> pre-authorize Is there actually any (pre-)authorization going on? My impression is as long as they have your card number, they can charge you whenever they w

> pre-authorize Is there actually any (pre-)authorization going on? My impression is as long as they have your card number, they can charge you whenever they want, the only deterrence being not committing fraud. Once I dined at a local restaurant (in the U.S.) and only realized I forgot to bring my wallet after the meal. I wrote down my credit card number and that was it.