Quote:
Originally Posted by HIgolfers
I don't know what restuarants you frequent but we pay with credit card all the time at restaurants and usually add the tip on to the CC. I have NEVER seen two charges on my credit card bill. I also have never experienced a different charge than my receipt (which I keep to reconcile my statement).
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You won't see two charges on your bill. The first charge is a "pending" charge that is later changed to include the tip. Every credit card charge starts out as a pending charge and is later converted to a final charge. If you set up alerts with your bank, you will see the pending charges immediately after you make a purchase. So, if I spend $50 at Publix, within a few seconds, I will get an email that shows that I spent $50. This verifies that they charged the correct amount. But, if I spend $60 at a restaurant, including a $10 tip, I will get an email showing that I only spent $50, because they charged my account before I added the tip. Then, they manually add the tip a few days later and the final charge on the credit card bill is for $60. If you don't get alerts, that is the only charge you will ever see. The problem with this process is that you cannot verify that they charged the correct amount until the final charge is posted on your credit card account. And, the person who manually adds the tip can make a mistake or deliberately overcharge you. I am not saying that restaurants deliberately overcharge, but I believe that most restaurants use the same charging process. That is why they take your credit card into the back room before you add the tip. I highly recommend that you set up alerts for credit card charges so you can immediately verify all charges.