Paying by Credit Card

[sharri34]

Hi Guys,

 

I've been spending the last month going through all the old posts on here, and noticed a couple of things about Credit Cards...

I have to pay for my Cruise (Pacific Jewel WOOHOO) in full by the 1st August, I was originally going to pay by Credit card and incur the 1% fee (My Credit card is with ANZ), but I noticed people were talking about getting an additional fee on top for an international transaction fee, is this still happening?? I have the money saved up ready to go, but I just thought that direct desposit sounded a bit dodgy...Is it dodgy?? Or has everyone been able to do it with no problems?

Second question, When on board, I was going to link my cruise card to my credit card, has anyone had problems with this? do you get charged extra by the banks etc??

 

Thanks for all your help guys, the Last time I cruised was a Schoolies Cruise in 2005 I think, back before Credit Cards.... Oh I miss the days where I didn't have to worry about a Credit Card bill turning up in the mail....:)

[rkmw]

Hi Guys,

 

I've been spending the last month going through all the old posts on here, and noticed a couple of things about Credit Cards...

I have to pay for my Cruise (Pacific Jewel WOOHOO) in full by the 1st August, I was originally going to pay by Credit card and incur the 1% fee (My Credit card is with ANZ), but I noticed people were talking about getting an additional fee on top for an international transaction fee, is this still happening?? I have the money saved up ready to go, but I just thought that direct desposit sounded a bit dodgy...Is it dodgy?? Or has everyone been able to do it with no problems?

Second question, When on board, I was going to link my cruise card to my credit card, has anyone had problems with this? do you get charged extra by the banks etc??

 

Thanks for all your help guys, the Last time I cruised was a Schoolies Cruise in 2005 I think, back before Credit Cards.... Oh I miss the days where I didn't have to worry about a Credit Card bill turning up in the mail....:)

 

hi sharri, i use internet transfer to pay for the cruise only if you are going thru an aussie TA but i have paid by credit card if i use the banks travel insurance....being a gold member i get free travel insurance but i have to pay 90% on the credit card only for overseas travel, i still have to pay the 1% or 2% which ever they charge

 

when you check in at the pier you give them your CC details and if you wish to pay with your credit card at the end thats ok but if you wish to pay cash it can be done on the last day

 

enjoy your cruise

 

rkmw

[MMDown Under]

Hi Guys,

 

I've been spending the last month going through all the old posts on here, and noticed a couple of things about Credit Cards...

I have to pay for my Cruise (Pacific Jewel WOOHOO) in full by the 1st August, I was originally going to pay by Credit card and incur the 1% fee (My Credit card is with ANZ), but I noticed people were talking about getting an additional fee on top for an international transaction fee, is this still happening?? I have the money saved up ready to go, but I just thought that direct desposit sounded a bit dodgy...Is it dodgy?? Or has everyone been able to do it with no problems?

Second question, When on board, I was going to link my cruise card to my credit card, has anyone had problems with this? do you get charged extra by the banks etc??

 

Thanks for all your help guys, the Last time I cruised was a Schoolies Cruise in 2005 I think, back before Credit Cards.... Oh I miss the days where I didn't have to worry about a Credit Card bill turning up in the mail....:)

 

The international transaction fee is only charged when you are making payments in a foreign currency. It doesn't apply if you are paying in Australian dollars.

 

Just check that the fee for payment by ANZ Credit Card is only 1%, as whoever you are paying sets the fee they intend to charge for payment by credit card.

 

I cancelled my ANZ credit card when it increased its international transaction fee to 3% and got a Wizard (GE), which had no international transaction fee.

 

I pay cruise lines by direct deposit, as I don't feel they are dodgy. However, you do have more protection in Australia if you book with a Credit Card through an Australian TA.

[waydago]

"The international transaction fee is only charged when you are making payments in a foreign currency. It doesn't apply if you are paying in Australian dollars."

 

This is not true actually, if you bank with NAB. I have had an on going battle between NAB and P&O now for 18 months. Can't seem to get to the bottom of it as they both blame each other. Have heard all the reasons and arguments from both sides and it still very frustrating. P&O did actually refund my first 2 cruises for customer relation purposes but alas 3rd cruise in May has again attracted this fee and the letters will start all over again. Since the only ones in our party who were charged were the ones with NAB I personally think it is the bank. It is not a large fee but it is the principle. I have never paid the cruise price with credit card, only the on board costs.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

"The international transaction fee is only charged when you are making payments in a foreign currency. It doesn't apply if you are paying in Australian dollars."

 

This is not true actually, if you bank with NAB. I have had an on going battle between NAB and P&O now for 18 months. Can't seem to get to the bottom of it as they both blame each other. Have heard all the reasons and arguments from both sides and it still very frustrating. P&O did actually refund my first 2 cruises for customer relation purposes but alas 3rd cruise in May has again attracted this fee and the letters will start all over again. Since the only ones in our party who were charged were the ones with NAB I personally think it is the bank. It is not a large fee but it is the principle. I have never paid the cruise price with credit card, only the on board costs.

 

I think you could be right regarding the NAB. IMHO that bank is the worst one of a bad bunch. Get a Wizard Clear Advantage - no problems then!

[waydago]

I think you could be right regarding the NAB. IMHO that bank is the worst one of a bad bunch. Get a Wizard Clear Advantage - no problems then!

 

Thanks for the advice. Will keep in mind. Live for the day I will be in a position to be rid of NAB - and also Telstra of course. IMHO they are both the rudest companies who make the most mistakes at our expense.

[The_Big_M]

Since the only ones in our party who were charged were the ones with NAB I personally think it is the bank. It is not a large fee but it is the principle.

 

Yes and no. They're one of the few banks that charge the fee in that way, but that's also how they declared they will charge the fee. Just like some credit cards charge fees and some don't, they're able to set the rules of what they charge for or not and ruled some time back they would charge for transactions made overseas even if in AUD. NAB are just charging you what they say they will charge you for.

 

As for P&O, it's a bit odd that they keep doing their credit card charges off shore. Technically though, they're also doing what they advised, i.e. all they said is they'll charge you the amount in AUD which is what they've done. They could get some people in India to do that and still be within the law. It may not make people happy, but it's still not doing anything incorrectly either.

[sharri34]

Thanks for all the replies guys :) This is the first time I've booked directly through P & O, the last time it was through an Aussie TA. If you guys think direct deposit is safe and not dodgy (I've had a few bad experiences with other non cruise line companies), then I might just do it that way :) Thanks again guys :) SOOOOO love this board :)

[thied]

full P&O info is this link

http://www.pocruises.com.au/AlreadyBooked/CruiseHandbook/Pages/Casino.aspx

 

Please note, charges for obtaining chips and tokens in the casino are limited to AUD1,500 per day, per person up to a total limit of AUD5,000 per cruise and are only available if you have pre-registered your credit card to your Cruise Card with the Purser's desk for Express Check-Out. There is a 3% processing fee applied to all casino room charges. These advances are billed directly to your on-board account or your credit card.

 

Cashless Cruising with Your Cruise Card

Methods of Payment

Credit Cards

http://www.pocruises.com.au/AlreadyBooked/CruiseHandbook/Pages/Payingforthingsonboard.aspx

 

this link is for the P&O credit card and as is says if you have any questions please ring them, hope I have helped you out. better shore then sorry.

http://www.pocruises.com.au/Search/Pages/Results.aspx?k=credit%20card&start1=1

 

It seems that P&O charge between 1% to 3%

[sherri3802too]

I think you could be right regarding the NAB. IMHO that bank is the worst one of a bad bunch. Get a Wizard Clear Advantage - no problems then!

 

Which bank is that with? (I feel silly asking, but I have no idea)

I am really interested in the discussion though and would like to clarify one point.

Are you saying that with money in a wizard account, a person can pay an overseas company-I don't know how exactly but maybe by credit card or internet banking, and not incur a conversion fee?

Oh boy, I am hoping that is what you are saying as I have to pay for a NZ holiday and that would be so handy.

[MMDown Under]

Thanks for all the replies guys :) This is the first time I've booked directly through P & O, the last time it was through an Aussie TA. If you guys think direct deposit is safe and not dodgy (I've had a few bad experiences with other non cruise line companies), then I might just do it that way :) Thanks again guys :) SOOOOO love this board :)

 

For it not to be safe, the actual cruise line would have to go under, as with a direct deposit you put the money into their own bank account (details advised by them).

[MMDown Under]

Which bank is that with? (I feel silly asking, but I have no idea)

I am really interested in the discussion though and would like to clarify one point.

Are you saying that with money in a wizard account, a person can pay an overseas company-I don't know how exactly but maybe by credit card or internet banking, and not incur a conversion fee?

Oh boy, I am hoping that is what you are saying as I have to pay for a NZ holiday and that would be so handy.

 

http://www.gemoney.com.au/en/credit_cards/

 

Wizard is a credit card from GE Money. It is not a bank account. When you use the card to purchase goods and services in a foreign currency, they don't charge a conversion fee. In addition, the card has no annual fee and 55 days in which to pay. We pay our credit cards by BPay.

[joll]

Wizard is a credit card from GE Money. It is not a bank account. When you use the card to purchase goods and services in a foreign currency, they don't charge a conversion fee.

 

As a result of information supplied on this forum we got the Wizard Clear Advantage (Mastercard) for our recent trip to the US. It cost us nothing for our two cards! We used it for about 6 transactions in US dollars and were not charged any transaction fees. If we had used our Commonwealth Visa there would have been an international conversion fee plus approximately 3% of amount spent added to the purchases. We can also use the Wizard as a general credit card here in Australia with no additional charges.

 

From what I have read in their brochure it appears that overseas purchases in US dollars are OK and do not attract any fees because they are processed by Mastercard in the USA. However, what happens for purchases in other countries?

 

Has anyone used the Wizard Mastercard in Europe and been charged for conversion from Euros to USD to AUD? Interested to know for our trip overseas next year.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

As a result of information supplied on this forum we got the Wizard Clear Advantage (Mastercard) for our recent trip to the US. It cost us nothing for our two cards! We used it for about 6 transactions in US dollars and were not charged any transaction fees. If we had used our Commonwealth Visa there would have been an international conversion fee plus approximately 3% of amount spent added to the purchases. We can also use the Wizard as a general credit card here in Australia with no additional charges.

 

From what I have read in their brochure it appears that overseas purchases in US dollars are OK and do not attract any fees because they are processed by Mastercard in the USA. However, what happens for purchases in other countries?

 

Has anyone used the Wizard Mastercard in Europe and been charged for conversion from Euros to USD to AUD? Interested to know for our trip overseas next year.

 

Yes, other members who have travelled to UK and Europe and used this card have reported back that they had no extra fees and charges added and Wizard used that day's exchange rate for the transaction.

 

It is a fantastic card, and I recommend it to every traveller. :D

[joll]

Yes' date=' other members who have travelled to UK and Europe and used this card have reported back that they had no extra fees and charges added and Wizard used that day's exchange rate for the transaction.

 

[/quote']

 

We are also very happy with the Wizard card and have used it in the USA and also to purchase US goods and tours in Hawaii, through the internet. However, I still have the feeling that we would lose out a bit by using it in other countries than the US because of the double conversion.

 

Section 8.4 of their Conditions of Use states: "... any...charge incurred in a currency other than United States dollars will be converted into a United States dollar equivalent as at the date it is processed by MasterCard International. Those United States dollar equivalents....will be converted to an Australian dollar equivalent at our disecretion by: (a) Mastercard...as at the date of processing in the United States; or (b) us as at the date of processing in Australia.

 

Even though it appears that there are no extra fees or charges shown on people's statements, I believe that by doing a double conversion from the foreign currency to USD to AUD at the day's exchange rate must cost more than a conversion straight to AUD. This would probably still be better than what the other banks charge though, if we have a good USD/AUD exchange rate at the time.

 

Before using the card again overseas, I will contact Wizard to check the above and keep a check on the foreign currency exchange rates.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

We are also very happy with the Wizard card and have used it in the USA and also to purchase US goods and tours in Hawaii, through the internet. However, I still have the feeling that we would lose out a bit by using it in other countries than the US because of the double conversion.

 

Section 8.4 of their Conditions of Use states: "... any...charge incurred in a currency other than United States dollars will be converted into a United States dollar equivalent as at the date it is processed by MasterCard International. Those United States dollar equivalents....will be converted to an Australian dollar equivalent at our disecretion by: (a) Mastercard...as at the date of processing in the United States; or (b) us as at the date of processing in Australia.

 

Even though it appears that there are no extra fees or charges shown on people's statements, I believe that by doing a double conversion from the foreign currency to USD to AUD at the day's exchange rate must cost more than a conversion straight to AUD. This would probably still be better than what the other banks charge though, if we have a good USD/AUD exchange rate at the time.

 

Before using the card again overseas, I will contact Wizard to check the above and keep a check on the foreign currency exchange rates.

 

On our last trip I actually kept a record of the days exchange rate as posted on xe.com as we had the netbook with us on the cruise. I checked the rates against each days transaction when we got our bill and I can tell you honestly that they did the exchange rate as per days listed exchange rate. I was amazed too. It really is a great card to have for overseas travel.

[The_Big_M]

Even though it appears that there are no extra fees or charges shown on people's statements, I believe that by doing a double conversion from the foreign currency to USD to AUD at the day's exchange rate must cost more than a conversion straight to AUD. This would probably still be better than what the other banks charge though, if we have a good USD/AUD exchange rate at the time.

 

Agreed, it does have an impact though still works out better when compared to having an additional fee.

 

Note that that double conversion is the way Mastercard do it rather than Wizard, i.e. any other Mastercard is also and has always been done the same way (Visa do it directly, by comparison).

[waydago]

Yes and no. They're one of the few banks that charge the fee in that way, but that's also how they declared they will charge the fee. Just like some credit cards charge fees and some don't, they're able to set the rules of what they charge for or not and ruled some time back they would charge for transactions made overseas even if in AUD. NAB are just charging you what they say they will charge you for.

 

As for P&O, it's a bit odd that they keep doing their credit card charges off shore. Technically though, they're also doing what they advised, i.e. all they said is they'll charge you the amount in AUD which is what they've done. They could get some people in India to do that and still be within the law. It may not make people happy, but it's still not doing anything incorrectly either.

 

Neither P&O nor NAB mentioned this as the reason though. In a nutshell, P&O insist they bill the bank using their Australian bank account and NAB say the opposite. I have pointed out that I have booked an Australian Product with an Australian Company (P&O Australia) and with 2 of the 3 cruises only Australian Ports. The fact that the company has a parent company elsewhere should be of no relevance to the consumer else most things we purchase would attract these fees. P&O said that some banks "choose" to pay to their London counterpart, where as the bank says it is legally impossible for them to pay different from what is presented to them. So, since it is impossible for me to attain a copy of what was presented for payment (privacy law) I am left with this dilema I can't solve. If as you say they have made it clear that this is how NAB's fees are advertised and can still charge even if AUD are used for overseas transactions, it would still be wrong in my case as most of my on board purchases were made in Australian Ports and waters. The wizzard card sounds the way to go and will certainly look into it.

[dougo in oz]

Just weighing into this thread, when we did the Tahitian Treasures cruise out of Auckland in May this year on the Pacific Sun, our cruise account was settled with our W'pac Mastercard and we were charged in Aussie dollars.

 

There was no convoluted process such as that mentioned above - the cruise line charged in Aussie dollars so that's what appeared on our CC statement - no FOREX conversions / fees - nothing - just the same amount that appeared on our Cruise statement which we received before disembarkation.

[Kinkacruiser]

On our recent Sun Princess cruise ex. Fremantle, we were hit with an additional overseas tax $40 on a ship account of $1347.I paid with an ANZ visacard, but after reading your comments here about other cards, I will research that option. Princess' head office is in California, hence the extra. :rolleyes:

Anna

[The_Big_M]

If as you say they have made it clear that this is how NAB's fees are advertised and can still charge even if AUD are used for overseas transactions, it would still be wrong in my case as most of my on board purchases were made in Australian Ports and waters.

 

However, your purchases were not charged to your credit card at the time of each purchase. They were charged to your onboard cruise card, which is effectively a credit facility offered by P&O.

 

P&O then charged the balance of your onboard account (credit facility) to your NAB credit card at the end of the cruise. There was only one transaction on your credit card - apparently done further overseas by the cruise line.

 

Certainly, a Wizard card - amongst others - would get around the issue as they don't charge different fees based on the transaction occurring outside Australia. However, that doesn't change the underlying cause of the issue which is that P&O is processing the charges elsewhere than in Australia, which you'd expect being an Australian company and in Australian dollars.

[waydago]

However, your purchases were not charged to your credit card at the time of each purchase. They were charged to your onboard cruise card, which is effectively a credit facility offered by P&O.

 

P&O then charged the balance of your onboard account (credit facility) to your NAB credit card at the end of the cruise. There was only one transaction on your credit card - apparently done further overseas by the cruise line.

 

Certainly, a Wizard card - amongst others - would get around the issue as they don't charge different fees based on the transaction occurring outside Australia. However, that doesn't change the underlying cause of the issue which is that P&O is processing the charges elsewhere than in Australia, which you'd expect being an Australian company and in Australian dollars.

 

Yes this is the bit that confuses me. P&O assure me it was absolutely charged as an Australian transaction where as NAB insist it wasn't. I can't get to the bottom of it as I can't view what P&O presented for the charge. (privacy reasons) Will let you know if I get it resolved and thanks for the info.

[The_Big_M]

Yes this is the bit that confuses me. P&O assure me it was absolutely charged as an Australian transaction where as NAB insist it wasn't. I can't get to the bottom of it as I can't view what P&O presented for the charge.

 

Remember, there are two ways that fees are incurred through NAB. 1) If a charge is entered in a currency apart from AUD (Australian dollar). 2) If a charge is processed outside Australia.

 

It sounds like you are referring to the first possibility (looking at the documentation would show you the currency/amount charged, but not where it was done), whereas the reason the fee was charged is the second. I.e. they entered the amount as AUDxx, but did so outside Australia (in England reportedly).

 

I recall other users who reported this before had this confirmed to them by P&O, that charges were entered/processed in the UK.

[molliemoo]

Thanks for the heads up everyone - we are now the proud owners of a Wizard clear advantage mastercard! So, I'll continue using my NAB card for the necessary spend to get travel insurance (if I transfer my booking to a TA there is no currency conversion fee from NAB) and then use Wizard for onboard spending (and deposit if booking direct with the cruiseline), and NAB can stick their illogical currency conversions where the sun don't shine!!

[bazzaw]

In the past - I have paid P&O (Aus) directly in AUD by ANZ CC for P&OAus cruises in Australia. An overseas transaction fee has been charged and then credited (uncharged) to my credit card account ie no final cost to me. I figured it had something to do with P&O's parent company in the UK - but as it cost me nothing , ignored it all. Now I think I can see what is happening - but don't know why.

 

 

Barry