IMPORTANT! Don’t Use a Credit Card on MSC That Charges a Foreign Transaction Fee

For your onboard expenses, MSC will bill via France. If your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, you will be charged. Some credit cards charge 3% of the amount you charge.

Thank you for the tip. I will be taking my AMEX Platinum and Costco VISA next week, both have no foreign transaction fees.

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Can you use cash instead of linking a credit card?

Can you use cash instead of linking a credit card?

Yes but you may find yourself stuck in a long queue at the end of the cruise if you owe money or are entitled to a refund.

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Thanks for the tip

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For your onboard expenses, MSC will bill via France. If your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, you will be charged. Some credit cards charge 3% of the amount you charge.

Thank-you! Does the onbiard currency change based on itinerary?

For your onboard expenses, MSC will bill via France. If your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, you will be charged. Some credit cards charge 3% of the amount you charge.

Thanks but that is well known.

Thanks but that is well known.

Not for the MSC newbies like me!!! I just tell my CC company Florida and the islands I'm visiting. Would never think to tell them to accept a European CC charge!

Not for the MSC newbies like me!!! I just tell my CC company Florida and the islands I'm visiting. Would never think to tell them to accept a European CC charge!

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Yes this happened to many on Divina. There are older threads with this advice good to bring it back up.

Remember this is a European cruise line so everything goes thru their bank in France.

It's not just the transaction fees it's charges being declined because your cc company or bank thinks it's a fraudulent charge. Let your bank and/or cc company know ahead of time so you won't run into issues, islands your traveling to and the foreign bank.

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For your onboard expenses, MSC will bill via France. If your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, you will be charged. Some credit cards charge 3% of the amount you charge.

Strange.... I cruised twice on Divina using a credit card that charges foreign transaction fees and never had any of those fees on my card. Could it be because I booked with a travel agent? I also put a deposit on the Seaside for later this year and had no fees on the deposit.

But, my wife made one phone call on her Verizon phone from onboard the Divina when docked in Miami and later got a bill for a call made from Italy. She disputed the bill saying that she had never been to Italy and they removed the charge but we later found out that it was at the time she made the call in Miami.

We had no issues using cash. They just gave us cash in hand for the amount left on the account.

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Strange.... I cruised twice on Divina using a credit card that charges foreign transaction fees and never had any of those fees on my card. Could it be because I booked with a travel agent? I also put a deposit on the Seaside for later this year and had no fees on the deposit.

 

But, my wife made one phone call on her Verizon phone from onboard the Divina when docked in Miami and later got a bill for a call made from Italy. She disputed the bill saying that she had never been to Italy and they removed the charge but we later found out that it was at the time she made the call in Miami.

Yes... If you book through a TA...the cost will appear under their name.

Did you pay cash or use a CC for your onboard purchases??

Thank you for sharing this information.

We had the same issue a few years ago with another cruise line based outside the USA.

Keith

Sure about France? MSC headquarter is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Anyway, I do have to cope with that problem with all US cruise lines...

steamboats

There is already an existing thread on this very topic! :D

Yes... If you book through a TA...the cost will appear under their name.

 

Did you pay cash or use a CC for your onboard purchases??

I used the same credit card for the deposit, cruise payment, onboard purchases and in port purchases. Only the foreign in port purchases had foreign transaction fees.

There is already an existing thread on this very topic! :D

And if you were unaware of either the existing thread or the practice of charging a foreign exchange transaction fee, what would you enter into the SEARCH FOR box..."um, things of which I'm unaware whilst cruising?" ;)

For your onboard expenses, MSC will bill via France. If your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, you will be charged. Some credit cards charge 3% of the amount you charge.

This is not unusual if your Credit Card Charges a foreign Transaction fee,

It can occur on other different cruise lines as well .

This pretty common. Most credit cards tend to charge a foreign transaction fee in addition to whatever spread you pay on the currency conversion. That's why when I booked our Caribbean cruise, I acquired a USD Credit Card and avoided all of that (I'm Canadian).

Yes... If you book through a TA...the cost will appear under their name.

 

Did you pay cash or use a CC for your onboard purchases??

Am I understanding you correct in that you allow your TA to bill under their name?

My credit card charge from MSC didn’t add the fee on the deposit or the cruise final payment. It was charged by MSC USA.

The on-board charge was from France. Fortunately, I used a credit card with no foreign transaction fee

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Yes this happened to many on Divina. There are older threads with this advice good to bring it back up.

Remember this is a European cruise line so everything goes thru their bank in France.

It's not just the transaction fees it's charges being declined because your cc company or bank thinks it's a fraudulent charge. Let your bank and/or cc company know ahead of time so you won't run into issues, islands your traveling to and the foreign bank.

 

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Hi Crzyfrk62....that happened to me when i sailed on the MSC Divina....before i left home, i had called up my CC Company and told them exactly where i was going on vacation, and that i will be using the CC for onboard purchases...Also told them the Ship is a European Liner and transactions go through their bank in France.... At the end of the cruise...i had gotten my bill...it said to look it over...if i agree with all purchases, to just sign bill, and leave it on the vanity in the cabin....When i was about disembark, i had given security my card...when he swiped it it beeped, and i had to go to Customer Service.... She was very rude with me, telling me that there was not enough money on my cc to pay for the purchases...they would not even let me use there phone to call my cc company to find out what was going on, as i had more than enough money to pay for these purchases...plus the little cash that i did bring with me, i had used on the islands..to make a long story short, when i did get to call my cc company, they saw that MSC put another hold on my cc, and saw all transactions from a european bank, so they blocked my card, so no other purchases could be made....

I had told them that i had called them up before i took my cruise, to tell them i was using the card to open up an onboard account, and that this was a european liner, and transactions will be coming from a foreign bank, they apolized to me, told me that the person was only doing his/her job...and they were looking out for my well being....since then, i would never use that credit card again for taking cruises....

Reviving an old thread.  First time MSC cruiser and have not had this foreign transaction fee on any other line we've cruised.  For those who have cruised MSC out of the the USA since restart in 2021, is onboard charges still resulting in foreign transaction fees? Not a big deal, just need to know which of my CCs to use.