Originally posted by: Winchester
Originally posted by: ShotgunSteve
I used my debit at McDonald's a couple of days ago, I had the receipt in my pocket. No extra charge.
I am saying it is an "after charge." Like when you leave a tip on the reciept that you sign at a regular chain place. They add the charge later, it never shows up on the reciept
Usually, unless their CC system is setup completely wrong
or the server forgot to adjust the ticket before he/she "closed out" after the shift and had to run a separate transaction to get the tip, a charge at a restaurant clears through a single transaction (bill + tip = total).
How does that work, you might ask? Because the approval and the actual charge do not go through at the same time. The approval merely checks for an available amount, which the bank then "holds" until the real charge goes through.
Pay-at-the-pump gas stations usually ask for an approval of $1. If approved, the pump turns on and you fill the tank. After you fill the tank, the final transaction amount is stored along with many others to be transmitted in a batch to the CC processing company. The real charge for the actual amount goes through hours later, usually at closing time or the middle of the night.
Restaurants are similar, except that they usually ask for an approval that's 20% over the bill. The bank instantly "holds" the approval amount, but no real money makes it from your account to the restaurant's at that point. A signature slip is printed with a line for you to add a tip. Later, the server adjusts your transaction to include the tip, and the total that you signed for is stored until closing time, when a batch of all the day's final CC transactions is transmitted.
That's why you'll typically see a "charge" for the wrong amount until a pay-at-the-pump or restaurant transaction is finalized at your bank--you're not seeing the actual charge, all you're seeing is the approval, or "hold" amount.