Debit card tied to inboard account!?!

[luddite]

What do you suggest? I don't have/use credit cards! Don't you have to register a card? I hate to carry so much cash!! Now I'm freaking out!

 

Get a credit card.

[luddite]

Actually, debit cards have the exact same protection as credit cards under Federal law.

 

Debit cards are actual money in the bank. Credit cards are potential money.

If the debit card is cracked, the money is gone. It might get refunded but it will take time. The credit card gets cracked, you put things in dispute and move on.

Using a debit card for this is just a disaster waiting to happen.

[luddite]

Thanks for sharing it just proved my point!!

 

Let this crap drop! I was looking for HELP not debate on financial institutions!! Lol.

 

In fairness, you got help. The best help that you got was ---never, ever use a debit card for this.

[okiehawk]

Since it looks like my question got lost in an argument ill ask again.

 

Is there a minimum $ amount REQUIRED. by Carnival if you use cash?

 

Same question but if you use credit or debit card? Ie: if there is a min amount of $200 when you use a credit card for sign and sail and have a party of 2 ---does that mean they will put a hold on your card for a total if $400?

[cjnwildfire]

Since it looks like my question got lost in an argument ill ask again.

 

Is there a minimum $ amount REQUIRED. by Carnival if you use cash?

 

Same question but if you use credit or debit card? Ie: if there is a min amount of $200 when you use a credit card for sign and sail and have a party of 2 ---does that mean they will put a hold on your card for a total if $400?

No one has ever told me, we have put as little as $100

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

Realitoes- I guess it does matter who you bank with. I can only give my opinion from my persective-PERIOD!

 

I can tell you we have three different banks- A Credit Union, A Northeast Regional Bank & A National Bank (only have debit cards for the regional & national bank though)- have used both on three different cruise lines, plenty of hotels and airlines- never had any issues. So each his own- I will continue to do what is best for my family and you do the same.

 

Happy Sailing!!!

Edited August 14, 2013 by Buffalofirsttimer4

[roaminggoat]

Still wondering if anyone knows whether they will take one of those prepaid (gift) cards with a visa logo. If so wouldn't that solve the worries over using a debit card or carrying too much cash (for those without credit cards or maxed out cards). If anyone has tried this let us know. If not I will be calling carnival to find out. Also wonder if they take travelers checks.

 

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[EmmasDaddy1104]

I just found out that carnival accepts prepaid visa cards...I set one up through my bank and load what we feel is a comfortable amount depending on the cruise length onto the card and use it that way. I also notify my bank that I will be traveling so they do not put a hold on the funds...I am pretty sure other banks offer this type of card...

Edited August 14, 2013 by EmmasDaddy1104

[DebJ14]

Wow!! I'm not sure where you bank and why any banker would advise you not to use a debit card! I've worked in fraud dept of banks and I've never known a bank or credit union to do that! Normally the dispute process is the financial institution refunds the money during the dispute process! ATM withdrawal fraud is different because without skimmers no one should have your PIN unless you've shared it! Normally it's based on case! You shouldn't be afraid to use your debit card!! Skimmers aren't easy!!!

 

We have banking relationships at Chase and Wells Fargo and previously at Bank of America and our local branch managers at all 3 banks told us not to use them. They said most of their day is taken up with people with debit card problems.

[nikiandscotti]

How is a prepaid card any different then a debit card!! Not being smart, honest question! Can they not place holds on those? I think I'm going to call carnival!

[mzthaij]

How is a prepaid card any different then a debit card!! Not being smart, honest question! Can they not place holds on those? I think I'm going to call carnival!

 

yes they place holds on prepaid cards as well. learned about this the hard way on our cruise. we will probably do cash on our next one.

 

 

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[EmmasDaddy1104]

How is a prepaid card any different then a debit card!! Not being smart, honest question! Can they not place holds on those? I think I'm going to call carnival!

 

 

I have no bad experiences with the prepaid card. Its like having cash already available

[CasinoCruzGirl]

No one had said how much actually gets held on a debit card when you first board or how much cash you have to leave upon arrival. Thanks for info

[lovetogoaway]

We always use our debit card, and have never had a problem. I have been on NCL, Princess and Carnival. We just make sure we have double what we believe our onboard expenses are plus whatever we will need for spending in cash. (I know people on here hate the use of debit cards but we don't like using credit). We just make sure we advise our banks prior to leaving on where we are going to be as well as the dates we will be there in case we need to use them for something else. I also tell them what cruise line we are using so they have that on record as well. On our last cruise with Carnival we had so much OBC that my debit card was never charged and we even got a check back the morning of debarktion.

 

Happy Sailing!!!

Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk 2

 

I call my bank told then Im going on a cruise what line and name of ship when we are leaving and coming back. They said no problem.

[jrfaith]

We did it one trip and had a small snag the 2nd day. Apparently our bank froze our card because of the unusual purchase activity. The bank thought it may have been fraud. Since then whenever we cruise I call the bank or credit card I am using ahead of time.

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Someone said they use their credit card to check in online when you arrive on board do have to show that same credit card? Or was just putting it online good enough?

 

 

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[ch27088]

Don't panic. I've used a debit card and the hold they placed on it was off by the time we got home. We had no problems, and everything was fine. You can use cash by telling Carnival when you check in, or a credit card. Someone also suggested using a pre-paid debit card, which you can load money onto, and use that. I will be doing the same, I have an American Express pre-paid card and will put a certain amount on that card for us to use while on the cruise. I just like to keep things separate when it comes to money for our vacation, that's the only reason why I'm doing that.

[radiojw]

Last year I tied a secondary checking account debit card to my account. I had mobile data on my smartphone, so I was able to monitor it as needed.

 

 

This year I am going to tie my Google Wallet card to the onboard account, and add a certain amount of funds to it. If it runs out, i'll decide if I want to add more or not.

 

I could put it all on a credit card, but I like the challenge of budgeting myself.

[dpg9300]

No one had said how much actually gets held on a debit card when you first board or how much cash you have to leave upon arrival. Thanks for info

 

I see you asked this question a while back, but in case you're still interested in the answer, I'll tell you our experience. Most of our purchases (not all, but most) were put through as a hold on our debit card. Then at the end of our cruise, the final total was charged and paid as one charge. Some of the holds were not released for nearly a week, so if you don't have at least twice what you'll spend in the account, I'd use a different method. It seems that many people have had different experiences, so it's hard to say what might happen from ship to ship, cruise to cruise. I guess ours was sort of a "worst case scenario," but we always make sure we have plenty of cash on hand for vacay, so it didn't create a problem for us.

 

I've never used the cash method, so don't know about that.

[CruiseHappy3]

Yes, but I opened a Vacation Checking with a debit card attached, so that I can use that card. We added the funds we planned to spend and used it like a reqular credit card with no issues.

[Donray]

GTO- so you keep your debit card registered but since you pay your balance with cash there's no hold issued?

 

Incorrect information. The hold is placed the first day and every day thereafter. Therefore you will have a hold even if you then pay cash at the end.

 

People should learn about credit and debit cards holds and when they are place.

[stephsten]

Since we're about to take our first cruise (we leave 12/23 from Tampa on the Paradise), I was curious about this, so I checked the Carnival FAQ page and found this...

 

During embarkation, when your credit card is swiped, an initial hold of $100 (for cruises 5 days or less) or $200 (for cruises 6 days or more). Then, throughout the voyage incremental holds will be obtained as needed. You should know, this will reduce the amount of available credit on the credit card or restrict the availability of cash in the checking/debit account. Authorization hold releases to your account is entirely up to your issuing bank.

All charges will be automatically billed at the end of the voyage. On the final morning of the cruise, a statement detailing all purchases made with your Sail & Sign card will be delivered to your stateroom. If you made a cash deposit and there is an overpayment at the end of the cruise, you can cash-out at the onboard Sail & Sign Kiosk or with the Guest Services team – otherwise, you will receive the overpayment in the form of a refund check mailed directly to the address on file within 7 days of your cruise.

Cash Deposit:

U.S. Currency and Traveler's Checks may be used to open your Sail & Sign Account. Once on board, please visit our Guest Services Desk who will gladly assist you in opening your account. Throughout the cruise, as you approach the deposit limit, our Guest Services Desk will notify you that additional money must be deposited.

"Recommended" deposits per sailing duration:

2-4 day cruises: $100 USD deposit pp

5-8 day cruises: $200 USD deposit p.p.

9+ day cruises: $350 USD deposit pp

 

So, to me, it appears the cash deposit can be whatever you like and the credit/debit has a minimum. :)

[RuthlessBoss]

Incorrect information. The hold is placed the first day and every day thereafter. Therefore you will have a hold even if you then pay cash at the end.

 

People should learn about credit and debit cards holds and when they are place.

 

This is true. The banking system does not run the way we think it does. The "hold" is placed once you board and will continue to do so because you made the computer system think that way. The holds are already on your banking system despite paying the bill with cash at the end. It's up to your bank to determine how long the hold will remain.

If a person intends to pay in cash in the end, why wait? Put cash into the account upon boarding. Leave your bank account out of the picture entirely. If you use up all your cash funding, have no more cash to deposit, then add your debit card so the charges and holds would be minimal.

[LakeMomNY]

I used a cash account on my last cruise and it worked very, very easily and well.

 

I deposited the cash upon boarding the ship, I withdrew what was left the last evening.

 

Easy peasy, and no debit card hold worries.

[LakeMomNY]

And yes, I could have deposited $5. Or $0.

 

No minimum.

 

That being said, I figured the onboard account was the safest place for my cash, so I deposited all but what I needed for cash tipping and ports.