Paying accounts Radiance of the Seas

[aussiecruiser1]

I as wondering what is the best way to go while travelling on the Radiance of the Seas. Debt card or Credit?Can I use Aussie Dollars to pay on Board at the end of the cruise? any charges with the use of these cards? I would be grateful for any information.:)

[rkmw]

I as wondering what is the best way to go while travelling on the Radiance of the Seas. Debt card or Credit?Can I use Aussie Dollars to pay on Board at the end of the cruise? any charges with the use of these cards? I would be grateful for any information.:)

 

we havent cruised Royal Caribbean for a couple of years but if you use your credit card to pay your account make sure you get the bank to do it as RCL has a lousy rate and the currency is USD so you would have to pay the account in USD

 

if our dollar goes up before your cruise you can buy some USD from aus post and pay your account in cash.....aus post only takes 24 hours to get the currency in

[The_Big_M]

Onboard currency is USD so while you can pay in AUD, it's like changing cash anywhere - going to have a commission/fee.

 

You can also pay with Visa or Mastercard, whether you have a debit or credit account (though will obviously need sufficient funds!). There is a 3% commission on credit cards in a foreign currency - this is pretty average for credit card conversion rates; some credit cards are better and some are worse.

[Aussie One]

we havent cruised Royal Caribbean for a couple of years but if you use your credit card to pay your account make sure you get the bank to do it as RCL has a lousy rate and the currency is USD so you would have to pay the account in USD

 

if our dollar goes up before your cruise you can buy some USD from aus post and pay your account in cash.....aus post only takes 24 hours to get the currency in

 

i agree buy USD the exchange rates are a rip off on most cruise ships plus what your credit card charges for money exchange conversion

[MMDown Under]

If you use a 28 Degrees Mastercard, there is no conversion fee and no annual fee on the card.

 

28 Degrees MasterCard is a credit facility provided by GE Capital Finance Australia ABN 42 008 583 588 trading as GE Money. Australian Credit Licence

 

http://www.28degreescard.com.au/

[The Fox]

I as wondering what is the best way to go while travelling on the Radiance of the Seas. Debt card or Credit?Can I use Aussie Dollars to pay on Board at the end of the cruise? any charges with the use of these cards? I would be grateful for any information.:)

 

 

Hi ,

 

We have travelled on RCI ships in the past and have 2 booked next year.We always find it more convienent to purchase USD when our dollar is good and take the cash onboard and pay cash off your onboard account periodically throughout the cruise.We pay the balance of our account the night before or the morning of the last day.Then whatever we spend on the last day/night wwe pay wirh our nominated c/card and get our bank to do the conversion rate into USD.that way its only a couple hunred dollars.

 

The currency rate fluctuates daily onboard and RCI use their own rate.

 

A lot of people got stung on our 2008 cruise when the rate dropped to 0.51 on one day.

 

If you take cash onboard in USD it doesnt matter how the rate changes you have USD .it works for us.

 

Col:)

[rugbypopsie]

The rate used on Radiance last month was .87c Australian...almost 10c under the prevailing rate...either pay in USD you purchase here before you leave or mark your cruise documents in VERY LARGE letters...DO NOT CONVERT and the pay with your credit or debit card and let the bank to do it.

[neicie]

The rate used on Radiance last month was .87c Australian...almost 10c under the prevailing rate...either pay in USD you purchase here before you leave or mark your cruise documents in VERY LARGE letters...DO NOT CONVERT and the pay with your credit or debit card and let the bank to do it.

Yes, be sure to double check that they dont convert. I marked mine not to but they still did, so paid in US dollars last cruise. My husband used his card and not only got stung with bad exchange rate but also had over $900 worth of additional charges that stayed on his card for about 4 days before disappearing. I had the same thing happen the previous cruise so its cash only for us now

[cassamanda]

Yes, be sure to double check that they dont convert. I marked mine not to but they still did, so paid in US dollars last cruise. My husband used his card and not only got stung with bad exchange rate but also had over $900 worth of additional charges that stayed on his card for about 4 days before disappearing. I had the same thing happen the previous cruise so its cash only for us now

G'day, new to it all here. Can understand to pay in USD, but could you amplify the meaning of "do not convert" and "let the bank do it". Possibly thinking of getting that 28 deg Credit card recommended in earlier post.

[neicie]

G'day, new to it all here. Can understand to pay in USD, but could you amplify the meaning of "do not convert" and "let the bank do it". Possibly thinking of getting that 28 deg Credit card recommended in earlier post.[/quote

 

There is a section on the cruise document that you can tick requesting that the cruise line convert your account into australian dollars on your credit card. The company they use does not have a good exchange rate. Its usually better to let them charge your card in US $'s and have your own bank convert it to aust $'s

[didiaust]

Cruised twice with RCL and both times ticked for our bank to convert BUT both times we went to the Purser the night before and paid it in US$ as we had enough left. I also checked my account back in the cabin on the first cruise and they had charged me $60ish or may be $80ish for a soft drinks package we didn't have. Sorted overnight and refund next morning

 

Di

[cassamanda]

Thanks for the explanation to both Di and neicie. Full bottle now. Thinks will use USD cash and keep credit card as emergency. Looking fwd to our cruise. It's about time that RCI starts thinking Aussie dollars and dumps the gratuity nonsense though if they want to keep the Oz market. Believe they are basing a 3rd big ship here next season.

[cassamanda]

If you use a 28 Degrees Mastercard, there is no conversion fee and no annual fee on the card.

 

28 Degrees MasterCard is a credit facility provided by GE Capital Finance Australia ABN 42 008 583 588 trading as GE Money. Australian Credit Licence

 

http://www.28degreescard.com.au/

 

Thanks for the info and link. Also has 55 days no interest basis. Have you had any hassles with using it, appears to be one of those new tap cards.