Your TA has a different due date for a very good reason

[CoachT]

Please consider this as a public service if you use a TA. Many times at our agency, we print a final payment due date a week before the supplier's date. As many client's have gone to debit cards with a daily charge limit lower than most final payments this can cause a delay in the final payment being charged. Other times, a credit card number has been compromised between the time a deposit was made and final is due. The old card number is now invalid and a client will forget to tell their TA.

If we had the same due date as the supplier, clients could lose their booking as many suppliers will cancel the booking if the final payment is not applied by midnight of the due date.

[BND]

Not always true. Our TA's who are very good friends of ours and do mostly corporate travel use the exact same due date that the cruise lines do. We've booked all of our cruises through them and they make the payment on the due date or before if I ask them to. They book personal travel for anyone in the company who wants them to and this has always been their policy. They have never lost a booking because the reality is they can ask for a day or two grace period, but for 99% of their clients this is not an issue.

So, it really depends on who the TA is and who their client base is.

Also, a lot of TA's do not pay the cruise line with the client's card. They pay themselves and then pay the client's account. That would mean they would collect payment earlier.

[FLACRUISER99]

Originally Posted by CoachT

Please consider this as a public service if you use a TA. Many times at our agency, we print a final payment due date a week before the supplier's date. As many client's have gone to debit cards with a daily charge limit lower than most final payments this can cause a delay in the final payment being charged. Other times, a credit card number has been compromised between the time a deposit was made and final is due. The old card number is now invalid and a client will forget to tell their TA.

If we had the same due date as the supplier, clients could lose their booking as many suppliers will cancel the booking if the final payment is not applied by midnight of the due date.

Do you see any reason for TA due date 30 days before the cruise line due date. It is a group booking with air included on "X".

[SeaUs]

Originally Posted by CoachT

Please consider this as a public service if you use a TA. Many times at our agency, we print a final payment due date a week before the supplier's date. As many client's have gone to debit cards with a daily charge limit lower than most final payments this can cause a delay in the final payment being charged. Other times, a credit card number has been compromised between the time a deposit was made and final is due. The old card number is now invalid and a client will forget to tell their TA.

If we had the same due date as the supplier, clients could lose their booking as many suppliers will cancel the booking if the final payment is not applied by midnight of the due date.

First of all, RCL does not cancel bookings at midnight on the due date. If not pd, the TA is contacted and they have 5 business days to get the clients card number and submit payment.
I have no clue why a TA would hold onto a client's card number after deposit. They shouldn't. When I was a TA, I destroyed any record of the card number after I submitted deposit.
It's a pain to get it again when final is due, but eliminates your scenario of a wrong card number being declined because it's invalid

[SeaUs]

Originally Posted by BND

Also, a lot of TA's do not pay the cruise line with the client's card. They pay themselves and then pay the client's account. That would mean they would collect payment earlier.

I can't name one. If the TA took the money from the clients card rather than submit to the cruiseline, they'd be out the 3% or so credit card fee. Isn't done by a reputable TA

[cruiseguy1016]

Originally Posted by BND

Also, a lot of TA's do not pay the cruise line with the client's card. They pay themselves and then pay the client's account. That would mean they would collect payment earlier.

I would be very upset if my TA did this. I have an RCI Visa and I want the double points for using the card to pay for the cruise.

[debitoo]

Originally Posted by CoachT

Please consider this as a public service if you use a TA. Many times at our agency, we print a final payment due date a week before the supplier's date. As many client's have gone to debit cards with a daily charge limit lower than most final payments this can cause a delay in the final payment being charged. Other times, a credit card number has been compromised between the time a deposit was made and final is due. The old card number is now invalid and a client will forget to tell their TA.

If we had the same due date as the supplier, clients could lose their booking as many suppliers will cancel the booking if the final payment is not applied by midnight of the due date.

Thanks for the info. I just called my TA for my upcoming Caribbean cruise and got the final payment date from her.

[Bobbye]

Originally Posted by SeaUs

First of all, RCL does not cancel bookings at midnight on the due date. If not pd, the TA is contacted and they have 5 business days to get the clients card number and submit payment.
I have no clue why a TA would hold onto a client's card number after deposit. They shouldn't. When I was a TA, I destroyed any record of the card number after I submitted deposit.
It's a pain to get it again when final is due, but eliminates your scenario of a wrong card number being declined because it's invalid

Royal usually does give a grace period but some cruise lines do auto cancel after midnight if not paid by the due date.

[CoachT]

Originally Posted by SeaUs

I can't name one. If the TA took the money from the clients card rather than submit to the cruiseline, they'd be out the 3% or so credit card fee. Isn't done by a reputable TA

Many reputable travel agents who do group business do in fact take the credit card payment for the group package from the client and pay the cruise line and other suppliers. It is more common than you state.

[CoachT]

Originally Posted by SeaUs

First of all, RCL does not cancel bookings at midnight on the due date. If not pd, the TA is contacted and they have 5 business days to get the clients card number and submit payment.

Not for much longer. I sat in an advisory board meeting where RCL stated they would be auto-cancelling the next day after the due date. Many other lines *cough* Princess *cough* are doing this already.

[SeaUs]

Originally Posted by CoachT

Many reputable travel agents who do group business do in fact take the credit card payment for the group package from the client and pay the cruise line and other suppliers. It is more common than you state.

absolutely no reason to do it because the TA get's nabbed for credit card fees.
I never did it. Don't know any good reason why any reputable TA would.

[SeaUs]

Originally Posted by CoachT

Not for much longer. I sat in an advisory board meeting where RCL stated they would be auto-cancelling the next day after the due date. Many other lines *cough* Princess *cough* are doing this already.

thanks for the "Public Service" We all needed it

[CoachT]

Originally Posted by SeaUs

absolutely no reason to do it because the TA get's nabbed for credit card fees.
I never did it. Don't know any good reason why any reputable TA would.

CC rules prohibit travel agents from discussing their business and only may answer general questions or provide general information. Trust me though there are several reasons a REPUTABLE TA will do it.

[SeaUs]

Originally Posted by CoachT

CC rules prohibit travel agents from discussing their business and only may answer general questions or provide general information. Trust me though there are several reasons a REPUTABLE TA will do it.

I'm not a TA. Your are so.............

[nycruiser80]

I was a TA. Left the business in 2007 but using a travel agent card instead of the clients doesn't sound kosher to me. Not a good business practice and a reputable travel agency would never do that.

Back in 2005 the owner of the office I worked for made the decision to up final paynents 5 days before the cruise line and or tour companies. There were many clients we would call when final payment was due and they never called back until much later - like days or a week! Keep in mind they also had a written confirmation from our office and the cruise line which stated the final payment date. We would call them a few days before and final payment day came around and they were MIA. Back in the day cruise lines would let a week pass or so but around 2005 they started really hunkering down on bookings with no final payment. Never forgot - we had a client booked on the Voyager out of Jersey way back when. He had a debit card as the OP stated and he didnt have enough money. We kept on trying to get him for a week but it was too late RCI called to cancel his two cabins. Of course, it was our fault according to him. After that incident my boss wanted to cover our a** and we uped the final payment date.

Bottom line the cruise lines may give a grace period but don't count on it.

[Desert Cruizers]

Our TA, always calls the cruise lines, to authorize them to charge lets say, $1,000 toward payment of our cruise. She never charges our card back to her office then submits the payment to the cruise lines. I also within 7 days, receive a statement showing the payment made and balance owed if any.

[bighairtexan]

I wouldn't book w/ a TA that charges directly to their account rather than having the cruise line do it. Yes the cruise line may go belly up but the TA is much more likely to do it. Yes I can fight it thru either insurance or my credit card but why even entertain that hassle. In well over 50 cruises, most through a TA, including group bookings, I've only had my card charged by the TA.
Not saying my experience is the ultimate word on TA's, but it is my choice not to ever pay the TA directly. For cruises or other travel. Online or brick and mortar.

[LPCKG]

The TA we use, and have used on 6 occasions, collects our final payment 4 weeks/approx 30 days prior to the official RCI payment deadline.

Generally TA's, at least in the UK for cruise and/or package holidays collect final payments 8 -12weeks prior to departure date. Prior to the economic downturn, and maybe still, TA's have benefitted, to what degree I do not know, from interest from client's deposited funds. Since I get a much better price from booking with our TA i do not mind, too much!, paying 4 weeks prior to RCI's payment deadline.

[critterchick]

Originally Posted by FLACRUISER99

Do you see any reason for TA due date 30 days before the cruise line due date. It is a group booking with air included on "X".

Group bookings often have earlier final payment dates than individual bookings. I'm not sure how much earlier, though.

It is possible to keep a client's credit card number on record, provided that one adheres to some fairly stringent security procedures to protect the number. Otherwise destroying the number as soon as payment is processed is the safest thing to do.

One could also email one's clients a week or two before payment is due to remind them to make sure they have a way to pay, then ask them when would be a convenient time to get the credit/debit card number. And if one has done business with somebody who is habitually unavailable, then setting an earlier date makes all the sense in the world.

Princess will send two emails well in advance of final payment, advising that the reservation will be cancelled if payment is not made on the due date, so they give fair warning.

[kruzerci]

What is a group booking vs individual? Whenever I book with my TA is says Group # --------, even if we aren't traveling in a group