Jan. 15, 2010
Q: On several visits to Chili’s my credit card was over charged. If I sign a receipt for $13, and my credit card posts a charge of $15, there is a problem.

It gives the impression that Chili’s is padding their tips at the expense of the customer.

I contacted Chili’s management in November and was told they would look into the situation.

As of Dec. 16, I have not received a response.

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A: When you use your credit or debit card at any MWR facility there are two types of transactions that occur.

First, the credit card company/bank puts a hold on the funds and adds an additional “cushion” that amounts to approximately 20 percent of the total.

If you immediately look at your statement online, you will see the charge with that “cushion” added.

It may also list the charge as “pending.”

After 3-5 business days, it will actually post the charge to your account and it will no longer be listed as “pending.”

When the bank posts the charge, it will remove the “cushion” and you should be able to match your receipt with the charge.

The time lag seems to vary slightly.

This process is a standard in the industry and unfortunately, beyond our ability to change.

All MWRs worldwide use the same bank to collect credit card charges and this is part of a contract that was negotiated by CNIC worldwide.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you.

If you have further questions or concerns about credit card billing at Chili’s please contact MWR Food and Beverage Director Chip Kreisman at 243-7316.

I love how this response tells you how a credit card transaction occurs as if you're too stupid to realize it. On the other hand, why is MWR (More Wasted Resources) adding a "cushion" in the first place? Be like every other place and just take what the customer signed for and leave it at that.

I don't really think a "pending" charge has anything to do with "cushion".

I also noticed this when Chilis first opened, same deal, they want to make sure you have room for the tip....

I guess I still tip the old fashion way by leaving a dollar amount on the table. Every now and then I'll put a tip on my card, but I still don't like this whole "cushion" stuff.

I think Chilis just needs to have a set up like Italian Gardens where you walk up to a cashier to pay so there isn't any kind of excuse in the charges that are pending or posted to your account.

I think it may depend on what bank you use as to whether or not it shows the cushion. I do know that if you only have $10 in your account and you try to charge $9.50 that it won't go through at the MWR installations.
Again, if you read the response this was something that was negotiated via CNIC. Usually there's a reason for these types of things...someone must have done something.

Most people generally put a 15-20% tip on a credit card charge. I'm sure they had plenty of people who were going over their limit, so credit card charges were declining at the main office, and spending lots of manhours trying to straighten it out. THERE's your wasted time you were talking about...

This is not just a Yokosuka Chilli's practice, plenty of stateside restaurants/bars do this... My thoughts are if you can't afford the extra couple bucks temporarily placed on your credit card maybe you really shouldn't be eating out in the first place...

I say it depends on your bank or credit card company. Some charge International fee.

If this happens again, I suggest to report the discrepancy with your credit card company immediately especially if you have your signed credit card receipt to prove it. If I'm not mistaken, your credit card company may investigate for you and take care of it.

My first visit to Chili's (and most likely my last because the experience was just not impressive), we were informed that they don't honor MWR gift certificates because they are a private company. This might explain a possibility of International fee added to your bill.

Chili's IS a private vendor, but disbursement issues are handled thru the base. Therefore... no international fees for stateside cards. If you've got a Japanese card, yes... but not any card issued by a US bank.

Sorry for hijacking the post, but it is about Chili's. I know a guy who used to work at Chili's in the kitchen when it first opened. He quit because he got tired of the rookie managers telling him to "short" customers on the beef and chicken when ordering fajitas. Evidentally employees were being directed to give customers more onions and peppers so they could make more profit by saving on the meat! Not sure if this is still happening, but worth checking into if you are a regular customer, which I am not BTW.

Good to know. I paid cash when I went there because I have read this comment. Just to be safe.