A “Palace Entertainment” charge on your credit card almost always traces back to a ticket, parking fee, season pass installment, or in-park purchase at one of 24 U.S. amusement parks, water parks, and family entertainment centers formerly run under that corporate name. Herschend Family Entertainment completed its acquisition of those attractions on May 27, 2025, but legacy payment systems can keep the old “Palace Entertainment” label on statements well after the sale.1Herschend Family Entertainment. Herschend Completes Acquisition of Palace Entertainment’s US Attractions The mismatch between the park you visited and the name on your statement is administrative, not a sign of fraud.
Why the Statement Doesn’t Show the Park’s Name
Large park operators process card payments through a single corporate merchant account rather than opening a separate account for each location. A ticket bought at Kennywood in Pennsylvania, a parking fee at Raging Waters in California, and a gift shop purchase at Splish Splash in New York can all post to your statement under the same “Palace Entertainment” descriptor. The individual park name rarely appears in the line item. That’s standard practice for multi-location operators.
Parks Tied to This Charge
If the transaction date lines up with a visit to any of the following parks, the charge is almost certainly legitimate:2Parkrovers. All Herschend Parks – Locations and Details Across the Globe
- Kennywood – West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
- Dutch Wonderland – Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Idlewild and Soak Zone – Ligonier, Pennsylvania
- Sandcastle Waterpark – West Homestead, Pennsylvania
- Lake Compounce – Bristol, Connecticut
- Splish Splash – Riverhead, New York
- Story Land – Glen, New Hampshire
- Water Country – Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Noah’s Ark Water Park – Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
- Raging Waters Los Angeles – San Dimas, California
- Raging Waters San Jose – San Jose, California
- Castle Park – Riverside, California
- Adventureland – Altoona, Iowa
- Wet’n Wild Emerald Pointe – Greensboro, North Carolina
- Wild Adventures – Valdosta, Georgia
Reasons a Real Charge Can Look Wrong
A charge you didn’t expect isn’t always a charge you didn’t make. Three patterns cause most of the confusion.
Season Pass Installments
Several of these parks sell season passes on a split-payment plan. Kennywood, for instance, sells 2026 season passes in two installments running between $65 and $110 per payment depending on the tier.3Kennywood. Season Passes – Buy Tickets – Kennywood A second installment posting months after the original purchase is a common surprise. Your original email confirmation should list the payment schedule.
Add-Ons You Forgot
Parking, meal plans, locker rentals, and souvenir photos are usually paid through kiosks or a mobile app and process through the same corporate account as your ticket. These smaller amounts can post a day or two after your visit, so a charge that doesn’t match your ticket price often turns out to be one of these extras.
Advance Online Purchases
Tickets bought online weeks before a trip hit your card at purchase, not on the visit date. A charge in April for a July trip can look unfamiliar by the time you notice it.
How to Verify the Charge Before You Dispute It
Take a few minutes to rule out a legitimate purchase first. Filing a dispute against a valid charge can lead the park to suspend your season pass or membership while the investigation runs.
- Compare the transaction date and amount against your calendar and any published ticket, parking, or installment prices.
- Search your email inbox for terms like the park name, “season pass,” or “e-ticket” to surface buried confirmations.
- Check whether a spouse, partner, or authorized user on your account made the purchase.
- Call guest services at the specific park. They can look up transactions using the last four digits of your card and the charge date, which is usually faster than going through corporate channels.
Disputing the Charge With Your Card Issuer
If you’ve confirmed the charge is unauthorized or wrong, the Fair Credit Billing Act at 15 U.S.C. § 1666 gives you a clear process for billing errors on credit card accounts.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors
The 60-Day Deadline
You have 60 days from the date your card issuer sends the statement containing the charge to submit a written dispute. The deadline is strict. Missing it doesn’t stop you from calling your bank, but you lose the specific protections the FCBA provides. Send the notice to the issuer’s billing inquiries address (not the payment address), and include your name, account number, the disputed amount, and why you believe it’s an error.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors
What Happens Next
Once your issuer receives a valid written dispute, it must acknowledge receipt within 30 days. It then has two full billing cycles, and no more than 90 days, to either correct the error or explain in writing why the charge is accurate.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors During that period, the issuer cannot try to collect the disputed amount or report it delinquent. Most banks also issue a provisional credit while they investigate, though the statute itself doesn’t require it.
If Someone Actually Used Your Card
Unauthorized use is a different situation from a billing error. Federal law caps your liability at $50 for unauthorized credit card charges, and even that cap applies only if you haven’t already reported the card lost or stolen.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1643 – Liability of Holder of Credit Card Most major issuers waive that $50 under their own zero-liability policies. If you suspect fraud rather than a mix-up, call your issuer right away and ask for a replacement card.
Why the Old Name Is Still Showing Up
Palace Entertainment was the U.S. division of Spain-based Parques Reunidos. Parques Reunidos announced the sale of its U.S. attractions in early 2025, and Herschend closed the deal on May 27, 2025.1Herschend Family Entertainment. Herschend Completes Acquisition of Palace Entertainment’s US Attractions The merchant descriptor on your statements may eventually shift to Herschend or an individual park name, but during the transition, legacy payment systems keep the old label active. A Palace Entertainment charge for a visit that happened after mid-2025 is the same purchase you’d expect, just labeled with the previous corporate name.