On Tue, 27 Dec 2016 16:51:55 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 12/26/2016 10:42 PM, wrote:


Good chance your debit card had the same hold too, but you may not have
seen it.

By it's very nature, a Debit card has no hold because it takes the
money out of your account "immediately"

They put a hold on for gas at some places. If you have $20 in your
account and pump $30 in gas there would be a problem.


Except at least here in Canada, the technology at gas stations
controls the pump making it totally IMPOSSIBLE to pump more than you
paid for. Don't know how it works in some of the American backwaters.


I've seen the notification over the years, but don't recall where. BTW,
restaurants do that too, putting in enough hold to cover a tip. Your
hotel and car rental company will do the same.

Never seen a restaurant do it, but around here we don't have to
prepay at restaurants

Sure, you do, sort of. When the restaurant runs your card for the bill,
the have it approved for a lager amount as you will probably add a tip.
They add about 25% and adjust after you sign.


Nope, not with the more advanced Canadian banking system. They come to
your table with the credit / debit card machine, and you pay the bill,
including adding the tip if you want to, and either sign it right
there, or in most cases now enter your PIN for the chip-card, and it's
all done - virtually instantly.

We don't have a lot of "dine and dash" situations where people leave
without paying their bills. In areas where that happens, and in fast
food restaurants, you pay before you get your food - and no tips are
expected. If you choose to tip, it is usually in cash