Debit vs. credit

[Folk Singer]

'I have a prepaid card through paypal which I use, when I travel. It only has what i put on it. so if it gets lost then no more worry.

[missorahbaby]

'I have a prepaid card through paypal which I use, when I travel. It only has what i put on it. so if it gets lost then no more worry.

 

Precisely what I always have done. Because of some less than desirable situations in my life, I have not had credit cards available to me until quite recently. I have always loaded money on to a prepaid card and used that for travel. Works like a charm. Never had a problem. And since it's not tied in to my bank account, no worries there. And I am still in total control of how much -- or how little -- I spend. Heck, I have credit cards now but I may still used the prepaid debit cards when I take both of my cruises next year, just to keep my spending in check.

[John Bull]

'I have a prepaid card through paypal which I use, when I travel. It only has what i put on it. so if it gets lost then no more worry.

 

Precisely what I always have done. Because of some less than desirable situations in my life, I have not had credit cards available to me until quite recently. I have always loaded money on to a prepaid card and used that for travel. Works like a charm. Never had a problem. And since it's not tied in to my bank account, no worries there. And I am still in total control of how much -- or how little -- I spend. Heck, I have credit cards now but I may still used the prepaid debit cards when I take both of my cruises next year, just to keep my spending in check.

 

Hmmmmmmm.

This thread seems to have gone full circle.;)

 

No doubt the pre-paid cards work when you want to pay for something.

Or to draw cash.

Perhaps even at the end of the cruise, to settle the sum that you have actually spent on the ship.

But its a fact that many, if not all, cruise lines will not accept all pre-pay debit cards for registering at the start of the cruise. This is because with most (all?)pre-pay cards there is no facility to place a temporary "hold" on that money - the vendor either debits money from that card or doesn't debit money from it.

 

So I'll repeat the caution given by many on this thread - if you propose to use a pre-pay debit card, rather than a bank account-linked debit card or a credit card or hard cash, to register at the start of a cruise do ask the cruise line whether the card is acceptable. Don't rely on it having a visa logo or whatever.

 

Perhaps anyone who has successfully registered a pre-pay debit card at the start of a cruise could post the name of the card and cruise line.

 

JB :)

[Folk Singer]

I have purchased a prepaid VISA & intend to use that for onboard expense account. One good thing is that there is a set limit.

 

 

Prepaid Card is a good way to go.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Folk Singer

[Folk Singer]

Hmmmmmmm.

This thread seems to have gone full circle.;)

 

No doubt the pre-paid cards work when you want to pay for something.

Or to draw cash.

Perhaps even at the end of the cruise, to settle the sum that you have actually spent on the ship.

But its a fact that many, if not all, cruise lines will not accept all pre-pay debit cards for registering at the start of the cruise. This is because with most (all?)pre-pay cards there is no facility to place a temporary "hold" on that money - the vendor either debits money from that card or doesn't debit money from it.

 

So I'll repeat the caution given by many on this thread - if you propose to use a pre-pay debit card, rather than a bank account-linked debit card or a credit card or hard cash, to register at the start of a cruise do ask the cruise line whether the card is acceptable. Don't rely on it having a visa logo or whatever.

 

Perhaps anyone who has successfully registered a pre-pay debit card at the start of a cruise could post the name of the card and cruise line.

 

JB :)

 

 

Never thought of that.:)

[nana541]

Read the "fine print" on the back of the gift card..... Most say VALID IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY! Can not be used in ATM machines or Casinos or redeemed for cash or pre-authorization purposes. This is why they often don't work in restaurants.

 

I am copying this directly off a Visa gift card sold at Albertson's grocery store.

 

 

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[qqwer123]

We use credit card for our shipboard account and for the hotel room in Florida. For everything else we take a few thousand in American cash. We keep it in the room safes and take out a little as we need it for each island that we dock on. They all take American cash in the carrib. I try to not give out the credit card info to anything but princess and my hotel..

[cruisead]

 

 

Prepaid Card is a good way to go.

 

Ok we will try this again. Cruise lines will NOT accept pre-paid cards from anywhere, not Visa, Am Ex, Kroger or any other place. Any card you use MUST have your name embossed on it. I just don't get what's so difficult about this concept. It's been written many times on this thread---pre-paid cards are not accepted. We've cruised on most lines, except for MSC and Thomson, and not one accepts pre-paid cards.

[Folk Singer]

Ok good to know.

[maywell]

It's better to use a credit card than a debit card for the simple fact the cruise line will not hold / freeze double the amount for weeks on a credit card compare to a debit card. If worse comes to worst, use the debit card as back up and buy yourself onboard credit of about $200-$300 before the trip for the onboard expense account and have about $50-200 in cash for the port stops. Most Caribbean islands take US dollars, do its a matter of figuring out which 2-3 islands don't.

 

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[SLYScorpions]

 

Ok we will try this again. Cruise lines will NOT accept pre-paid cards from anywhere, not Visa, Am Ex, Kroger or any other place. Any card you use MUST have your name embossed on it. I just don't get what's so difficult about this concept. It's been written many times on this thread---pre-paid cards are not accepted. We've cruised on most lines, except for MSC and Thomson, and not one accepts pre-paid cards.

 

Sweet! I appreciate the info...I must have missed where it had been discussed many times! It's really great how everyone on this forum gives helpful hints and advice to help each other out. It really helped me tremendously on my first cruise in many ways. We used a credit card on board the ship on that cruise and that was fine for us. I had thought about a prepaid card just because it would keep us from spending too much! So, now I know that is not an option.

[Wolfie469]

Let your cc company know you're going on a trip. An out-of-area charge could trigger a block on your account.

[SeaMystique]

I have no credit cards, only a debit card. How about using a pre-paid VISA card for onboard expenses & using my debit card for expenses off the ship. Pros/cons?

C8tfish, I have the same question. I have sworn off credit cards and have used nothing but a debit card for years now. I don't want to open up a conventional credit-card account. A prepaid option would be ideal. Anyone?

[nana541]

Most cruise lines will not accept any grocery store style "Visa Gift Cards" and if you look at the fine print in the back they say for use in the US only.

 

You can load your onboard acct prior to leaving home with your debit card but once you checkin and use your debt card they will immediately pre-authorize and hold excess funds which may not be released until several days after returning home. In the mean time if you have bills trying to clear and don't have a fairly good reserve you could have bills bouncing.

 

You can also bring cash onboard and pre-fund your account... All and all a credit card for cruising purposes only would be a whole lot cleaner than risking the damage that can be done with a Debit card.

 

This is just my own opinion!

 

 

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[LilLady]

At this time, we are not planning to use a credit card (don't have one) nor do we want to use our debit card (don't want the holds). So we were planning to go the cash route. Have never heard or read that there was a min or max amount if you go the cash route. But I believe I saw otherwise in this thread. Could anyone clarify this? We will be sailing RCCL in Jan.

[maywell]

At this time, we are not planning to use a credit card (don't have one) nor do we want to use our debit card (don't want the holds). So we were planning to go the cash route. Have never heard or read that there was a min or max amount if you go the cash route. But I believe I saw otherwise in this thread. Could anyone clarify this? We will be sailing RCCL in Jan.

 

Here's what the minimum is on Royal Caribbean cruise:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/whatToKnow/topTenFAQs/detail.do?pagename=top_10_faqs&pnav=4&snav=2&faqId=265&faqSubjectName=Top+FAQ%27s

[LilLady]

Here's what the minimum is on Royal Caribbean cruise:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/whatToKnow/topTenFAQs/detail.do?pagename=top_10_faqs&pnav=4&snav=2&faqId=265&faqSubjectName=Top+FAQ%27s

 

Thank you. That helped a lot.

[SeaMystique]

Thanks all. I decided to take Nana 541's advice and apply for a credit card. I was able to do this and get approved in less than five minutes online ... a far cry from the days of yore! Since I am a recovering spendaholic I will put the card in DH's wallet and never use it until I am actually on board. I have been plastic-free for 12 years (except for a debit card), and I was uneasy taking this step. Still, I think there's really no better way to handle onboard spending.

After the cruise I will pay off the balance and cut up the card before witnesses.[emoji18]

[nana541]

Thanks all. I decided to take Nana 541's advice and apply for a credit card. I was able to do this and get approved in less than five minutes online ... a far cry from the days of yore! Since I am a recovering spendaholic I will put the card in DH's wallet and never use it until I am actually on board. I have been plastic-free for 12 years (except for a debit card), and I was uneasy taking this step. Still, I think there's really no better way to handle onboard spending.

After the cruise I will pay off the balance and cut up the card before witnesses.[emoji18]

 

 

Just use this card for registering your online account and at checkin..... You can even prepay OBC and pay your credit card off before you go. I just think risking messing up your checking account due to a debit card is a real bad idea! Remember just for the cruise and put that sucker away (says one spendaholic to another).

 

Have a great time and check your onboard account each day to monitor your spending :)

 

 

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[maywell]

Just use this card for registering your online account and at checkin..... You can even prepay OBC and pay your credit card off before you go. I just think risking messing up your checking account due to a debit card is a real bad idea! Remember just for the cruise and put that sucker away (says one spendaholic to another).

 

Have a great time and check your onboard account each day to monitor your spending :)

 

 

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That's what I'm doing for my trip - Brought myself OBC and using the credit card to activate the sail card since it wouldn't charge anything until its attached / connected to credit / debit card or cash (This applies to NCL, dunno about the other lines - Weird, yes I know but it is what it is....). Or just bring the minimum cash deposit (varies per line) and use that for your account. Just don't use your debit card - those holds could mess up your mortgage or rent payment schedule!:eek:

Edited November 30, 2014 by maywell

[Champster]

I too appreciate the heads up. I've always been the debit card type guy, but don't want any holds on my $$. I applied, and got approved, for a Discover card today so I'm breathing a little easier now. Was up all night thinking that my extra "EMERGENCY CASINO CASH" (everyone who gambles in Vegas knows what that is). I would hate to not be able to get some loot from my bank because NCL locked the account. Cold sweats ensued after reading this yesterday.

 

I can breathe now. Even get 1% cash back too!!:D

 

T- 13 days to BA!!:)

[nana541]

Will your actual card reach you in time to take it on your cruise??

 

 

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[Champster]

Discover said that it will be mailed tomorrow.

[nana541]

Cutting it close, good job! Have a great time on your cruise :)

 

 

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Edited December 2, 2014 by nana541

[Wolfie469]

Discover said that it will be mailed tomorrow.

 

TIP: Don't carry a balance. Interest rate is over 20%. :mad: