Debit card for seapass acct?

[ctcruisergirl]

I have a question.We do not use credit cards.We were planning to set our sea pass acct with a debit card....can someone tell me if they place a set amount hold on it at the start of the cruise? Or do they just charge the card at the end? Need to know if we have enough money in the acct and also if we are in danger of them placing to high of a hold and not have access to other money

[Gator0178]

I am not sure of the amount ( I want to say it is $200) but they do put an authorization on the Debit card. When you get close to that amount in charges, they put another hold on the card. I'm sure they do a similar thing with credit cards, but it is credit and not actual cash from a checking account.

 

If you are afraid of bouncing checks or something, you can set up your seapass with cash.

[dplusd]

There have been reports of debit card holds not being released for a long time (weeks). I would just set up your account with cash and avoid the debit card all together.

[Clarea]

I have a question.We do not use credit cards.We were planning to set our sea pass acct with a debit card....can someone tell me if they place a set amount hold on it at the start of the cruise? Or do they just charge the card at the end? Need to know if we have enough money in the acct and also if we are in danger of them placing to high of a hold and not have access to other money

Some people report holds that are put on debit cards that take some time to expire. It seems to depend on the policies of the financial institution that processes the debit card.

 

A better way might be to set up a "cash" account, and then pay that off with the debit card at the end of the cruise. Royal will let you charge up to $500 before they require you to pay down the account.

[Ashland]

Bad idea...set it up with cash.

[Snooksi]

I used my debit card for our Disney cruise and didn't have any problems. There weren't any holds on my acct when I returned. Of course, I didn't check while we were at sea but it wouldn't have mattered to me.

 

However, if you do use a debit card, be sure to check with your bank what your daily limit is. I had to go to my bank before we left to ensure they would raise my daily limit the week I was gone. I also had to make sure they would allow me to use it out of the country. I just had to tell them when/where I was going. Otherwise, your card will be rejected outside of the country. Apparently, most banks do this for fear of fraud.

[satxdiver]

There have been many horror stories about holds put on debit cards and not released for weeks which means you do not have access to those funds. It is both a function of RCI and your financial institution.

 

Moral to the story is do not use a debit card! If you do not have a credit card, use cash only! Even if you use a credit card upon boarding, you can always go down to customer relations and give them cash during the cruise.

[UNV-IT!!!]

I have zero issues or holds with Wells Fargo.

[B-52]

Used our Debit card once and it really screwed me up for weeks, overdrawn, etc, ....learned my lesson.

[yolanda1]

As others have said, if you're not using a credit card, cash is possibly the best option for you. You can pay an amount of your choosing up front to Guest Services on arrival, and then top up if necessary.

[mpoole3]

I've used a debit card for 10+ cruises and never had any holds on my account. Just a draft for the final bill.

 

But I agree with the post above that the cash method is easy, I just refuse to stand in that long line on the last day.

[Dontforgetbritt]

We have 3 cruises under our belts and always use a debit card with no issue and plan to do it again on our cruise next month; if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Cash sounds like the way to go for you though; better safe than sorry.

[Ilovepj]

HI,

 

I always also use my debit card, but I always put down cash as well, and tell them to use the cash before using the card. I have always got back a check at the end of the cruise.

 

But I think you have to plan for double on your debit card, and then the hold will come off depending on your bank.

 

Helen

[Trolleydolly80]

So glad I found this thread. I was going to use My debit card also, didn't know you could set up a cash account. Think this seems like the better option. Can someone explain it to me in more detail? is it just a matter of handing over an estimated amount of what you may spend onboard during the cruise to guest relations on embarkation? Then if you go over you hand over more cash?

Thanks all :)

ps what happens if your amount runs out & you haven't topped up? does the sea card still work? this could be embarrassing.

 

 

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[Clarea]

So glad I found this thread. I was going to use My debit card also, didn't know you could set up a cash account. Think this seems like the better option. Can someone explain it to me in more detail? is it just a matter of handing over an estimated amount of what you may spend onboard during the cruise to guest relations on embarkation? Then if you go over you hand over more cash?

Thanks all :)

ps what happens if your amount runs out & you haven't topped up? does the sea card still work? this could be embarrassing.

You don't have to put down cash up front. You just select a cash type account during your online check-in. Once your charges get to $500, then they will call and ask that you pay down your account.

[Trolleydolly80]

aaaaah right I'm with you. Makes sense. Thamkyou :)

 

 

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[Mel8730]

Yikes! So glad I read this thread. Just changed my payment method from debit to cash.

[m*u*g*]

They hold the amount you want. usually $500. not sure if there's a required amount. hold is not released until the actual charge goes through after the cruise. if you exceed to hold amount while on board, they can do another one to cover the additional amount you think you will need.

[Ashland]

I've used a debit card for 10+ cruises and never had any holds on my account. Just a draft for the final bill.

 

But I agree with the post above that the cash method is easy, I just refuse to stand in that long line on the last day.

No need to stand in that long line on the last day...go late in the evening the night before...then just don't make any more charges after you do ;)

[NeoVega]

I am not sure of the amount ( I want to say it is $200) but they do put an authorization on the Debit card. When you get close to that amount in charges, they put another hold on the card. I'm sure they do a similar thing with credit cards, but it is credit and not actual cash from a checking account.

 

If you are afraid of bouncing checks or something, you can set up your seapass with cash.

 

I used a debit card for our Baltic Cruise, and was NOT PERMITTED to set up a cash account. It was my intention to do so, but I was told it was like checking in to a hotel, YADA YADA and gave up arguing in so I filled in my VISA Debit card number on the form.

 

My daughter paid the $60 balance (our tips were covered by OBC from our TA) with her Debit card when we disembarked. There was a $60 hold on my card and hers for a couple of days, then the hold on mine went away.

 

Maybe some cruises allow cash accounts, or maybe they allowed them in the past. In any case, I was not allowed to set up a cash account.

[Gramjude]

I used my debit card on all my cruises. I never had a hold and it appeared on my statement in several different charges. I plan on using it again on my Cruise in September.

[Twibes]

Reiterating what was already said, but with more emphasis, definitely do not use a debit card unless you consider yourself a soon-to-be Donald Trump.

 

I used a debit card on my first cruise, back in 2005 (Yes folks many of you have been cruising well passed my time!) and boy did I learn a harsh lesson. Money for me at the time wasn't quite a concern, however I did have my limits in my account that was connected to the debit card.

 

Perhaps things changed since then, but I spent $A.LOT! on that cruise between all of the photos, drinks, excursions, specialty dinners, etc. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem as I knew I'd be spending a boat load on this cruise. However, I returned home to quite a shock. Here is how it broke down for me;

 

Every financial transaction was counted as (1) transaction and placed on HOLD. AKA: Money advance in the casino, photo purchase, drink purchase, etc. I must've had about 200 purchases listed, each with it's own $7-12 hold.

 

Once off the ship and in the comfort of my own home, I logged into the bank to see what I had left on this card and to my horror, every single transaction that was STILL on hold, was then all added together into a nice big total sum. That sum, was then charged as a separate charge upon disembarkation. Did I lose you? Basically the put a hold on my card for every single purchase I made, then with all of those holds still outstanding, simply put a new total charge on the card for the collection of payment, rather than 'CAPTURING' the fees already on hold.

 

As many have said, I was stuck waiting a full 2 weeks or roughly 15 days before the holds expired and the money was released to my account. That was one expensive trip for a short while.

 

Conclusion: Don't use It!

[serene56]

I have a question.We do not use credit cards.We were planning to set our sea pass acct with a debit card....can someone tell me if they place a set amount hold on it at the start of the cruise? Or do they just charge the card at the end? Need to know if we have enough money in the acct and also if we are in danger of them placing to high of a hold and not have access to other money

 

 

You contact the bank and make sure there is NO restrictions placed on the card. (example is i have a daily limit on my card of 200.00) if I sepnt over that amount on a cruise there will likly be a hold on that card for a few days when I get back and I will not be able to use the card until it clears- leaving me moneyless.

 

Asking the bank to release restrictions furing the cruise time frame should alleviate any problems- you want to do this at least 2 -3 weeks BEFORE you leave

[minnie00]

I have a question.We do not use credit cards.We were planning to set our sea pass acct with a debit card....can someone tell me if they place a set amount hold on it at the start of the cruise? Or do they just charge the card at the end? Need to know if we have enough money in the acct and also if we are in danger of them placing to high of a hold and not have access to other money

 

we have used debit on last 2 cruises. no hold but I noticed charge authorizations going thru daily...instead of one large one :)

we also call bank ahead of time to let them know charges will be coming from cruise and possibly ports. you can ask what your daily charging limit is...ours is like 3500 or something.

 

In port we take an Amex travel card (not gift card its called travel card) and its taken everywhere Amex is...protects us in port from debit scams. We don't use debit in ports except for large purchases at the known jewelry stores and again never a problem :)

[UNV-IT!!!]

I used a debit card for our Baltic Cruise, and was NOT PERMITTED to set up a cash account. It was my intention to do so, but I was told it was like checking in to a hotel, YADA YADA and gave up arguing in so I filled in my VISA Debit card number on the form.

 

My daughter paid the $60 balance (our tips were covered by OBC from our TA) with her Debit card when we disembarked. There was a $60 hold on my card and hers for a couple of days, then the hold on mine went away.

 

Maybe some cruises allow cash accounts, or maybe they allowed them in the past. In any case, I was not allowed to set up a cash account.

 

If you leave a debit card you can still give cash. You sign up with debit card. Then give them whatever cash you intend to spend. It will be like a credit to your account. If you use those funds they will then charge your card.