Periodic Holds on Your Credit/Debit Card

[jhannah]

My TA pointed out something today I haven't seen before. There is a new form (new to me, at least) in the cruise document folder to acknowlege that HAL will make periodic authorizations against your card during the cruise. If I'm not mistaken, previously there was just a $60 per day/per person hold for the shipboard account that was made upon checkin. Now, this plus additional amounts may be entered as holds as you go along. The TA said people are returning from cruises and finding multiple charges from Holland America on their bill ... not just one grand total as they've had before. She suggested that one way around it would be to tell them you will settle in cash at the end of the cruise, then change your mind and present the card on the final night to settle your account. Of course, you will then have to lay some cash down up front. So just make sure your card issuer knows that there will be periodic holds on your account.

[Aussie Gal]

Vegas Jim,

Thanks for the warning. If I don't get to speak with you before you leave for Europe, have a great cruise. We will be embarking as you are leaving the ship at Athens. What hotel are you staying at or are you flying straight home. We will be at the Grand Bretagne.

Jennie

[anjan]

Thanks for the info. I didn't know the cruise line did this. Hotels have been doing that for years. If you check in and say you will be staying 4 nights, then only stay 2, your credit card may still have the hold on it for the amount of four nights. You will be billed for only two. But your card can show that you have reached your credit limit without really spending the whole amount.

[stillfrantic]

Disney doesn't do the holds; they actually charge the card whenever the person's account hits $250.

[jhannah]

Aussie Gal ... We'll be at the Hilton, and will be taking a private tour of Athens with another couple. Only 18 days before we leave. Can hardly wait!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have known about this for months. This form is not new.

In fact last February, there was a young honeymoon couple staying in a suite on the Oosterdam who got a rude awakening in one of our ports. She tried to use her credit card only to find that HAL had "set" aside so much moeny per day for each of them AS WELL as the hotel that they were going to be staying at when they disembarked the ship. They spent a couple of hours in the Neptune Lounge trying to convienve the concierge to do something for them. After a while the concierge sent them to the front desk - no help there either. By late afternoon they were back in the Neptune Lounge crying - he didn't have a credit card - and they could no longer charge anything anywhere. The next morning, they were among the first ones off the ship and both of them were using telephones to call home for help. Have no idea what happened to them. But they found out the hard way about cruise lines and hotels "holding" so much per day per person.

[TedC]

On all our recent cruises we knew that HAL would withhold $50 per day per person on our credit card. That was raised to $60 per day when they instituted the auto-tip last spring.

But when we got our final bill before disembarking, the final tally was what we actually owed - which could be more or less than the $60 per day per person.

When we arrive back home and I check my credit card balance the amount we actually owed HAL was the amount deducted. While they put a hold on the $60 per person per day they only take what they are owed, which could be more or less, depending on your spending habits on the ship.

Even if you are going to pay cash at the end, they'll still block the $60 pp per day on your credit card unless you give them that amount in cash , or possibly travelers checks.

Obviously HAL wants to get what is owed them. And we want them to get it too. I don't want to have my cruise rates raised to cover what deadbeats gyped HAL out of !

[peaches from georgia]

The amount of the hold is NEVER actually charged to your account. It is exactly as the term states- your availability to charge a certain amount on your credit card is 'held' for that particular company, in this case HAL, but no charge is ever put through until you make a purchase.

If you have $1000 of available credit with Visa and are on a 7 day cruise with your spouse, HAL will put a 'hold' on $840 of your available credit (7daysx$60/dayx2pax). You will only have $160 credit available to use in port on your Visa card, whether or not you ever charge $840 to HAL on the ship. If you only charge $500 on your shipboard account that is all you will be actually charged by HAL, not the $840 that was 'held' to be available.

[pollux]

It is best to take 2 credits card on trips. One for the cruise and the other one for shopping.

[elmorejj]

this is probably why, in the past, it took so long to disembark. Pax who had overspent, and then didn`t have enough credit left to satisfy their on board account. I`m glad they put a hold on Credit cards. I use AMEX platinum, so their is an open ended credit limit.....jean :cool:

[sail7seas]

Another good reason to get AmEx Platinum if you cruise enough. In theory, there is no spending/credit limit. While we have used it for over twenty years and have never been questioned about any charge, I suppose if we varied hugely from our normal spending pattern, they may ask a few questions before approving it.

After the many HAL cruises we have taken and all charges have been put on AmEx, they know we will be settling 'similar size' shipboard accounts with the card.

[We have been asked, while in stores, from time to time to verify it was us making the purchase. No problem with them approving the charge once they were sure the rightful holder of the card was the person buying the 'piece of jewelry' :) ]

[ekerr19]

Our platinum Master Card will remove the hold if the amount of the hold is not actually charged within 72 hours.

[RevNeal]

There are several ways to avoid them putting a hold on a credit card or check card ... one of those ways is to deposit cash with the front office. If one does that one doesn't even have to deposit the $60 per day ... whatever one deposits becomes one's onboard expense limit. If you get to within (I think it's) $100 of what you deposited, they'll have a note slipped under your door informing you that you need to come down and deposit more cash. This will happen even if you deposit the full $60 per day.

The longer cruises can be painful when it comes to the onboard expense hold. For example: 21 days x $60 = $1260. While I may well -- in fact, I DO -- have more than that in my checking account, I don't have the ability to charge that much on my check card in a single day. So ... to solve my problem -- and to keep from having to use a credit card (which I am loath to do) -- I went to my bank and got an American Express TravelFunds Card. I loaded $2500 on it, which should be sufficient, and I can cover my onboard expense holds this way without having to tie up my bank account.

:)

[ekerr19]

We've deposited cash (traveler's checks) and have often gone far over the $60 (back then it was $50) per day limit - they've never asked us to come down and deposit more... I didn't realize they would do this.

It's easier for us just to use a credit card anymore - :)

[dakrewser]

Another good reason to get AmEx Platinum if you cruise enough. In theory, there is no spending/credit limit. While we have used it for over twenty years and have never been questioned about any charge, I suppose if we varied hugely from our normal spending pattern, they may ask a few questions before approving it.
[We have been asked, while in stores, from time to time to verify it was us making the purchase. No problem with them approving the charge once they were sure the rightful holder of the card was the person buying the 'piece of jewelry' :) ]
The only time we were questioned was buying a couple of rugs in Tangiers, and the purchase was quickly approved. I've had some difficulties with AmEx over the years but most were problems with retailers/restaurateurs/hoteliers/etc. - rarely with American Express.

[srpilo]

Revneal..

I've seen those AmX funds cards advertised on TV, and the first though I had was, is it possible for the merchant to do "authorized holds" and not just "completed purchases" where the funds are removed from the your balance permentely ?

Have you specificly asked your bank if this card can be use for "Merchant Holds", where the funds are released at a later time ?

Just Curious because with travel and also online purchases where you don't want to expose your CC number or debit card account number , these AMX cards sound great..

If you do find out the "pro's and con's" of these cards please post a reply, I'm sure many of us would be interested..:)

Thanks
Srpilo

[Ziggy7]

Our gas stations here in Calif. also put a $75.00 hold (for 4 hours) on your credit card when you use it. Even with gas prices they way they are, my car would never hold this amount, and somehow its all legal.

[O2BKate]

Peaches
"If you have $1000 of available credit with Visa and are on a 7 day cruise with your spouse, HAL will put a 'hold' on $840 of your available credit (7daysx$60/dayx2pax). You will only have $160 credit available to use in port on your Visa card, whether or not you ever charge $840 to HAL on the ship. If you only charge $500 on your shipboard account that is all you will be actually charged by HAL, not the $840 that was 'held' to be available."

I may not have read this document very well yet, but I thought it was $60 per CABIN per day, not per person. I'll have to read it more thoroughly when I get home.

They way I understand it, the hold amount of $60 is a "just in case" you spend that much per day, and if they go higher than that, it is because you are spending far more than that amount. We have already booked all our shore excursions, so those will not go onto our shipboard account. What will be posted is our liquor, spa/salon treatments, photos, shopping and possibly gambling chips. I think we might be hard pressed to spend $60 per day per cabin, much less $120 per day.

Kate

[peaches from georgia]

Peaches
"If you have $1000 of available credit with Visa and are on a 7 day cruise with your spouse, HAL will put a 'hold' on $840 of your available credit (7daysx$60/dayx2pax).

I may not have read this document very well yet, but I thought it was $60 per CABIN per day, not per person. I'll have to read it more thoroughly when I get home.
Kate
Kate: From the HAL website- $60 per person


Planning & Advice:
Money Matters

Shipboard Account
Our cashless society is designed to make your life on board as simple as possible. When you board the ship, your account has already been activated and you may make purchases by simply showing your guest identification card and signing a receipt. On embarkation day, you will need to register your credit or debit card (Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express®, Discover®) in order to use your onboard account for shipboard purchases. Your card will be pre-authorized for USD$60 per person for each day of your cruise. At the end of your cruise, you will receive a final statement, and your card will be charged only for the actual amount of your purchases. Please inform your credit or debit card issuer in advance that your card will be used on a Holland America ship. This will help prevent delays in obtaining pre-authorization on board. Some banks may keep the pre-authorization in place for up to 30 days. If you do not want to use a credit or debit card, the ship will collect a cash deposit from you at time of boarding in the same pre-authorization amount. Any excess deposit will be refunded to you at the end of the cruise. Traveler’s checks may be cashed at the front office to make your deposit. Personal checks are not accepted on board.

[Lisa63]

Having just returned from a HAL cruise a few days ago I can confirm that it is $60 per person per day (even children) and that only the final tally (which was considerably less) showed up on our Amex statement.

Good point, elmorejj. Our disembarkation was very quick with only one or two calls for people to settle their accounts. The first group of passengers were able to leave the ship at 8:30 am.

[iluvcruzin]

Thanks for the info. Actually it's something new to me as it's not a practice on other cruiselines. In April, I sailed on RCCL and did not have to put a credit card down for onboard ship purchases. Also, the deposit was optional too. What they did is once the amount reached $100 they would put a hold on the onboard account until it was paid. I was advised by the staff that the ship would not clear until all accounts were paid in full.

I certainly do not like the idea of paying $60 per day in cash for the cruiseline to hold until the end of the cruise. I normally do not use a credit card onboard as I like to pay it in cash before I leave as I don't want to go home with a "bill". I guess I will have to use my AMEX. I find it a dumb policy for those who pay with cash or Traveler's checks.

[RevNeal]

Have you specificly asked your bank if this card can be use for "Merchant Holds", where the funds are released at a later time ?

Just Curious because with travel and also online purchases where you don't want to expose your CC number or debit card account number , these AMX cards sound great.

According to my Bank they function just like a bank account would. When a merchant sends in a hold it blocks off a hold on that much for 48 hours. It then cycles off.

HOWEVER ... I've checked the fine print, and the bank was wrong. According to the fine print -- which is hard to find until they send the card, unless one knows precisely where to look and is willing to read for quite a while -- one cannot use the card to pay for ship-board expenses.

TravelFunds Cards are prepaid cards. They are not intended for use in certain industries. You are NOT permitted to use the TravelFunds Cards .... to pay for on-board cruise charges.

So, that just screws up my plan on that count. The bank person I spoke with didn't know what she was talking about. Thankfully, it's a simple matter to take the card and purchase travelers checks. And, the card will still be useful in several contexts. But the long list of limitations make it fairly useless for my purposes.

Figures.

[srpilo]

Rev..
Then they sound like a real viable option...

Thanks for the reply
Srpilo

[RevNeal]

Then they sound like a real viable option...

Please check my update, above ... I was writing it while you were writing your post. Sorry!

[trubey]

Whew! You guys made me so nervous I just called Amex to tell them what I was doing!

Once when I was in France, the phone company cancelled my charge account "for my protection". I was LIVID! It seems, they called my house and left a message . . . duh-h-h-h.

Lane

[RevNeal]

Lane,

It is ALWAYS a good idea to contact your primary lending and banking institutions to let them know that you plan on traveling overseas. I understand the frustration that one has when one's account is frozen or closed out of security concerns, but it's for your own good when it happens. I actually had someone steal my identity. The FBI got into the case because it turned out to be a suspected terrorist who had stolen my information and was traveling of a fake ID, claiming to be me.

They finally caught him. I had to sign a deposition stating who and what I was and that it was not I who was traveling. In the end, I got back everything he stole -- except my sense of security.