Prepaid cards

My wife and I give the ACT test at our local school and are paid via prepaid Visa cards. Can we use these on the cruise? Will they work at the kiosk? Please let me know if you have experience with this!

My wife and I give the ACT test at our local school and are paid via prepaid Visa cards. Can we use these on the cruise? Will they work at the kiosk? Please let me know if you have experience with this!

Just curious - what's an ACT test?

I'm not sure about the U.S, but in the U.K although you cannot use a pre-paid card to book in with before boarding, pre-paid cards can be used at the cash dispenser displaying the currency you need.

No, you can not use a prepaid visa. (Unless its tied to a bank account with your name on it-- I think its a green dot card)

Most prepaid gift cards state on the back that they are only good in the USA

Carnival has no problem accepting them, BUT...

It depends on the terms of use from the issuer of the card. Many credit card gift cards no longer can be used for travel related spending accounts due to the increase in thefts of cards without a specific customer's name embossed to them. Also, many pre-paid credit cards are not usable outside of the USA (or Canada if purchased there). Sometimes these little nuggets of info can only be found in easily readable form at the issuer's website. If the card is usable for travel, the same holds will be placed on the card as if it was a debit account, taking up to 10 business days to fall off as a possible pending transaction. This will limit the balance available for spending from the card.

If concerned about fraud or holds (keep on by the cards issuer, not the cruise line) a cash based S&S account is the best way to go. If worried about traveling with a large amount of cash the other options you have are: cruise line specific gift cards (ex http://www.carnivalgiftcards.com/), opening a second unlinked bank account w/ an embossed debit card just for vacations (also popular for online transactions), and old fashion travelers cheques (when they can be found). If at all allowed by the prepaid Credit Card use that as the funds to purchase the other above items that way there are no holds and the even amounts make it easier to track what has been deducted from the card's balance.

To reduce the amount you need to have to maintain your on board account consider prepaying your known expenses like the daily auto gratuities and shore excursions, or purchase just enough Crui$e Ca$h to cover these expenses to be charged to your S&S account once aboard. Outside of beverage and spa purchases for most cruisers this represents the 2 largest on board expenses. Again if the card's TOU allow try to use them to pre-pay for these items.

Just curious - what's an ACT test?

 

 

 

If it's the one I took in High School, it's like the SAT, but different. Aptitude type tests that you take for a score to put on college applications. I have issues with these, but this is neither the time nor the place for those.

If it's a Visa, take it to your bank and cash it out. There should be a law about paying with those things....they suck!