Onboard credit card account

[luvs2travl]

From what I understand from my American friends, that now can be a lot more difficult than it was in the past.

 

Oh - I was just wondering. We get a notification from Visa from time to time telling us that we can call to accept the new higher limit being offered to us for our account, and since we really don't need or want a higher one than we already have, I have not 'accepted' their offer.

 

Just curious...

[jtl513]

Can't one just request that their credit card limit be raised?? :confused: :confused:

Today credit card companies are trying to lower their exposure wherever possible. I recently had my MasterCard bank lower my credit limit without asking me for no other reason than that I hadn't used the account enough recently!

[kyriecat]

Oh - I was just wondering. We get a notification from Visa from time to time telling us that we can call to accept the new higher limit being offered to us for our account, and since we really don't need or want a higher one than we already have, I have not 'accepted' their offer.

 

Just curious...

Have you received an increase notice lately? I got a notice 5 or 6 months ago from both my Visa and Mastercard that they were REDUCING my credit limit because I wasn't spending enough. Visa reduced my limit by 50% and MC reduced it by about 30%. Both cards still have limits of 5X what I use in a "big spending" month so wasn't a big issue except it made my credit score drop a little.

[CowPrincess]

wasn't a big issue except it made my credit score drop a little.

 

..... which sadly can be used by other credit providers to charge you higher rates and give you less favorable terms :(

[luvs2travl]

Have you received an increase notice lately? I got a notice 5 or 6 months ago from both my Visa and Mastercard that they were REDUCING my credit limit because I wasn't spending enough. Visa reduced my limit by 50% and MC reduced it by about 30%. Both cards still have limits of 5X what I use in a "big spending" month so wasn't a big issue except it made my credit score drop a little.

 

I think the last one we received was probably 3 or 4 months ago, from Visa. We use that card a lot - it is the one we use to book all our cruises, so it gets a workout. We pay it off and don't carry a balance, but it earns us points toward future HAL cruises. It is also the card we use on board for the same reason. We received a very generous (5-figure) ceiling on that account when we opened it and don't need it raised at all.

 

The other one we carry & use when travelling is our AmEx card, which carries no limit.

 

We don't generally use cc's at home other than our gas station cards and once in awhile, I'll use my Kohl's card or my Dillard's card. I do have a MC, but I don't recall getting anything from them saying my limit was being reduced. I could have - just don't recall it if I did.

[Jemima]

I appreciate HAL being up front about their hold. The $60 per day seems reasonable. We don't spend that much onboard, but that is because we book shore excursions online. Perhaps they should consider a lower hold amount for people who book excursions and/or a certain $$$ amount ahead online. (We are ok with the current hold.)

[Typhoon1]

One of the joys of cruising. Get used to it.

[cruz chic]

Perhaps they should consider a lower hold amount for people who book excursions and/or a certain $$$ amount ahead online. (We are ok with the current hold.)

How would be able to monitor that? People could still book more excusions once on the ship. I book my excusions online as well and I'm ok with the $60 a day hold. I still say if you are living that close to the line it's time to re-examine your situation.

[sapper1]

I'd be curious to find out what type of accomodations on the ship that people have that are so cash strapped. For the longest time I've had inside rooms because I didn't feel comfortable spending tons of money. I have a lot of available credit so this is never an issue for me. I do not want to pay for a deadbeat that walks away from charges after having a grand old time. Maybe people should settle for a lesser room if they are so completely cash strapped.

I'd take it one step further and suggest that a cruise might not be in one's best interest if they are so cash strapped that a credit card hold would be a disaster for them. Maybe they should improve their financial position and then take a cruise. It may sound harsh but reality is not always easy to face.

[Jemima]

How would be able to monitor that? People could still book more excusions once on the ship. I book my excusions online as well and I'm ok with the $60 a day hold. I still say if you are living that close to the line it's time to re-examine your situation.

 

As I said, I'm fine with HAL's $60 per person per day. We have no problem with it.

 

Having a low credit card limit may have nothing to do with a person's financial health.

My credit card limit was very low when we started cruising several years ago. That had nothing to do with our finances. I simply didn't use the card much and had never requested a higher limit. I called the cc company and told them my limit was lower than what was needed for the cruise. I was told that's because I'd never asked for an increase and they immediately raised the limit. Banks and cc companies are probably less likely to do that now.

[Pettifogger]

Many years ago, I "stretched" quite a bit to take my wife on our first cruise. I didn't have a credit card then, but I scraped the very bottom of my checking account. I don't remember that they placed holds then.

 

I have since slowly risen out of the potential deadbeat class and I think now that maybe the second smartest thing I ever did, after marrying her, was to take her on that cruise. The cruise line seemed pleased too.

 

My financial advisor didn't approve, but he was a beagle/sheltie mix, so I just ignored him.

[Jemima]

My financial advisor didn't approve, but he was a beagle/sheltie mix, so I just ignored him.

 

We seldom ignore our sheltie as he's very attention seeking. We do insist on grooming and vet visits and we also insist he go to "dog camp" while we go off cruising.

[Pettifogger]

Jemima:

Sorry, careless wording.

Indeed, I found it impossible to ever ignore him: I should have just said that I went on the cruise despite his disapproval.

His successor, a border collie mix, does not like "dog camp" one bit despite a lot of favorable attention there. (She's been their best customer for the last year or two.)

She's such a strong-minded girl, I'm surprised she hasn't reported me to the SPCA.

[catl331]

Your daughter, SiL, and grandchildren do NOT have to put down a hold of $60/d/person. When they book a cruise, have them say that they will put down the deposit in cash. Once on board they can put down a much lower deposit. For a 7 day cruise they could be allowed to put down as little $500 for the whole family. IF their on board spending approaches that deposit amount they will be required to go to the front desk and put down more, or their on-board charging will be cut off. Remember that the Hotel Service Charge alone will require $11/d/person.

[shandryl]

You are so right!! LMAO

 

I'd be curious to find out what type of accomodations on the ship that people have that are so cash strapped. For the longest time I've had inside rooms because I didn't feel comfortable spending tons of money. I have a lot of available credit so this is never an issue for me. I do not want to pay for a deadbeat that walks away from charges after having a grand old time. Maybe people should settle for a lesser room if they are so completely cash strapped.

[catl331]

Your daughter, SiL, and grandchildren do NOT have to ...

A word of explanation about this apparent non-sequiter post: it was in reply to a post which has since been deleted.

[matondo]

The poster who mentioned having two credit cards is the best way to go. Put the hold on one card and use the other for the trip. We always travel with two cards. We once had our card shut down because they were sure we had fraud on our card (it was a small credit union). Thankfully, we had a back up card and were able to continue on with only slight embarrassment in having our card rejected. When we had the opportunity we called in and they opened our card back up but we were very thankful for the back up.