ATM withdrawls WILL NOT do a preauthorization!
The only time you get pending charges is when a merchant does not properly close out their POS receipts.
As a CC merchant myself, I know that sometimes staff will put through pre-auth receipts as new transactions, either because they have not been properly instucted on how this creates the above scenerios and inconvenienvces to the cardholders, or because their friends are waiting for them in the car to go to a party or a club ...
Pay-at -the-pump gas stations and restaurants are the biggest offenders of this sloppy closeout practise, because both only do initial pre-authorizations on your card, as the full amount is subject to change depending on how much gas you pump, or how much of a gratuity you give your server ...
Yes ePass is VERY strict with holding funds in these scenerios ... but it is for YOUR protection as well as theirs! Getting used to this security does take a bit .. Rand will tell you how often I was on ICQ crying about this when I first got my Electron Visa and got my first PENDING charges ... I about shit myself, because there were 2 PENDING transactions the same day totalling more than $450 ... a fair chunk of change to have tied up for anywhere from a week to a month
Whatever the reason, this is a fault of the MERCHANT, and not epassporte's.
We cannot fault ePass for covering their asses.
An ounce of common sense and making an effort to be careful how you use your ePass card, will save you alot of frustrations in the end. Know that when you Pay-at-the-pump for your gas, sure it is convenient, but walking that extra 50 steps into the casheir will eliminate the need for a $50 or $75 pre-auth on your card that could stay there for up to a month!!
Also, when you are taking that cute girl from the gas station out for a nice dinner, stop at a MAC machine and grab a couple hundred bucks out ...
A MAC machine withdrawl is alot easier to explain to your wife than a $160 debit from CHEZ PARIS -- especially when the wife knows you have not taken HER there for 5 years!!
People are so quit to place blame on ePass, but in reality it is the merchants where you use your card who are at fault. We have become very accustomed to the convenience of using our cards everywhere, but going to a MAC machine and physically withdrawing the funds is still your best bet, and will reduce these pesky "PENDING" charges ...