Charging Privileges on Room Key?

[txdisneyfanatic]

Hi, we are considering adding a credit card to our reservations for easy charging throughout the parks, etc. However, we are a bit hesitant because of the fear of misplacing our room key & someone just picking it up & being able to charge on it. Does Disney ask for a driver's license or is anything in place to prevent something such as this from happening? Thanks for further details with our dilemma!

[BrerGnat]

They don't always ask for ID, although they are supposed to.

If you misplace a room key, you should notify the front desk of your resort a.s.a.p. so they can deactivate all keys associated with your room and issue new ones.

Your fear, though, extends to credit cards as well. I used my credit card many times in WDW last week, and was only asked to see ID a handful of times.

Keep a close eye on your cards, treat them like they are money, and you should be fine. Being able to charge to the room is a great perk of Disney World Resorts, and I use it whenever possible.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Exactly! We enjoy the room-charging, and figure that it is easier to get a room-key replaced, instead of a credit card or cash.

I have found that we've been asked for ID less and less, and I don't think I was asked at all on our last trip.

But, I keep my room key close anyways, so it is an advantage.

[gerald72]

I've never ben asked for ID. I don't even carry it with me at Disney.
Best advice- don't lose the cards.

[faline]

I can't remember being asked for an ID when using my room key for charging priveleges. Like all valuables, keep it in a safe place whenever it is not in use.

[CleveRocks]

Yeh, I disagree that it is Disney policy to ask for ID when using room charge. If it were Disney policy, then it's been broken during the literally hundreds and hundreds of transactions I've done over the past few years, as I simply don't carry anything but my room key and an emergency $20 bill (no ID) when I'm on Disney property.

I agree with the comment that losing your room key would be preferable to losing your credit card, as the room key is easier to cancel and much much MUCH easier to replace.

As for showing ID when using a credit card, maybe that's a local or regional thing ... I've use my debit card and credit cards nearly every single day of my life over the past 10 years or so and I can't ever recall being asked to show ID when using one of them.

[BrerGnat]

As for showing ID when using a credit card, maybe that's a local or regional thing ... I've use my debit card and credit cards nearly every single day of my life over the past 10 years or so and I can't ever recall being asked to show ID when using one of them.

It's absolutely not a local or regional thing. It is a requirement of all major credit cards for the merchants to ask for ID when a credit card is used and the value of the transaction is over a specific amount (usually $30). This is a security thing. They have to either ask for photo ID, or ask for your zip code and key it in.

As a credit card user, I'd be pretty upset if I "frequently" was able to use my credit card without anyone asking for ID or proof of identity (like how you have to put in your billing zip code at the gasoline pump). Here at home, I am asked for photo ID every single time I use the card, with the exception of dining in restaurants.

It bothers me that at WDW, they don't ask often, which is why I prefer to use the room charge card.

[CleveRocks]

I've been asked for my ZIP code occasionally, but never been asked for ID.

I don't object to any security measures, I'm not arguing that it shouldn't be done, I'm just reporting that I've never been asked for ID. And like I said, I use my VISA-branded debit card nearly daily, plus AMEX and a VISA or MC occasionally.

And I'm certainly not saying that your quote of the requirement is incorrect. It astounds me if it's a regulation and I've quite literally never been subject to it. In addition to nearly daily transactions in the corridor between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, in the past few months we've been in Washington DC, Costa Rica, Charlotte NC, and so on. I almost never use cash for anything above the $40-$50 range, so, unfortunately, I'm reporting about several hundred credit/debit transactions over $30 just in 2011 alone.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Just a couple other things to consider when using the room-charge privilege. First, I'd recommend you sign the back of your card when you get it. Sometimes people check the signature and sometimes they don't (similar to asking for ID). I just feel better knowing I have my own signature on the back of my card - and it might be my false sense of security! Second, if you have young kids (or less responsible adults!!), you can activate some of the keys in your party for charging and make others NOT valid for charging. When our kids were young, we did not allow charging on their cards, mostly because we thought they could be more likely to lose the card.

Overall, though, we like the option to charge things to the room - then there's only one item on the credit card bill when it comes the following month!