Cash or Credit card in ports?

We will be going on our first cruise in June (Eastern Caribbean) with stops in St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove. Trying to decide if I should bring cash or if I will be able to use a credit card while shopping in these areas. Any advice is appreciated :)

CASH !! I would suggest only cash, there is too much of a chance of your credit card being hacked.

Also I suggest you call your credit card company and tell them you are going on vacation and the ports you are visiting. My sister had a problem using her credit card on one of her first cruises because it was being used in the Caribbean, her cc company thought it was hacked and put a hold on it. If you run low on cash there are debit machines on the ship.

Credit card should be available. However, many credit cards charge a fee if the transaction is in a non-US denomination. Obviously, this won't be a problem in Puerto Rico and Turks and Caicos uses the US dollar. I don't know if Amber Cove's credit card machines transact in US dollars or Dominican pesos, but I always suggest bringing a credit card that does not charge any fees just in case.

Does anyone know which currency they charge in Amber Cove? I'm not venturing out to any other part of the Dominican Republic.

Make sure you alert all your credit card companies and banks that you'll be traveling. Your card may get denied if the credit card company thinks it's being used fraudulently.

I bring a card in case I need it but I try to bring enough cash so I don’t have to use it. I’m just too concerned about my card being compromised. That happened to someone in another thread I was just reading.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56162457&postcount=32

We use cash (USD) for smaller purchases. If it's something costly, a credit card, as that offers protection to you...cash does not!

I use credit whenever possible. Capital One has no foreign transaction fee and easy conversion rates.

Many countries have gone to the chip now to limit hacking, even in the Caribbean.

But obviously it’s good to have cash for those smaller shops that won’t/can’t take credit.

I usually bring a few hundred in cash. Maybe around $400-$600 for the shorter cruise we take. There are occasionally a few places that will not take cash, we usually try and keep a MasterCard pre-paid travel card.

I always use cash. Like others have said, I’m too scared of my credit card being compromised. My son tried to use his debit card at Grand Turk and it was declined. He never thought to notify the bank that he would be traveling and the bank put a hold on his card when he tried to use it. Also cash is good to have as you have better bargaining power with the small vendors.

Many countries have gone to the chip now to limit hacking, even in the Caribbean.

Just a note on the technical side. The chips on the cards create a unique code that is required for the transaction instead of using the full card number. They can prevent card number theft by preventing the card number from being read and used later.

Unfortunately the technology has been flawed for years. Hackers will often embed software that disables the chip reader randomly causing cards to fail. Most merchants will fail-over to swipe, and then the chip is useless. It can take a long time to detect when only one of every 25 cards does it.

They also can piggy back a hacked terminal and display to you a single transaction for the correct price while authorizing 10K with the bank.

Regardless of if you decide to take your credit or debit cards with you on vacation, contact all companies or banks that you will be traveling. First off fraud is not limited to tourist traps... about 3 years ago DH and I were on a cruise and came back to a series of fraud notice calls and emails on a debit card from our primary bank. Apparently someone in South Carolina got ahold of the card #, and from what they can piece together waited till DH posted on social media that we boarded the ship (the card was home we were in NOLA for departure) to start ordering from online sellers. Long story short, if we had not alerted the bank with our travel plans they would not have denied the charges making for a more complicated recovery process. (Debit cards do not have the $50 out of pocket protection that credit cards do).

As to should you use cash or credit cards while in port that's totally up to you. Credit cards give you certain consumer protections, but when traveling can have extra processing fees. Cash gives you the advantage of haggling, but when outside of USA territories you run the risk of getting local currency back as change.

We always use cash however, we have not made any large purchases such as jewelry.

I always use credit card. Cash limits you, and can be lost with no recourse. If your credit card gets hacked, which hasn't happened to me yet, you aren't liable. Plus, many of the CCs look for fraudulent activity and stop it. My card has no foreign transaction fees and good rewards. Would never think of paying with another method.

Always cash.

We always us CA$H!

We travel with two credit cards. One for use to guarantee our cruise account and for large purchases or hotel stays. The other has a total spending limit set prior to departing. If it gets hacked or stolen, they will only be able to charge a couple hundred dollars, and probably less if we have been using it for a few days. That minimizes the loss to the bank in case it gets used fraudulently. For my protection, the bank will reverse any charges I don't make. The limit I put on it is my way of helping them help me, since the fraudulent charges will be minimal due to the low limit on the card, so their loss exposure will be relatively small. If I need to increase the limit, I can contact my bank and authorize a higher limit.

I always use credit card. Cash limits you, and can be lost with no recourse. If your credit card gets hacked, which hasn't happened to me yet, you aren't liable. Plus, many of the CCs look for fraudulent activity and stop it. My card has no foreign transaction fees and good rewards. Would never think of paying with another method.

Definitely agreed, however I bring a mix. I pay with CC when I can, and merchants who are cash only I make sure I have cash for them as well as cash for tips for the great people who deserve them. Credit card is simply safer, but it's not safer unless you bring a few bucks backup cash imo.

Credit card so you have protection if there is a problem with your purchase after you leave. This is more likely than theft or problems with the card. If you do use cash, make sure you get change back in dollars not the local currency.

I travel a lot internationally. I take some cash, but mainly use cards.

I actually have not had a card hacked, until recently, when traveling outside the US. All hacks seem to have occured within the US. Most times, I get a text or email questioning a charge when I hit the first airport outside the US. :D I call them, tell them the charge is OK or not, and they cancel that card.

I have found out, that they can allow limited use of the card. Last time a card was compromised, when I mentioned I was traveling, they said they could allow ONLY charges where the card was physically swiped or inserted. So no internet/phone purchases. But even if there were additional fraudulent charges, I would not be responsible for them.

My last trip, my debit card was compromised.

No big deal. Card company let me know, we figured out which ATM transactions were mine and which were not. They removed the incorrect ones, and FedEx'd a new card, that arrived in 2 days.

I do suggest that you plan on using your card, then carry more than one in case one is compromised.

We will be going on our first cruise in June (Eastern Caribbean) with stops in St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove. Trying to decide if I should bring cash or if I will be able to use a credit card while shopping in these areas. Any advice is appreciated :)

The decision is entirely yours. I would use cash for small purchases and CC for larger ones. All of those ports will bill in USD so you have no need to worry about foreign transaction fees ( St. Thomas and San Juan are US territories so no worries there, and those are the two places where you will do your shopping). There is not much shopping on Grand Turk or at Amber Cove.