Question regarding credit cards at restaurants?

Question

Okay,so when you receive your check you give the waiter or waitress your credit card, they swipe it and print out a receipt. Then you sign the check, adding a tip, and you leave. If they already charged your credit card for your meal without the tip, and you leave immediately after adding the tip, how does the tip get added to your credit card if they already swiped it?

Answer 1

The first swipe is a "placeholder" -- no charge or pending charge, only. The 2nd 'swipe' on the credit card machine (punching in numbers on the little keyboard) is the actual charge (with the tip). Sometimes that doesn't happen until the end of the day.

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Answer 2

Three examples:
*when you use your card at a restaurant: if your food bill was $20, they may ask for $30. In case you want to leave a tip.
*gas station:If you go to Cosco and get gas there, they automatically do $75 no matter how much gas you buy, other gas stations also have a set amount. this way you can swipe your card at the begining and get aproved no matter how much gas you pump
*hotel, or car rental agency:Hotels and car rentals do a percentage above the price, just in case you mess something up.
What they are doing is asking for "authorization" when they swipe it. They are asking the bank if you have that amount on money, even if they are not going to charge you the entire amount. If you ever go to an ATM after you've used it at one of these place you will see that your available balance is less that the balance minus the amount you just spent.
This can get tricky, say you have $75 in you acct. You went and got $20 of gas, then tried to make a purchase a store or get money from the ATM. You would be denied until the actual purchase has gone through your account. This is something that the gas stations, restaurant, hotel, car rental have power over, not your bank.

Answer 3

When you write the tip the receipt and you leave it on the table, the server will then take it and hold onto it till the end of their shift. When they count out there cash tips, they then enter the tips from receipts into the computer. Whenever you eat at a restaurant and you leave a tip your credit card number and how much you paid for your meal stays in the computer until your server clocks out. That's how the server adds the tip. Actually, if you would like: you can wait and ask for you last receipt and when they add the tip, you will see that. Hope that answers your question.

Answer 4

Servers can adjust the amount charged after you leave. The charge can be changed to any amount or even cancelled until after closing when the "batch" is sent over to be finalized. The charge does not go through until after the batch is sent. Your card is just "authorized" during the first initial swipe to see if you have funds or if the account is valid.

Answer 5

Their computers store the information in their system...after you place the tip of the receipt ..they go back in and add the tip amount and when they submit it the second time...it sends the information to charge you. Your not charged on the first swipe

Answer 6

you're surely ideal proper. only because they'd your mastercard huge type for the bill of your dinner, they never must have charged you more effective. once you signed your mastercard slip, did it only have the cost of the dinner or did it have $ninety 9 extra? If it only had your dinner, you licensed the fee of the dinner, no longer the table. besides the indisputable fact that, in case you seem on the slip and there is one extra $ninety 9, you're screwed. it really is definitely some thing you opt for to call your mastercard business enterprise and a legal specialist.

Answer 7

Resaurants can add it in later. Then they keep all signed copies for proof.

Answer 8

Precisely what he said.