Consumer Alert on Debit Card Holds
Summary
The Montana Department of Banking issued a consumer alert informing debit card holders about merchant-initiated holds at gas stations, hotels, and car rental agencies. The alert explains that merchants set hold amounts while financial institutions determine hold duration, which can range from several days to weeks. The department warns that these holds can tie up funds and lead to overdraft fees if account balances are insufficient.
What changed
The Montana Department of Banking published this consumer alert to educate the public about debit card holds placed by merchants at gas stations, hotels, and car rental companies. The alert describes typical hold amounts ranging from $50 to $150 at gas stations, $50 to $200 at hotels, and several hundred dollars at car rental agencies.
Consumers should be aware that holds can freeze funds in their accounts for extended periods, potentially causing overdraft fees. The alert recommends using credit cards or cash for gas purchases due to stronger federal fraud protections, including a $50 maximum liability limit for disputed credit card charges.
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Apr 17, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Debit Card Holds
- November 09 2020 When you present your debit card at a gas station, hotel, or car rental agency, the merchant can put a hold on your debit card. The amount of the hold is set by the merchant. The financial institution sets the length of the hold, which can be several days to several weeks. Holds at gas stations can be in the $50 to $150 range, since the merchant is ensuring that you have money available assuming you are filling up a halfton pickup. Holds at hotels are in the $50-$200 range, to make sure you can pay for the room and incidentals. Holds at car rental companies are typically several hundred dollars.
The hold will tie up that amount of money in your account. If you don’t have enough to cover the hold in your account and any other charges you have made, you can be charged overdraft fees.
How can you protect yourself from this? Use a credit card or pay cash for gas. Federal law limits your liability for fraudulent charges on your credit card to $50 if you dispute the charge within 60 days of the statement date. Most credit cards companies actively monitor for fraud and offer to protect their customers from fraudulent transactions.
You can use a debit card and a pin, but due to the risk of card skimmers stealing your card number and pin, it is not recommended. If a scammer gets access to your checking account, they can drain all the money out before you realize it. So the next time you get gas, check into a hotel or rent a car, reach for the credit card.
Tags: Consumer Alerts
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