Can I pay my wife's expense account with my credit card?

My wife and daughter will be sailing next month, but I'll be checking them in and setting up their expense account on my credit card.

Will they have problems when embarking if they don't have my card with them? Or if they do, but it's not on her name?

are you going to physically go into line with them and check in? if so you will be fine as you will be present to present the card to be swiped and sign the dotted line. although I am not sure you will be allowed to do so without a boarding pass?

They don’t swipe cards anymore, at least they didn’t on either of my last two cruises on Liberty and Freedom. I even asked them when checking in on Freedom if they needed my card and was told no.

I won't be traveling with them, and would prefer not to send my card with them (not even sure that would help since it's in my name).

I won't be traveling with them, and would prefer not to send my card with them (not even sure that would help since it's in my name).

This could be an issue for several reasons. You might want to have a back up plan in place. Even if you get an OK on the phone they may do it differently at the port.

I won't be traveling with them, and would prefer not to send my card with them (not even sure that would help since it's in my name).

Why not just add your wife to the account? She will be issued her own card with her name on it.

Add your wife as an authorized user of your card and get her one with her name on it? It might be the easiest option to avoid any issues.

No need to go thru all that trouble. When you do your online check in, simply put her on your account. If there is an issue at check in, she can simply say "cash account", and once you're underway, you can fix it at customer service. Folks board at different times frequently...it's not the problem you're imagining it to be.

No need to go thru all that trouble. When you do your online check in, simply put her on your account. If there is an issue at check in, she can simply say "cash account", and once you're underway, you can fix it at customer service. Folks board at different times frequently...it's not the problem you're imagining it to be.

Read the WHOLE thread...he is NOT going with them on the cruise and neither is his card.

They haven't been scanning cards at check in for our last cruises, so you might be okay using your card, but I wouldn't risk it. You could always buy OBC, with your card, prior to them departing and if there is any left over, they could cash it out the last night of the cruise.

If you are set on this one credit card, I would make your wife an authorized user and make sure she has the card with her.

Hmmm? I guess I'll be the only one to say this (but not necessarily the only one to think it), but it seems a little strange that a wife (or anyone) today, wouldn't have their own credit card and always have one with them while on travel, at least when they're away from home?? What would one do if there was some kind of "emergency" and they needed to get a rental car, or book into hotel on shore, or even go to a doctor or hospital? Not making a judgement here, to each their own, but just seems a little peculiar to me in the 21st century.

Hmmm? I guess I'll be the only one to say this (but not necessarily the only one to think it), but it seems a little strange that a wife (or anyone) today, wouldn't have their own credit card and always have one with them while on travel, at least when they're away from home?? What would one do if there was some kind of "emergency" and they needed to get a rental car, or book into hotel on shore, or even go to a doctor or hospital? Not making a judgement here, to each their own, but just seems a little peculiar to me in the 21st century.

He hasn't said that his wife doesn't have a credit card, just that he wants to use this card that only he has. It could be a BOA Royal Caribbean card that he wants to get double points on or some other reward card that he only has and doesn't want to pay a fee to get her one. Who knows, but it is really none of our business.

I wouldn’t risk it. While waiting in line at customer service for some reason or other on Majesty in December, I witnessed quite a scene as some young woman was trying to use someone else’s card for her account. She insisted that they accepted it upon boarding, and that she had permission to use the card, but the purser was equally insistent that she could not charge the card as the young lady’s name was not on the card, and the card owner was not on board. Even with offers to call the card owner to obtain permission, the purser was not budging. I have no idea how the situation ended, but I doubt it was with the young lady using that card from the looks of things. I second others’ recommendations here with regards to adding your wife to the account and getting a card with her name on it to avoid any problems.

Reallyitsmema - One is, to some extent, sort of making issues like this "someone else's business" when they choose to post issues like this on a public forum, to begin with. If he wants to keep the matter "private", without subjecting himself to alternative viewpoints, he should just call RCI directly instead of throwing it out here on a website like this, and seeking other peoples' opinion/s. There's no guarantee on a forum like this that you will "only" get the opinions you happen to "like".

Reallyitsmema - One is, to some extent, sort of making issues like this "someone else's business" when they choose to post issues like this on a public forum, to begin with. If he wants to keep the matter "private", without subjecting himself to alternative viewpoints, he should just call RCI directly instead of throwing it out here on a website like this, and seeking other peoples' opinion/s. There's no guarantee on a forum like this that you will "only" get the opinions you happen to "like".

He is asking for opinions on whether or not his wife will be able to use his card, not whether or not you think it is strange. He never said she isn't bringing a credit card, you made that assumption in your post. He only asked about whether or not she will have an issue if it is his credit card that is used to pay off her on board account. Many of us in the 21st century have our own cards that our spouses don't have. Nothing strange about it.

I wouldn't risk it. I took my mom on a cruise, and we were in the same cabin. I wanted all charges to go on my credit card, but the system kept declining my card because my mom is not an authorized user on my card. This was in Denmark, so the system could have been affected by that since my account is in the USA. It took FOREVER at the check in desk to get it straightened out, and this was with me (the cardholder) standing right there. I could see it being an issue for your wife since the cardholder is not present. It would be safer to set up a cash account.

First, it is illegal to use a CC that does not belong to you. Your wife, will be signing for you, which is not legal. We all know that this could happen at time, like on line etc, but you can as the account owner, after the cruise, say she did not have the authority, and contest the charges. So, why would RCCL knowingly allow this?

So, let her use her credit card, and pay her when she gets back. Since it seems, you and her like to keep separate accounts.

Sorry for the confusion. My wife and I live in Israel, where we for have a joint bank account and credit cards. But as a US citizen (she is not) I also maintain a US account and debit card. I’d prefer to use that US account and the money we have saved there for this cruise.

But I understand the potential problems. Will look into either a cash account, pre-purchase onboard credit, or just having her use her Israeli card.

It is pretty easy to pay for another person on any cruise. If you are all on the same reservation you just indicate you are going to pay for the other people when you do the online checkin. But this does cause only one setsail pass to be issued, so you would need to print several copies if you are not checking in at the same time. Last few times I did this online they only took the last four digits, so they had to scan the card at the port.

Now if the question is that your wife and daughter are sailing but you are not, they probably won't take a card from a third person.

Cash accounts let you run up about $300 in charges and then they call you to come down and pay the bill down. Again, they likely won't take a card from a person not there at Guest Services. I was going to suggest buying a reloadable Visa card but some people have reported these can't be used to set up an account (no expiration date). Usually these can be reloaded online before they settled their final bill but if they won't take it onboard that would be a problem. And using it in an ATM onboard to get cash would just add extra costs.

Another suggestion was to buy enough OBC to settle their bill and then have them cash out the excess onboard. Normally you can take out personal cash without a fee at the casino.

I do not have personal experience. But I read on here, that while you cannot use a pre-paid Visa to set up your account (it would need to be a cash account). You can use one to settle your onboard charges, even without a name on the card. I would imagine that they would accept many forms of payment to get off the ship, since they won't let you off until your bill is settled. She might be able to use someone else's debit card, but I wouldn't know for sure.

Is it not possible to add a non US citizen as an authorized user to a bank account? It seems pretty common in California.

Since your not traveling with your wife & daughter, as others have mentioned, order a 2nd card in her name then she takes her own card. My husband & I had did that. He was the primary on the card and I had had my own.

Being a young college student I do not have a credit card only a debit card. I have only cruised with my best friends family. The first cruise I went on (on NCL) I did not add a credit card before check in and they wouldn’t attach my moms card to my account since she was not sailing. However the last 2 cruises I’ve been have been on Royal (Anthem specifically) and I added my mom’s credit card to my onboard account (even though it wasn’t my name and she wasn’t sailing) and had no problem either time. Both times the check in agents said something to the effect of “great you have your expense account set up”.