems (and Visa only--not MasterCard, American Express, or any others) do have the ability to modify an existing authorization electronically--either increasing it in the form of an incremental authorization or decreasing it in the form of an authorization reversal. This is due to Visa's regulations with regard to how charges are settled against authorizations. With all of the card associations except for Visa, a merchant may submit a charge for up to 15% above the authorized amount. If the final total is over 115% of the original authorization, a second authorization for the difference must be created, and when the charge is posted, it is actually submitted as two separate charges. However, the merchant is charged a penalty if he or she runs runs three or more authorizations, so in a situation where the final total may differ significantly from the original estimate (as in a hotel room or rental car transaction), the merchant is encouraged to create a very large initial authorization, as multiple additional authorizations (i.e. when extending the stay) will incur a penalty.

With Visa, again, a merchant may submit a charge for up to 115% the value of the original authorization, but if it is over that, the procedure is slightly different: instead of running a separate second (or third or whatever) authorization, the terminal can request an incremental authorization, which alters the value of the existing authorization. In this way, the merchant can increase an authorization but still submit the final charge as a single charge, which is what Visa encourages. (Most terminals are set up to automatically process an incremental authorization if needed when the merchant inputs the final total, so the process is transparent.)

However, Visa also penalizes merchants if the final total submitted is less than 15% less than (that is, 85% of) the value of the authorization. In other words, if the merchant authorizes $100, the merchant is penalized if he or she submits a charge for $84.99 or less against that authorization. To resolve this issue, the Visa system allows the merchant to process an authorization reversal, which releases the appropriate amount from the authorization so that the final charge is within 15% of the authorized amount. (Again, most terminals are set up to automatically process an authorization reversal if needed when the merchant inputs the final total.) This is contrasted with the MasterCard et. al setup, where a merchant is perfectly within his rights to submit a $3 charge against a $300 authorization, so a way to adjust an existing authorization is not needed.

Some (but not all) terminals that are outfitted with this Visa incremental authorization and authorization reversal system allow the merchant to manually process an authorization reversal. It is on these terminals where the merchant can, if needed, release an existing authorization, giving a cardholder access to his or her credit. What actually happens in this case is that the terminal adjusts the existing authorization to $1, which is the minimum amount an authorization can be for.

However, relatively few credit card terminals (that I've seen) are outfitted with this ability, and even if a merchant has one that is capable of this, it is not likely he or she knows how to access that function.

In any case, back to Alan's assertion: the reason I said that your best bet would be to call your bank and ask them how to void an authorization is because each bank is different and may require a different thing from your merchant before releasing the authorization (and may not require anything at all), so having the customer call is the simplest way to deal with the issue. For example, at my business, we deal with a lot of Wells Fargo cards, a smattering of local banks and credit unions, and Bank of America (since virtually everyone carries the Alaska Airlines Bank of America Visa). IIRC, Wells Fargo requires a letter faxed on company letterhead. Bank of America requires the merchant call them (and will transfer you at least twice before ending up at the correct department). At least one of the local banks will take the customer's word for it, while another is only open during banking hours and nothing can be done in the middle of the night. Again, simpler for the customer to call and figure out what needs to be done and then tell the merchant what to do.
 
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