Information on debit card withholding
If the payment is processed with a debit card, Visa Electron or a weekly payment credit card, a temporary double charge may be made to your account comprising a withholding of the total amount of the booking and a debit for the actual ticket price. The withholding will disappear automatically in approximately 10 days, depending on your bank. This temporary withholding is beyond the control of Spanair. It is due to the operating process that exists in Spain between banks and card issuers. Spanair is in negotiations with these entities in an attempt to find a solution to this procedure.
            

Why does this happen?
Spanair has introduced a pre-authorisation system during the booking process as a guarantee that the card has a sufficient available limit and is not blocked or stolen. During the booking process, Spanair requests authorisation from your bank for the total amount of the booking. The bank gives us an authorisation code and withholds the money in your account until Spanair confirms the operation. Spanair then issues the tickets and requests payment for them. Your bank receives a charge for each ticket issued together with the authorisation number it gave us. Banks’ systems should be able to cancel the withholding when the charge is made using the authorisation code, but we are aware that some do not. Instead, they withhold the amount for a period of approximately 10 days (depending on the bank). If confirmation is not received from Spanair in this time, it is released.

Does this happen with credit cards?
The same occurs with credit cards, although they do not have the same repercussions as with debit cards. In this case, only the amount of credit available to you will be reduced for a few days. However, you may ask your bank to raise your limit temporarily.

How can I be sure that the money will be released?
Contact your bank to find out whether the entry is a debit or an operation pending confirmation.