Sail & Sign Lesson Learned

[missorahbaby]

If, for whatever reason, using a credit card is not an option and you feel you MUST use a debit card, I would highly suggest getting one of the reloadable cards you can find at many stores these days. Load on to it the amount of money you want to use for your trip, plus extra to cushion any holds, and you're good to go. Nothing tied in to your bank account so holds won't be a big issue. I've done this many times, including on several cruises, and never had a problem.

[travler27]

Debit card holds are not limited to Carnival. Even gas stations do it. For the life of me I can't understand why anybody would ever use a debit card for anything. It's like passing out blank signed checks.

[deborahjo]

Carnival is not the only cruise lines to do daily holds. Princess does this also.

 

We learned a long time ago about debit and credit cards. We open cash accounts. When and if our account gets low we just apply more funds to our account. So much easier. That way our cruise is always paid in full when we walk off the ship. That is a great feeling.

[timmy1958]

Debit card holds are not limited to Carnival. Even gas stations do it. For the life of me I can't understand why anybody would ever use a debit card for anything. It's like passing out blank signed checks.

 

A debit card is an electronic check. Every time you write a check, all your info is right there to be stolen - name, address, routing and account number - so what is the difference? Bad people will do bad things if given the opportunity, regardless of your method of payment.

[momof4boys]

Your bank is playing games. Yes, they can wait for a fax from Carnival saying they won't be charging against the holds,,,,

But basically, the holds are removed in accordance with the policies of your bank.

 

There is so much mixed information about debit cards. We have cruised using them several times. Not once have I had a hold put on my card. I always expect this but it has never occurred. From my experience....it is a bank thing not CCL. If it was CCL I would think I would have seen a hold before. Honestly.....why would CCL not put a hold on my money, but put one on many other's money?

 

Bank just doesn't want to own up to it.

[simplelife]

IMO the best way to handle your sign and sail is to prepay as much as possible (e.g. gratuities) and put OBC on your account ahead of time. I usually guarantee with a credit card, but pay in cash -with OBC, there's usually a low balance or even a credit. My credit union issues (fee free to members) travel funds in the form of prepaid cards with a Visa logo in any denomination the customer wishes to purchase. We usually get several $100 ones and use these on our vacation. I get $50-100 (depending on length of vacation and access to ATM's) in ones and fives to used for cash tips, etc. After our vacation, we can use any leftover cash or card balances in any way we wish.

[cruisecraze96]

I worked at a golf resort in Florida 15 years ago and the debit card holds were in place then. Part of my job was to deal with angry tourist who did not realize by using their debit card that we put a hold on funds in their checking account and it took 14 days to clear. Many times they would be trying to buy park tickets and I would be faxing paperwork to banks to release them early. Every Bank treats debit holds differently but unlike a credit card where you can go over your limit a checking account being overdrawn is much different.

 

 

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[karessamom]

Are we talking about debit only cards or Visa debit cards or does it matter. Seems like the last cruise we used our visa debit and there wasn't an issue but that was 10 years ago.

[2chilover]

Your bank is playing games. Yes, they can wait for a fax from Carnival saying they won't be charging against the holds,,,,

But basically, the holds are removed in accordance with the policies of your bank.

 

Untrue. Yes, it's always fun to blame those evil, nasty banks but the truth is that the bank is the receiver of the electronic transaction and has no authority over how that electronic transaction was sent to the Federal Reserve for transmission and how it ultimately lands at the bank - the sender of the transaction is the party who dictates both the initial and expiration date of the hold. And yes, I work for a bank.

[2chilover]

Debit card holds are not limited to Carnival. Even gas stations do it. For the life of me I can't understand why anybody would ever use a debit card for anything. It's like passing out blank signed checks.

 

Exactly. You pump $15 worth of gas, but that particular gas station has their system set up to place a hold (with usually a three day expiration date) against the account for a set amount - usually $25 to ensure they get their money. Of course, you always have those who have no cushion in their account so that causes problems and they call the nasty, evil bank and demand their money be freed. :rolleyes:

[2chilover]

I would trust what my bank says any day of the week over what a Carnival rep tells me :D

 

Fortunately, when situations like this arise, my bank posts a "credit memo" for the same amount, essentially making those funds available to me until they were released by Carnival, which BTW took 15 days. But not every bank has that policy.

 

Bolding mine. Exactly. Of course Carnival will say that - they don't want the thousands of calls from angry customers.

 

Again - the company initiating the charge sends an electronic transaction or "file" to the Federal Reserve, to be routed to the customer's bank. That file contains ALL of the information - day, time, amount, EXPIRATION DATE....the customer's bank simply receives the file.

 

To claim that the receiving bank makes the rules on transactions sent to them is showing a lack of knowledge of how the banking system and electronic transactions work.

[Purvis1231]

We used a debit card for two cruises, each time I checked my bank balance before I left the ship and only the correct amount of the Sign and Sail transactions were deducted. There were no holds. Maybe Carnival treated me special or maybe I have a good bank.

[Jillbu]

Have only ever used our debit card for all vacations including cruises, never an issue BUT we use a credit union, tell them ahead of time we are traveling and the holds are removed as soon as payment is made. It IS the bank which removes the holds, the reason people think it's the merchant is that normally the merchant has to go thru their daily audit/ accounting before the bank is notified. If you still had holds after 3 business days I would be looking for a new financial home.

 

 

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[dwightnwynonia]

It could. Carnival uses on-board credits and cash, gift cards, etc. applied to the account first, so that would eliminate debit/credit cards holds until those funds are exhausted.

 

It works on our last 3 cruises I had bought enough cruise cash to cover any spending (cheers program) and also put my debit card up against it but never had any charges against it and the holds were released by the time we got back to home port

[Cuizer2]

It's not just Carnival and it's not just Debt cards.

 

Any time an organisation puts a hold on a card [hotels are notorious] debit card or credit card, it takes time to be released, my recent cruise took a week off my Credit Card for the cruise the hotel before we left took 10 days.

 

Yes, but a hold on a credit card does not tie up fund in your checking account the same way a hold on a debit card does. There is a very good reason why most (including me) will tell you NOT to use a debit card for your on board account.

[QTPieRye]

To claim that the receiving bank makes the rules on transactions sent to them is showing a lack of knowledge of how the banking system and electronic transactions work.

 

 

Exactly :)