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green dot
dipstick50 954 reads
posted
1 / 19
Green Dot card

I just got a new Green Dot credit card to keep my business expenses separate from pleasure.Lol  Would like to use the Green Dot card to book hotels for some gym workouts.Lol  Was wondering if anyone use this card to book hotels and if it causes red flags to go up with hotel staff?

impposter 49 Reviews 436 reads
posted
2 / 19
No experiene; taking a guess

Some establishments that take a credit card in advance of services put an encumbrance on the account almost as a way of asking, "Does this customer have a sufficient credit line to pay for the services I am about to render?" The amount of the encumbrance can vary but it kind of says, "Set aside this amount of the credit balance on this account, 'cause I will be putting thru a real charge sometime soon."  

If the hotel tries to encumber more than your credit balance, that might be a problem. (Just load it up with more cash and close by retailer.)

When you slide your card at a gas station pump, it "instantly" encumbers your credit balance by some large amount, say $100; when you complete the transaction for $45 worth of gas, it is supposed to CHARGE your account $45 and RELEASE the encumbrance on the remainder. (I know someone whose CC was over-encumbered by a gas station glitch and then the computer didn't release the encumbrance. They found out when their CC was declined at their next stop. The encumbrance is NOT a charge, it just lowers your available credit balance. The CC company was called and they figured out the problem and fixed it.)

Bottom line: I don't know if it will work (depending on your balance) or if hotel staff care.
Posted By: dipstick50
I just got a new Green Dot credit card to keep my business expenses separate from pleasure.Lol  Would like to use the Green Dot card to book hotels for some gym workouts.Lol  Was wondering if anyone use this card to book hotels and if it causes red flags to go up with hotel staff?

mrfisher 115 Reviews 464 reads
posted
3 / 19
Those encumbrances are a scam by the bank to cause people to suffer fees. eom


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impposter 49 Reviews 460 reads
posted
4 / 19
But they are invisible unless there's a screwup.

Whaddya mean? Most of us don't even know that they occur.

When you buy something at a check out stand or register (supermarket; airline ticket; pack of condoms from the 7-11), you just get charged the amount of the sale. Ka-ching! No encumbrancing.  

At the gas pump or some other places, there is an instant encumbrance (say $100) of your credit balance. 2 minutes later, there is a CHARGE of $45 for gas and the encumbrance is released. You never see it and it doesn't show up on your bill.  

The only time you ever know about it is when the system breaks. (My gas station story involved a HUGE encumbrance that was not released at all.  A major software error.)  

How is it a scam that adds fees? If your credit limit is nearly maxed out and your remaining balance is only $500 and the hotel encumbers (not a final charge yet) all $500 for your luxury suite and you go to a restaurant, your card will be denied for insufficient credit. You'll have to pull out another card or pay cash. I agree that you should be allowed to use your $500 balance at the restaurant since the hotel didn't really charge you anything yet, but how is it a scam and where are the fees

Fancy8888 See my TER Reviews 357 reads
posted
5 / 19
Cash is king.

Posted By: dipstick50
I just got a new Green Dot credit card to keep my business expenses separate from pleasure.Lol  Would like to use the Green Dot card to book hotels for some gym workouts.Lol  Was wondering if anyone use this card to book hotels and if it causes red flags to go up with hotel staff?

mrfisher 115 Reviews 333 reads
posted
6 / 19
These encumbrances often last for days...

I know this for a fact at least at hotels, and I've read that similar stuff happens at gas stations.

The banks offer a "free" automatic over-draft service, but while the service is free, you pay the usual $25 or so fee each time the overdraft protection is used.

Jensen36363 58 Reviews 320 reads
posted
7 / 19
Isn't Green Dot Prepaid? -eom-


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MatureGFE See my TER Reviews 384 reads
posted
8 / 19
Yes it is! ;-) eom


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dipstick50 356 reads
posted
9 / 19
Re: Isn't Green Dot Prepaid? -eom-

Yes, it is a prepaid card and I have never used one to book a hotel room.  I was just wondering if anyone else had used one and if any red flags were raised or problems with hotel staff.

MmmMelanie See my TER Reviews 393 reads
posted
10 / 19
Re: Isn't Green Dot Prepaid?

Prepaid generally means that their is no formal name attached to the card. So it can belong to anyone (so keep it safe).

Some hotels have an issue with that. Yes you can pay for the room with that but they will not put their 'damage' deposit on it because their is no name associated with the card. Each hotel is different. Some will accept it for everything and some will only accept it to pay your bill.

Its_My_Money 6 Reviews 385 reads
posted
11 / 19
Re: Cash is king.

IF Cash is King... then why don't more businesses offer cash discounts?

perfectstorm 19 Reviews 334 reads
posted
12 / 19
Hotels usually require a credit card for incidentals even if you are paying cash.

Also while cash may still be king, there are a lot of cashless places that will not accept cash, many airlines for one thing.

dipstick50 345 reads
posted
13 / 19
Re: Isn't Green Dot Prepaid?

It's a visa debit card and my real name is on it.  I can load the card with money and then make purchases.  I have my American Express card along with the regular Visa and Master cards but I wanted to use those cards for real life situations and use the Green Dot visa debit card for my hobby activities and didn't know if this would cause me to stick out.

-- Modified on 11/13/2016 7:24:40 PM

Fancy8888 See my TER Reviews 355 reads
posted
14 / 19
Re: Cash is king.

Posted By: Its_My_Money
IF Cash is King... then why don't more businesses offer cash discounts?
It's doesn't make sense why businesses don't give discounts or take cash.....CASH opens all doors. Seem like businesses want credit cards.....
Related Link: http://www.girl-directory.com/escortnet/fancy-tlc

GaGambler 408 reads
posted
15 / 19
But fish, the hold is not placed by the bank, but by the merchant

and the banks only collect a fee on overdrafts on debit card transactions, not actual credit cards.

The solution of course is to use an actual credit card for all of these kind of transactions where a "hold" is placed on the card.

GaGambler 445 reads
posted
16 / 19
Here is a suggestion that might work for you

When you are required to put up a card to "hold" like a hotel room or a bar tab, you can give them your Am Ex, they will put a hold on it, but not charge the card, and then when it comes time to actually pay, give them your Debit card to actually run the purchase. Your Am Ex will never actually be run unless you permit it and you don't have to worry about your spending power on your prepaid card to be suspended while you wait for the hold to be lifted.

You can also do this when paying cash, the hold will disappear in a day or two on your Am Ex card and there will never be any paper trail for the transaction as no transaction will actually have happened.

mrfisher 115 Reviews 359 reads
posted
17 / 19
Enjoy cash while you can....

Governments everywhere are planning to all but eliminate cash in the not too distant future.

The reasons are to avoid the un-taxed underground economy, and illegal business.  But the invasion of privacy as well as ability to control and unfairly tax (Watch for negative interest rates on cash that sits in the bank for too long.) are more than enough justification to keep currency in circulation.

I suppose that private currency like Bitcoin will be an option, but I'm very leery of how on the level those are.  If they fall flat, there's no recourse

mrfisher 115 Reviews 398 reads
posted
18 / 19
Here's an interesting article about how this is panning out in one country already....


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Related Link: Not too good...

elvis10592 296 reads
posted
19 / 19
green dot

they require a personal info to register it....also you can only run $1000/m thru it..otherwise they flag you for money laundering...confiscate the balance and snail mail you a return check..approx. 3-5 weeks.....done w/ them for that...also the wmart card is the same way.....

gc (onevanilla, vanillavisa, etc) are starting to not be accepted by some hotels....

If anyone has a better idea I would love to know about it....

the money pak is easy and can be used to reload a myriad of cards...just cant find one that is +$1000...oh..and none of them are valid for any purchases outside the usa...you cant pay your ter renewal bill w/ it(England) ...or p411(Canada) ...overseas shipping of vit V (india) .....you get the idea..

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