Onboard credit card account

[gpmacki]

I just finished filling out our documentation for our cruise on the Zuiderdam on Sept 4, and was shocked to find out that HA puts a $420 per person hold on your credit card, and it doesn't matter whether that person has approval to purchase on their card.

 

We are travelling with our daughter/son in law and two grand children 6 and 10 in two cabins (grandkids with the us of course). Because our the kids just got their first creditcard with a $500 limit they will not be able to use their own card, the operator I talked to said they will needto get the card reapproved for at least $840. Therefore I will have to have a hold put on my card for $420X6. That is ridiculous. Previously with RCCL and with Carnival I have never run into this.

 

I can see asking for a hold for the $70X6 passengers to cover the tips, but they are asking for $60 a day, per passenger. Where do they come up with such a ridiculous figure.

 

And the run around I got when I asked about it, makes me regret picking Holland America. I can see this is one cruise where we wont be splurging on extras. And we usually spend at least $300-$400 on pictures alone, and several excursions and spa.

 

(and yes I can afford to have a $2500 hold put on my card but it is the principle of the issue) I know a lot of families that don't have that much money and would enjoy a cruise, but wouldn't be able to pay $2500 for a cruise, another couple of thousand for airfare and then find out that they have to come up with another couple thousand instead of only a few hundred for tips.

[jtl513]

It's not a charge, it's just a hold. If you have enough credit to cover it, why get excited about it? For folks who can't cover this much hold, a cash deposit of less money can be used. Please Search for the many threads that have discussed this before.

 

Here is one with 129 replies:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=936846

and one with 123 replies:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1081612

and 227 replies:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1025957

and the newest one (before yours) with 40 replies:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1145953

[luvs2travl]

This is only a "hold' and not a charge to your credit card. Most people don't realize it, but the same thing is done when you reserve a hotel room or a rental car using a credit card. The provider simply wants to make sure you have enough available credit to cover your reserved charges, which, in this case, would be the 'average' daily on board charge per person. Absolutely nothing is charged to your credit card until the final day or evening of your cruise. If you choose, you may settle your account on board with cash, and some folks also choose to use a debit card.

 

This is NOT unique to HAL, is extremely common practice in the cruise industry, and it is really nothing to get excited about.

[pms4104]

A review of HAL's website, even before you reach the point of completing the online checkin, reflects:

 

"Shipboard Account

Our cashless society is designed to make your life on board as simple as possible. When you board the ship, your account has already been activated and you may make purchases by simply showing your guest identification card and signing a receipt. On embarkation day, you will need to register your credit or debit card (Holland America Line Rewards™ Visa®, Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express®, Discover®) in order to use your onboard account for shipboard purchases. Your card will be pre-authorized for US$60 per person for each day for cruises up to 25days and US$30 per person per day for cruises longer than 25 days. If you charge in excess of the held amount, the accumulated excess charges will be added to your pre-authorized amount at the end of each day. At the end of your cruise, you will receive a final statement, and your card will be charged only for the actual amount of your purchases. Please inform your credit or debit card issuer in advance that your card will be used on a Holland America Line ship. This will help prevent delays in obtaining pre-authorization on board. Some banks may keep the pre-authorization in place for up to 30 days. If you do not want to use a credit or debit card, the ship will collect a cash deposit from you at time of boarding in the same pre-authorization amount. Any excess deposit will be refunded to you at the end of the cruise. Travelers checks may be cashed at the front office to make your deposit. Personal checks are not accepted on board."

 

On HAL's site: For Booked Guests>Planning and Advice>Shipboard Life>Shipboard Account

[lovendag]

I think putting a hold on your credit card for 60 dollars a day for children under 10 seems a little bit excessive.

[Cruisin Suzin]

I was told by my PVP that this amount was "suggestive" and that I could put down say a 200 deposit by cash, then if my account exceed or was getting close..to this amount to just go and put down more funds, a bit of a pain. But it will work for me.. I will have travellers checks to cover my account. But after reading the above post it looks like I will have to have the full 420.00 I'll check this out again...On Carnival I only needed to put down the 200.00

[Crew News]

The hold starts the day before your cruise (so I have been told) and as soon as your account is reconciled the last night of the cruise, the hold on your card will be removed.

[ironin]

Yet another reminder why I'm a happy American Express cardholder: never having to worry about this issue.

[ballgown1]

It's not a charge, it's just a hold. If you have enough credit to cover it, why get excited about it? For folks who can't cover this much hold, a cash deposit of less money can be used. Please Search for the many threads that have discussed this before.

 

Here is one with 129 replies:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=936846

and one with 123 replies:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1081612

and 227 replies:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1025957

and the newest one (before yours) with 40 replies:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1145953

 

Hi! No, the cash deposit is the same as the credit card deposit. I know because I checked. We didn't have it, but my in-laws, who are gifting us the cruise, covered it for us.

[ballgown1]

I just finished filling out our documentation for our cruise on the Zuiderdam on Sept 4, and was shocked to find out that HA puts a $420 per person hold on your credit card, and it doesn't matter whether that person has approval to purchase on their card.

 

We are travelling with our daughter/son in law and two grand children 6 and 10 in two cabins (grandkids with the us of course). Because our the kids just got their first creditcard with a $500 limit they will not be able to use their own card, the operator I talked to said they will needto get the card reapproved for at least $840. Therefore I will have to have a hold put on my card for $420X6. That is ridiculous. Previously with RCCL and with Carnival I have never run into this.

 

I can see asking for a hold for the $70X6 passengers to cover the tips, but they are asking for $60 a day, per passenger. Where do they come up with such a ridiculous figure.

 

And the run around I got when I asked about it, makes me regret picking Holland America. I can see this is one cruise where we wont be splurging on extras. And we usually spend at least $300-$400 on pictures alone, and several excursions and spa.

 

(and yes I can afford to have a $2500 hold put on my card but it is the principle of the issue) I know a lot of families that don't have that much money and would enjoy a cruise, but wouldn't be able to pay $2500 for a cruise, another couple of thousand for airfare and then find out that they have to come up with another couple thousand instead of only a few hundred for tips.

 

Regarding the children, what I was told by HAL is (oh, BTW, I have a 13-year-old son who is a child with autism and, while very high functioning, still has some autistic tendencies, coupled with ADHD) that there were two ways to approach this. The first way would be is that the deposit would be paid for him (as well as for my husband and me), BUT when we get on the ship, tell them to turn off his card. He could still use it to get access, but he would not be able to charge anything. This is great because if he should LOSE his card, no one would be able to charge anything to my in-laws' shipboard account (they are paying our deposit because we could not afford it). The next route would be basically to wait to get on the ship and pay the deposit in cash and plead with the front desk (sorry, don't know the technical term) to see if they would allow us to not pay for my son, but to cut his card off.

[ballgown1]

This is only a "hold' and not a charge to your credit card. Most people don't realize it, but the same thing is done when you reserve a hotel room or a rental car using a credit card. The provider simply wants to make sure you have enough available credit to cover your reserved charges, which, in this case, would be the 'average' daily on board charge per person. Absolutely nothing is charged to your credit card until the final day or evening of your cruise. If you choose, you may settle your account on board with cash, and some folks also choose to use a debit card.

 

This is NOT unique to HAL, is extremely common practice in the cruise industry, and it is really nothing to get excited about.

 

I understand what you are saying and for people who can afford it, it is not much to worry about. But, if you can, consider someone like me/us, who did not have the finances. For our family of three alone, the hold would have been more than $1200 (maybe more than $1400; can't remember right now). If this were the only credit card we had AND if we needed to have those funds available for spending while traveling to the pier or while on the cruise, then that would be a problem (I am so thankful my in-laws paid for ours for us; we just have to reimburse them for any expenses after the cruise is over). This means that, in addition to paying for the cruise, airfare, excursions and incidentals, you also have to budget for that extra $1,200 or at least to not be available to you during that time.

[ballgown1]

One poster's comment about American Express made me think of this: My mother-in-law booked our cruise through Expedia.com and they did not even tell her about this deposit! She did not know until I - the worry wort of the family - spent countless hours up late at night researching (much like tonight ;) ) and reading the HAL website. Thank goodness that she has an American Express card because she probably would have already maxed out a regular credit card paying for the cruise and airfare for us.

 

(Only a few days before I told her about the deposit, she booked this cruise on a frenzied whim [long story, it was all rather unexpected] and, because of the deadline, I suppose, had to pay for the entire cruise for all seven of us in Oceanview rooms at the time that she booked it).

[gpmacki]

The issue is with the hold and the amount they want to hold. This isn't our first cruise together.

 

With RCCL there was no hold, I gave my creditcard number and that was it.

 

With Carnival, they held $70X4 adults and $70X2 kids. A total of $420. I don't have a problem with a hold for prepaid tips.

 

What I have a problem with is the hold and them actually expecting I could spend up to $60 a day. And I guarantee that my 6 year old grand daughter isn't going to spend $60 a day.

 

What it means is that if in Ketchikan or Juneau or Skagway we decide we want to buy something special, I'm going to have to remember that I have a $2500 hold on my card. For some people it isn't a lot, for young families I could be quite a bit of what they set aside for splurging. Not everything you buy is going to be on board.

[jtl513]

Hi! No, the cash deposit is the same as the credit card deposit. I know because I checked.

No, you were told wrong. You can put down less, and when/if your on board charges are approaching the amount you put down you will be called to the front desk to add more ... or be cut off from charging any more on board.

 

But after reading the above post it looks like I will have to have the full 420.00

See above

 

This is great because if he should LOSE his card, no one would be able to charge anything to my in-laws' shipboard account.

No one else can use a card they find, because they don't know what room it belongs to. It doesn't say on the card.

 

What I have a problem with is the hold and them actually expecting I could spend up to $60 a day. And I guarantee that my 6 year old grand daughter isn't going to spend $60 a day.

That amount is an average of what is spent per person on board, because many people don't pre-pay for excursions. If your granddaughter is taken on a $49 excursion (charged on board), added to the $11/d Hotel Service Charge, that's $60.

 

I'm going to have to remember that I have a $2500 hold on my card.

That's exactly the point of the hold ... so that some people won't over-spend in ports and not be able to pay their bill on debarkation day.

[Boytjie]

One poster's comment about American Express made me think of this: My mother-in-law booked our cruise through Expedia.com and they did not even tell her about this deposit!

 

 

It is not a deposit, it is a hold on your credit that is available. There is no charge to your credit card.

[ballgown1]

It is not a deposit, it is a hold on your credit that is available. There is no charge to your credit card.

 

 

:oYou're right. I used the wrong word. It's not a deposit, but they do hold the funds on your card. The point that I was making is that had she not had an AE, they probably wouldn't be able to hold it on a regular card because she had just paid for the cruise and airfare for all seven of us and a (typical/average) regular credit card may not have had that high of a limit.

[gpmacki]

Yes there is no charge until the cruise ends, but we usually budget what our expenses will be.

 

IE: $1000 onboard (tips/pictures/drinks/bingo etc)

$1000 ashore (trinkets/goodies/gifts and yes Jewelery)

 

If I have a $3000 limit, and they put a hold on for $2500, my shore expenses have to drop. Means no new earrings for my DW. Maybe no Inuit sweater. (only hypothetical of course she will get new earrings)

 

I don't have a problem with a reasonable hold, but I think that $420 per person (even minors and infants) is overkill. If they tood the tips and doubled it... say $150 per person x 6 = $900 reasonable.

 

Holland America's claim that much of the time that they are out of comms range and can't readily get changes made to your account/creditcard are a sham. Every cruise ship I'm been on has a cash machine and I've never seen it down. Even through two hurricanes.

[Boytjie]

:oYou're right. I used the wrong word. It's not a deposit, but they do hold the funds on your card. The point that I was making is that had she not had an AE, they probably wouldn't be able to hold it on a regular card because she had just paid for the cruise and airfare for all seven of us and a (typical/average) regular credit card may not have had that high of a limit.

 

No, they don't hold any funds; they decrease your available credit.

 

Not to get into speculating about other people's finances here, but if they could afford to charge and pay for the cruise they may have more than enough credit available on one or more cards. :)

[ballgown1]

No, they don't hold any funds; they decrease your available credit.

 

Not to get into speculating about other people's finances here, but if they could afford to charge and pay for the cruise they may have more than enough credit available on one or more cards. :)

 

Oh, well, the bottom line is the money is not available to spend. And, yes, it's best not to speculate, as I probably shouldn't, either. :D.

[jtl513]

Oh, well, the bottom line is the money is not available to spend.

And that's the whole point of the hold.

[ballgown1]

And that's the whole point of the hold.

 

I understand that. I still think it is too much, though.

[Roz]

I'm not sure why this "issue" crops up every other week, and people go berserk. I travel for both business and pleasure, and hotels and rental car companies have signs on their counters explaining the holds, and the implications of the holds for debit cards. I've had rental car companies put holds of $300-$500 on my credit card. I didn't think a thing of it; it's like a mini insurance policy for the company placing the hold against the possibility that you won't pay the bill at the end or be good for the money.

 

With autotips, shorex, drinks, etc., I don't think $60 per day per person is over the top, and as I've said, holds are standard practice in the travel industry. Cruise lines are no different.

 

Roz

[CowPrincess]

I'm not sure why this "issue" crops up every other week, and people go berserk. I travel for both business and pleasure, and hotels and rental car companies have signs on their counters explaining the holds, and the implications of the holds for debit cards. I've had rental car companies put holds of $300-$500 on my credit card. I didn't think a thing of it; it's like a mini insurance policy for the company placing the hold against the possibility that you won't pay the bill at the end or be good for the money.

 

With autotips, shorex, drinks, etc., I don't think $60 per day per person is over the top, and as I've said, holds are standard practice in the travel industry. Cruise lines are no different.

 

Roz

 

 

Great post Roz! I've had up to $1000 hold put on my cc for car rental. It is how it is.

 

I'd been darn annoyed if cruise fares started to climb because the paying customers were covering costs of the people who couldn't pay their bills at the end of the cruise.

[mexico5]

This thread has been helpful to us...newbies on HAL. I think we might use traveller's cheques to keep it simple...(you know the old currency exchange thing for Canadians that sometimes happens even if you want to be charged using your US dollar card..)

 

I don't want to judge anyone's finances, but I would be a little concerned travelling without a few extra thousands on the card for sudden emergencies. It happened to us once and we were very glad we had enough until getting reimbursed back home.

[cruzn single]

I will make this one statement--a hold on a credit card is standard throughout the travel industry--rental cars, hotels, and cruise ships.