I just want to make sure of something -- I ordered a GM Subscription (order # 723158) on June 28th. As of today I have a D1 Order (# 758207) for $16.08. Can someone put my mind ease at let me know that I am not in actuality being charged both. I imagine the latter order is just my first physical copy of the GM subscription going through, but as it appears it seems like I am being charged 12.99 and 16.08 -- which would, you know, like suck.
Thanks.
Senior Software Developer
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The first "charge" for $12.99 isn't actually a charge. It's an "authorization", which is bank-speak for making sure you have enough money available.
The second charge is the actual charge. (A "settlement" in bank talk.) We only charge your card when we actually ship something.
See my explanation in another thread for more details. (That answer is about Pathfinder, but we're working on treating GameMastery Modules subscriptions similarly.)
More bank speak...
An Authorization is the "hold" on the card. This expires after 30 days if the bank does not submit a Settlement ("billed"). Mind you, this does take away from your Available Credit Line (basically, so you don't go over the credit line).
Even though the Authorization may be for a certain amount, it does not mean that it will come through for that amount. The best example is a gas pump. You swipe your card before you use it. The pump authorizes $1 (this depends on the merchant, and may have changed with higher prices at the pumps). You are then able to pump the gas. When you finish pumping, you get a receipt for the actual amount of the purchase. This amount is what the merchant would submit to their bank.
Another example would be restraunts. They tend to authorize for more than the purchase price (for gratuity). This is usually around 20%.
Let's say that there was a problem when the merchant tried to authorize (kept getting an error and tried to swipe the card again, hotels are known for this). Depending on the card company, you can have the merchant contact your credit card and they can release a hold. This would release the available credit normally within 24 hours. However, this does depend on the card company's procedure and you may have to wait until the card has been billed to get it removed.
This is for Credit cards, but I would guess that Debit cards work under the same processes.
A little off the topic, but it's good information to know. "And knowing is half the battle!"
Thanks for putting my mind at ease.
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Another example would be restraunts. They tend to authorize for more than the purchase price (for gratuity). This is usually around 20%.Let's say that there was a problem when the merchant tried to authorize (kept getting an error and tried to swipe the card again, hotels are known for this).
Hotels also authorize for 20% over the actual total, in case you make phone calls, or order movies, or damage the room in some way.
Depending on the location and/or company that they use to authorize, some Hotels have Flags set up for if the second example (multiple authorizations same card same amount) that actually pop up and say "you have already made an authorization on this card for this amount, would youl like to make another one?" This 1 Saves on the hassle of wasting time and holding extra $. 2 Keeps guests happy and 3 saves the hotel money because every time they authorize a card they are charged a certain amount (which is less if the card was swiped, and more if the card number was manually typed in, due to higher risk of the card not being present)
Just more fun tid-bits of knowledge