Credit card refused for prepayment of gratuities

Hello,

My boyfriend and I are sailing on the Caribbean princess in October (our first Princess cruise!). Yesterday I wanted to prepay the gratuities on the princess website with my credit card (visa) but when I submitted the payment an error occurred saying or my name and address information are incorrect or there aren't enough funds. I checked my name and address which were correct and called our bank to make sure I had enough funds, funds were certainly ok and the bank also didn't find anything why I would not be able to pay with my credit card. Did anyone else had this issue before? Maybe interesting to know I am from Belgium (could this has something to do with it?) and I booked with a Belgian travel agent.

Thank you very much in advance (and sorry for possible English writing mistakes).

Lindsay

Hi Lindsay,

Certainement pas de problème avec votre anglais. Très clair et sans ambiguïté. Bravo

I am also based in Europe (actually the UK) and I have no problem in pre-paying my gratuities or gifting myself OBC using my UK registered Amex card.

Certainly I cannot make an online NEW cruise booking when I am in continental Europe as the Euro related site simply redirects me to an instruction to contact a Travel Agent, but I don't know how that works when one enters Cruise Personaliser.

I access the UK site and get invoiced and pay in Pounds Sterling for my cruise. When I go into Cruise Personaliser to either pay my gratuities or purchase OBC (On Board Credit) I am quoted a figure in the currency I used to book the cruise, and (in the case of OBC) for tranches of $25, $50 or $100, even if I am accessing it from the continental Europe, I get quoted, and pay, a figure in pounds with the OBC eventually appearing on my onboard account in dollars.

To Repeat. Never do I get invoiced in dollars for any payments prior to boarding. Only ever in the currency of my booking.

So, if cruise personaliser is asking you to pay a sum in dollars when you have booked in Euros via a European TA then it could well be that the Princess system can't handle it.

As you have booked in Euros through a TA, then all I can suggest is that you ask the TA to sort it out.

Merci bien ;)

Thank you for your quick response.

The price appears in Euro's so that can't be the problem (I think anyway). I was thinking about contacting princess but I don't know how to do this from Europe.

Lindsay

As you speak such excellent English, if calls to the UK are free (included in your bundle) why don't you try phoning Princess in Southampton.

Their number is +44 23 80 65 50 00

If they don't handle the European bookings, and can't help they will at least be able to give the number of the European office.

By any chance, is your card a credit/debit card?

If it is, perhaps the charge was put through as a debit and not a charge.

By any chance, is your card a credit/debit card?

 

If it is, perhaps the charge was put through as a debit and not a charge.

It's a visa credit card. I use it often and never had a problem with it. Maybe princess doesn't want my money :confused:

Just had a thought.

If you are seeing Euro prices in Cruise Personaliser, and the message you are getting is relating to an address error, could it be something as simple as your Travel Agent putting their address on the booking?

As I said, talk to your Travel Agent, you can't be the first person in continental Europe who has wanted to pre-pay their gratuities.

One work around might be to get your TA to process the transaction and you pay them using your Visa card.

I just sent an email to my TA. I assume they know the answer. Thanks for the help. Will let you know the result.

Hello,

 

My boyfriend and I are sailing on the Caribbean princess in October (our first Princess cruise!). Yesterday I wanted to prepay the gratuities on the princess website with my credit card (visa) but when I submitted the payment an error occurred saying or my name and address information are incorrect or there aren't enough funds. I checked my name and address which were correct and called our bank to make sure I had enough funds, funds were certainly ok and the bank also didn't find anything why I would not be able to pay with my credit card. Did anyone else had this issue before? Maybe interesting to know I am from Belgium (could this has something to do with it?) and I booked with a Belgian travel agent.

Thank you very much in advance (and sorry for possible English writing mistakes).

 

Lindsay

Princess does not want your money? :confused:

Call Princess and pay over the phone.

Hello,

 

My boyfriend and I are sailing on the Caribbean princess in October (our first Princess cruise!). Yesterday I wanted to prepay the gratuities on the princess website with my credit card (visa) but when I submitted the payment an error occurred saying or my name and address information are incorrect or there aren't enough funds. I checked my name and address which were correct and called our bank to make sure I had enough funds, funds were certainly ok and the bank also didn't find anything why I would not be able to pay with my credit card. Did anyone else had this issue before? Maybe interesting to know I am from Belgium (could this has something to do with it?) and I booked with a Belgian travel agent.

Thank you very much in advance (and sorry for possible English writing mistakes).

 

Lindsay

You booked via a travel Agent then maybe the agent might have used their address .I know when one books with a TA usually the invoice comes from the TA so maybe that includes any payments towards your cruise.

Just a thought from me. Kruisey:)

I had exactly the same issue, but with OBC and other online purchases, however it was my Mastercard that would not be accepted. So I tried my Visa and everything went just fine . Strange, but my suggestion would be to try a different credit card.

...VTX-Al

Bonsoir,

je suis en France et j'ai pré payé par carte les pourboires, les forfaits internet photo boissons sur le cruise personaliser en euros.

pour les contacts par mails j'ai cherché les coordonnées sur le site Princess en français et j'ai trouvé un contact très rapide et très compétent.

Cdt

Thanks everyone / merci a tous

I'm waiting for a reply from my TA. I have this feeling it has something to do with the booking made trough my TA which makes it impossible to pay with my credit card.

Does your credit card (date ) expire before your cruise?

By any chance, is your card a credit/debit card?

 

If it is, perhaps the charge was put through as a debit and not a charge.

That was my thought as well. Debit cards cause problems. I've never used my card that is both debit and credit for cruise payment.

Does your credit card (date ) expire before your cruise?

Maybe, but it shouldn't matter since any prepay charge like this is done immediately. I've certainly had charges bounce on a lot of sites the first time but they go through the second.

:confused:

That was my thought as well. Debit cards cause problems. I've never used my card that is both debit and credit for cruise payment.

Which card is "both" Debit & Credit? Debit cards Look like credit cards, but have no credit line (other than overdraft protection perhaps) and will always fund from checking/savings accounts....................

Just saying..............

And to the OP...............Why pre-pay so far in advance or at all? Just do it on the ship. I don't know of any benefit to pre-paying those, although the cruise line would love to hold your money for a while................:-)

Steve

:confused:

Which card is "both" Debit & Credit? Debit cards Look like credit cards, but have no credit line (other than overdraft protection perhaps) and will always fund from checking/savings accounts....................

 

Just saying..............

 

And to the OP...............Why pre-pay so far in advance or at all? Just do it on the ship. I don't know of any benefit to pre-paying those, although the cruise line would love to hold your money for a while................:-)

Steve

I have a Visa from my bank which is also my debit card. It is common (at least here) to be asked "debit or credit" when proffering a card for payment.

Hello,

 

My boyfriend and I are sailing on the Caribbean princess in October (our first Princess cruise!). Yesterday I wanted to prepay the gratuities on the princess website with my credit card (visa) but when I submitted the payment an error occurred saying or my name and address information are incorrect or there aren't enough funds. I checked my name and address which were correct and called our bank to make sure I had enough funds, funds were certainly ok and the bank also didn't find anything why I would not be able to pay with my credit card. Did anyone else had this issue before? Maybe interesting to know I am from Belgium (could this has something to do with it?) and I booked with a Belgian travel agent.

Thank you very much in advance (and sorry for possible English writing mistakes).

 

Lindsay

Hi, I had this happen once, the first time I tried to pre-purchase the photo package for an upcoming cruise. My card was denied. I had to call and have them help me through the process and I used that same "denied" card.

It was a glitch, as I've used my debit card for all pre-purchases and have never in the past had an issue, nor since that one time. No idea what caused it.

Hopefully it's a temporary issue. Try again? Maybe from another computer?

Hope you get this resolved, as I understand it can be frustrating.

Jennifer

I have a Visa from my bank which is also my debit card. It is common (at least here) to be asked "debit or credit" when proffering a card for payment.

Yes, and I have a MasterCard from my bank that is a Debit card attached to my checking account. No "credit line" is ever attached to these cards.

It is also common here when using my Debit MasterCard that the clerk will ask "debit or credit"?

However, that only changes whether you have to sign the receipt, or put in your PIN number. The transaction is handled by the bank as a DEBIT from your checking account no matter what you told the clerk at the time.

It may also effect the fee the merchant has to pay for the transaction.

Hope that helps to explain................

Cheers

SM;)

I have a Visa from my bank which is also my debit card. It is common (at least here) to be asked "debit or credit" when proffering a card for payment.

Yes, but it is not a Visa credit card. It is an ATM card, underwritten by Visa, that will draw funds from your bank account.

Yes, but it is not a Visa credit card. It is an ATM card, underwritten by Visa, that will draw funds from your bank account.

Actually it's NOT an ATM card. Those were back in the day when ATM's were relatively new. They ONLY worked in bank ATM's with your PIN number.

These are actual VISA/MASTERCARDS that function and are accepted the same way as the equivalent Credit Cards, BUT are only tied to your bank balance. AND, they also happen work in bank ATM machines with the PIN number.........................;)

SM

Call your travel agent and have THEM make the payment....using your card, of course.

My credit card was once also not being accepted for booking payment online. My credit card company said my card has no problem. When I called Princess to inquire if something was wrong with their system, the rep asked me if I wanted to do the payment over the phone. The payment pushed through with the same credit card being denied by their system. No reason was given by the rep.

By any chance do you have a credit limit, per day, on your credit card? I know on mine if I use debit with a pin I only can take out $1000 but if I use it as a credit card it can be for any amount as long as funds are in the account.