Carnival and credit card holds

[rellersi]

Just got off the phone with Carnival. Regardless if you pay with cash mid cruise, they are still going to put the holds on you card. This is what my BF did. Once he had his cc declined due to excessive holds, he went to pay cash. The holds are still on his cc as we speak.....even though he paid in full with cash on Saturday.

 

The rep was confused as to why the rolling balance continued. She said the daily holds should've only been in amount I spend for that day...not the total. I was also told all holds will not be removed until 96 business hours after returning from your cruise. So my first hold on June 19th will not drop until Thursday.

 

Also, all the pending charges are going to stay on your card even after Carnival makes their final charge.

 

So think about this....

If someone goes on a 15 day transatlantic, And spends $100 a day on board, they had better be prepared to have $13,500 free credit available (and even more if they spend a huge amount on the first days). Check the math:

 

Day 1 - 100. Held 100

Day 2 - 100. Held 100 from previous day plus 100 for a total of 200

Day 3 - 100. Held 200 from previous day plus 100 for a total of 300

Day 4 - 100. Held 400 (see math from above)

Day 5 - 100. Held 500

Day 6 - 100. Held 600

Day 7 - 100. Held 700

Day 8 - 100. Held 800

Day 9 - 100. Held 900

Day 10 - 100. Held 1000

Day 11 - 100. Held 1100

Day 12 - 100. Held 1200

Day 13 - 100. Held 1300

Day 14 - 100. Held 1400

Day 15 - 100. Held 1500

 

Total holds = $12,000

Final bill = $1500

 

Then carnuval is going to officially charge $1500 and the $12000 holds will still be on your cc. So you will need $13,500 available credit. That's insane!!!!!

 

What you are stating the Carnival representative is telling you here is not Carnivals stated policy based on what is on their website. According to that website after the original hold they will not place another hold until you near the total for that hold. By the way we have never had the problems people are stating here, I have a low maximum on my card and it has never been an issue.

I work with billing at a company and have been told numerous times by various banks that we the only way we can remove a hold is by actually charging the card. The bank determines how long a card amount will be on hold, this is typically 3-7 days so Carnival may state that your money is on hold for xx hours. What I think Carnival may do which would be in line with what is being stated here is that they may make the original hold, when you are close to that place another hold possibly based on how long it took to reach the original, then when the cruise is over, rather than charging against the individual holds, they charge the full amount 1 time. I say this because I have never seen more than one final amount from Carnival on my card, where if they charged based on the holds, which would be better for most of us, you would see multiple charges from Carnival. Then again it may be Customer Service Representative specific, if they are not trained correctly, they may hold $250 day 1, when you come close to that, thinking that the original $250 has gone away and if they don't rehold they will lose it, may then hold $250 + another $250

etc.

[gone_cruisin]

What you are stating the Carnival representative is telling you here is not Carnivals stated policy based on what is on their website. According to that website after the original hold they will not place another hold until you near the total for that hold. By the way we have never had the problems people are stating here, I have a low maximum on my card and it has never been an issue.

I work with billing at a company and have been told numerous times by various banks that we the only way we can remove a hold is by actually charging the card. The bank determines how long a card amount will be on hold, this is typically 3-7 days so Carnival may state that your money is on hold for xx hours. What I think Carnival may do which would be in line with what is being stated here is that they may make the original hold, when you are close to that place another hold possibly based on how long it took to reach the original, then when the cruise is over, rather than charging against the individual holds, they charge the full amount 1 time. I say this because I have never seen more than one final amount from Carnival on my card, where if they charged based on the holds, which would be better for most of us, you would see multiple charges from Carnival. Then again it may be Customer Service Representative specific, if they are not trained correctly, they may hold $250 day 1, when you come close to that, thinking that the original $250 has gone away and if they don't rehold they will lose it, may then hold $250 + another $250

etc.

 

Even after they made the final charge, the bank never released the other holds. Could the not releasing of the holds after finall charge be the fault of the banks? Possibly?!!

But I darn well know its Carnival's fault for the amount of each hold. It's completely unneccasary!

 

All I can say is they are about to lose revenue from us because if their tactics.

[rellersi]

Even after they made the final charge, the bank never released the other holds. Could the not releasing of the holds after finall charge be the fault of the banks? Possibly?!!

But I darn well know its Carnival's fault for the amount of each hold. It's completely unneccasary!

 

All I can say is they are about to lose revenue from us because if their tactics.

 

No this is really Carnival's fault. What most likely happened is that Carnival places all these holds during the trip. Unless Carnival charges against those holds, Carnival never releases them, the bank will let them expire based on their policies. If Carnival does that, then charges your final bill totally seperate from the holds, which is the scenario you are stating, then those holds will remain until they expire at the bank. Carnival should not bill this way, they should bill against the individual holds that they created, but obviously they don't

[hannahsmomtoo]

This is precisely why I am using a cash account. Scary !

[lizziez00]

No this is really Carnival's fault. What most likely happened is that Carnival places all these holds during the trip. Unless Carnival charges against those holds, Carnival never releases them, the bank will let them expire based on their policies. If Carnival does that, then charges your final bill totally seperate from the holds, which is the scenario you are stating, then those holds will remain until they expire at the bank. Carnival should not bill this way, they should bill against the individual holds that they created, but obviously they don't

This would be disaster for us.... We never use credit except for our Discover for the cash back. I put EVERTHING on this and pay it all off every month. We have a $3000 limit and would be stuck with the hold situation......

Cash account it is!!!

[Jamerican71]

I planned to only take a low limit credit card on my cruise - 4 day Carnival cruise. How much hold do they put on my card per day? I know tips are $11+ per day

[hannahsmomtoo]

I planned to only take a low limit credit card on my cruise - 4 day Carnival cruise. How much hold do they put on my card per day? I know tips are $11+ per day

 

I already paid my tips as well as my excursions.. but I am still not using a credit card. All I have is low limits and its not worth the headache that these threads talk about.

 

You will see varying answers.. I have read about huge holds.. and some very small... must depend on what is purchased...

[Jamerican71]

I already paid my tips as well as my excursions.. but I am still not using a credit card. All I have is low limits and its not worth the headache that these threads talk about.

 

You will see varying answers.. I have read about huge holds.. and some very small... must depend on what is purchased...

 

My only purchases will be liquor as we don't plan to do any of the excursions.

 

I just saw another post in a similar thread that would work perfectly for me - To avoid holds, can you open a cash account but use your credit card to pay at the end and get your cash back (not a check)?

[lizziez00]

My only purchases will be liquor as we don't plan to do any of the excursions.

 

I just saw another post in a similar thread that would work perfectly for me - To avoid holds, can you open a cash account but use your credit card to pay at the end and get your cash back (not a check)?

Don't think you can do that...??? I believe they will use the cash in the account as you go....

[K922]

This is Carnival's stated policy. Note they say they will not put additional holds until you exceed the original hold

If you are using a credit card or debit/check cashing card please be advised that there will be a hold placed on your account as a deposit for your onboard purchases. During your cruise additional holds will be added if your Sail & Sign® account exceeds the amount of deposit Carnival has on file. If you presented a credit card, this will reduce the amount available on your credit card for other purchases. If you presented a debit/check cashing card, the hold will restrict the available cash in your checking account. All charges will be billed to the credit card or debit/check cashing card at the end of the cruise. Please note that Carnival Cruise Lines will not be held responsible for any bank-imposed overage or insufficient funds charged on debit or credit cards.

 

 

Also, the length of the hold is determined by the issuing bank, Carnival has no control over that. One of our credit card holds expire in 3 days, another 7

 

SO If I have $200 OBC and I use a credit card as back up they will put a $50 hold on it, but until I use up my OBC they won't charge my card is that correct? I only spent $160 last time.

[rellersi]

SO If I have $200 OBC and I use a credit card as back up they will put a $50 hold on it, but until I use up my OBC they won't charge my card is that correct? I only spent $160 last time.

 

I would think that would be correct, based on their stated policy they will not put an additional hold on your card until the original hold is used and they take OBC first, but Carnival may place the original hold regardless of the OBC, so the hold may be more than $50 and if you don't use up your OBC, the hold on your card will remain until the bank releases it which may or may not be for a few days after the cruise

[K922]

I would think that would be correct, based on their stated policy they will not put an additional hold on your card until the original hold is used and they take OBC first, but Carnival may place the original hold regardless of the OBC, so the hold may be more than $50 and if you don't use up your OBC, the hold on your card will remain until the bank releases it which may or may not be for a few days after the cruise

 

Thanks. I was asking because the card I am using will only have about $200 available on it when I go, so if they try to put a bigger hold it will probably be declined and then they will have to just take my OBC.....LOL I have an AMEX for emergencies but since there is not limit on that and has to be paid off each month I don't want to use that a less I have too.

[jaddld]

OK - I've been reading the boards here lately about Fun Ship dollars versus Credit Card holds. We personally have used Fun Ship dollars on our last 2 cruises and loved it.

 

DH and I have been talking about this and are wondering what happens if at the last minute we cannot cruise. Trip insurance won't cover them and you won't get a refund because you are not actually cruising. Now - we're kinda nervous about using them again. What are your thoughts or experiences?

[Chirpbird]

Hi Gone Cruisin - Like you, I have a small credit amount, and my bank is superb. It's a service member only bank, and I have never heard anyone complain about them.

 

I asked them about merchant holds, and how long they stay on my account. My bank is waiting for submission of documents (like a signed CC slip or receipt) from the merchant to substantiate a charge. If they don't get any documents, then that charge will be removed from the account. The "extra" charges (and I only had one for $60 at the casino from when the internet was down) could (and did) stay on my account for 2 weeks.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

That still doesn't explain why the rental car hold and hotel hold from Saturday night were released and not Carnivals.

 

is the credit card you used for your trip and the credit card you used (your moms) for the rental car from the same bank?

 

Might explain why one dropped off sooner than the other. (just guessing)

 

Bill

[billie5]

Even at the gas station, a $1 hold shows up with the pending gas purchase. This seems to be a common practice to make sure the purchaser has enough credit to make a purchase.

 

I can't figure out why people keep writing this. Does anyone think a $1 charge will show how much credit is available on the cc?

 

The $1 pending charge, of course, is to confirm that the cc is a valid cc. Nothing more.

[satxdiver]

The holds everyone is talking about are actually preauthorizations. When you use your cc anywhere, the merchant will swipe it putting a preauthorization on your card for the amount of the purchase. The merchant will then later submit the transaction verification to the cc issuer to get the money. Hotels, rental car companies, resorts and yes, cruise lines will submit a preauthorization on your cc for a specific amount usually several hundred dollars. This is similar to giving them cash ahead of time to establish your account on the ship. When the cash deposited runs out, they will require more be put in the shipboard account. When the credit card perauthorization is exceeded they will automatically issue another one. It all works the same.

 

As to the dollar preauthorization, that is to assure the card is an active account and nothing more. I have noticed recently that gas stations who require a cc before pumping are doing a preauthorization of $50 or more before letting you turn on the pump. This is an assurance that you can pay. They then submit the transaction details with the actual amount pumped later. So if you are near your credit limit, don't be surprised if your card is turned down even though you have enough credit to buy say $20 worth.

[lbow2006]

So here's perhaps a dumb question... when I finished inputting everything on the Carnival website so we could get our boarding paperwork, etc. it required (unless I misunderstood) me to give them a credit card number for the S&S account for later when we board. When we go on our cruise if I go to them and give them cash can I request the card be removed from the S&S account? I've got a fairly large limit and a zero balance on my card, but I don't want to have unecessary holds either. Thanks!

 

Oh and OP I do think the amount of holds on your card are ridiculous regardless of what Carnival's stated policy is it doesn't sound like the way they placed their holds on your card was correct.

[dad son team]

So here's perhaps a dumb question... when I finished inputting everything on the Carnival website so we could get our boarding paperwork, etc. it required (unless I misunderstood) me to give them a credit card number for the S&S account for later when we board. When we go on our cruise if I go to them and give them cash can I request the card be removed from the S&S account? I've got a fairly large limit and a zero balance on my card, but I don't want to have unecessary holds either. Thanks!

 

Oh and OP I do think the amount of holds on your card are ridiculous regardless of what Carnival's stated policy is it doesn't sound like the way they placed their holds on your card was correct.

 

There is an option to put cash for your S&S so you don't even have to enter a credit card.

[ineedavacation!]

I'm so sorry... I find the hold concept a bit confusing:confused: and need a bit of clarification if possible. We pretty much put everything on our credit card because it's a reward card and each time we use it we get a little closer to another trip! We do pay off the balance every month so I think our credit limit would be sufficient but now I am a bit unsure of what to do. How does Carnival decide the amount to hold? Is it based on how much you spend each day? Someone mentioned it is like a preauthorization... If so, how do they decide the amount that you are allotted before they place a hold on your spending? I definitely want to put some $ into OBC before we go but will they still hold the amount on our credit card if that is what is listed as the payment option S&S card? Eesh!! I really appreciate your patience with me:o

[lbow2006]

There is an option to put cash for your S&S so you don't even have to enter a credit card.

 

 

Huh, I guess I must have completely overlooked that somehow. Oh well too late now...

[billie5]

When we go on our cruise if I go to them and give them cash can I request the card be removed from the S&S account?

 

Yes, you can.

 

Interestingly, when we went on Carnival Pride a few weeks ago, the credit card I had earlier given (which was supposed to be giving 2% cash reward) had stopped its generous reward program, so I asked to change to another cc at check-in. The guy there was obviously somewhat new and was having trouble making the change, so I agreed to do it at the purser's desk, which was easily done. However, when I returned from the cruise, I was surprised to see a $50 Carnival charge on the original cc. No big deal - it disappeared in a week or so, but still a surprise. On the other hand, no strange charges on the second cc.

[edgeworth09]

So here's perhaps a dumb question... when I finished inputting everything on the Carnival website so we could get our boarding paperwork, etc. it required (unless I misunderstood) me to give them a credit card number for the S&S account for later when we board. When we go on our cruise if I go to them and give them cash can I request the card be removed from the S&S account? I've got a fairly large limit and a zero balance on my card, but I don't want to have unecessary holds either. Thanks!

 

Oh and OP I do think the amount of holds on your card are ridiculous regardless of what Carnival's stated policy is it doesn't sound like the way they placed their holds on your card was correct.[/quote

 

I was able to edit my S&S account online even after printing our boarding paperwork. I decided to take off our cc since we have a low limit and do not want all of it taken up with holds. So I changed to cash account.

[jrmende63]

OK - I've been reading the boards here lately about Fun Ship dollars versus Credit Card holds. We personally have used Fun Ship dollars on our last 2 cruises and loved it.

 

DH and I have been talking about this and are wondering what happens if at the last minute we cannot cruise. Trip insurance won't cover them and you won't get a refund because you are not actually cruising. Now - we're kinda nervous about using them again. What are your thoughts or experiences?

 

I just bought funship dollars for our upcoming cruise. The rep on the phone said they expire 12 months after purchase. She stated they can be for future cruises or the next one up. I guess if you did not cruise in that length of time, you would lose the funship dollars.

[jrmende63]

OP thanks for the heads up about the Credit card/ debit card hold. I have used my debit card the last few cruises and was fine with only a small hold on it that was taken off the next business day after the cruise. I did have my debit card on there this time as well, but your post got me to thinking about the amount they would put on the debit card. Our Cruise critic group is having a open bar party, which will be charged to my Sail and sign account. The party is 1400.00 ( to which I have the amount in Funship dollars) in reading Carnival's FAQ, I realized that they would put a hold for 2K or more as we need to add our things we buy into it as well. So thanks to your post, I went in and edited my Funpass to do a cash account. This way we won't have a huge hold on our Debit card.