Princess Jane Posted December 10, 2013 #1 Share Posted December 10, 2013 When I booked my cruise I specified I wanted to pay my onboard charges in my home currency. It seems Princess has rejigged the Cruise Personalizer because it's flicked back to USD and I can't change it. I rang Princess and the man said "Just log onto the Cruise Personalizer and change it". If only I could. Is anyone having the same problem? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamloops50 Posted December 10, 2013 #2 Share Posted December 10, 2013 When I booked my cruise I specified I wanted to pay my onboard charges in my home currency. It seems Princess has rejigged the Cruise Personalizer because it's flicked back to USD and I can't change it. I rang Princess and the man said "Just log onto the Cruise Personalizer and change it". If only I could. Is anyone having the same problem? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I don't think you can change except if the cruise is in Europe. They can bill your credit card to your home currency at the end of the cruise thru a third party provider . I found it was cheaper to let my CC to do the conversion from USD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted December 10, 2013 #3 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Princess uses HORRID conversion rates. Unless you have a credit card with really high fees you are better off letting your bank do the conversion. When I booked my cruise I specified I wanted to pay my onboard charges in my home currency. It seems Princess has rejigged the Cruise Personalizer because it's flicked back to USD and I can't change it. I rang Princess and the man said "Just log onto the Cruise Personalizer and change it". If only I could. Is anyone having the same problem? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted December 10, 2013 #4 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I completely agree with Loonbeam. Basic cards typically charge about 3% for foreign currency conversion but there are a few with no charge at all. It is likely out of CC policy to specifically identify them but with you being in Oz, the ones I list might not be available to you anyway. It shouldn't be too hard to web-search for cards with no conversion fees. I know of ONE which is available here in the US for no charge which is a CAPITAL idea. Others I know of are associated with major HHotel chains. While the hotel cards typically charge a fee, we found the savings from no foreign currency charges more than offset the fee. The bonus is you often get some freebies like a couple of hotel nights and bonus points on the hotel's program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted December 10, 2013 #5 Share Posted December 10, 2013 As said, the Princess exchange rates are ridiculous. You really don't want Princess to do the conversion and are far better off with your folio in US$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted December 10, 2013 #6 Share Posted December 10, 2013 For this cruise, all charges onboard will be in US $. You will have the option of: a) Paying in cash with US $ b) Paying in your own currency but using (as others have posted) a very bad (for you) conversion rate. c) Charging to your credit card in US $ with your bank doing the currency conversion with a conversion charge of 0% to 3% depending on your credit card. d) Charging to your credit card in your own currency with Princess using (as others have posted) a very bad (for you) conversion rate plus a 3% charge for the convenience of doing this. If you are using a credit card, the boarding pass for the "owner" of the credit card should ask which method you wish to use. How bad is the conversion rate Princess uses? Based on what I have seen with the onboard currency exchange machines, it is about 8% over what the exchange rate actually is. This means option (d) above could cost you about 11% more than it should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquilegia Posted December 10, 2013 #7 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Don't try and change it back! Never let a cruise line do the conversion, you will always pay more than you would if you let your card provider do it. You will be much better off paying in USD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted December 10, 2013 #8 Share Posted December 10, 2013 BTW to my knowledge its Okay to mention fee free credit cards just not provide links. That said, I have no idea what the options are for Australia, but I do know they exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted December 10, 2013 #9 Share Posted December 10, 2013 BTW to my knowledge its Okay to mention fee free credit cards just not provide links. Good to know, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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