do they hold the same amount on your CC even if you prepay grats?

[luckyinpa]

Many people cruise on a budget and still have a lovely time. I have been pre-paying for everything for several years now. Gratuities, beverage packages, excursions, the sanctuary and any specialty dining I plan on treating myself to. I would purchase on board credits to cover what I intended to spend. I started out with a credit and they would debit my account as the days went by. I have never had a problem with them placing large holds on my credit card that is on file. I seem to remember them placing one night of gratuities to make sure the card was good. The hold fell off a day or two later.

 

Don't let some of these snarky posts get to you.

 

thanks for the post. i know when i open up financial questions online id get A to Z. you cant filter out people and expect them to read my mind.

 

i also realize it was a poorly worded question with too many details. i should have just asked if i prepaid everything and made NO charges on board, would they ever 'run' my CC for any reason.if the answer is no then i'm good.

 

also since people are worrying about me i can assure you the trip is covered, the only reason i'm taking it now ( around christmas) is i got a 169 balcony for the entire week and dirt cheap air. this trip literally is half the canadian one i took a few months ago (on a per day basis) and i even drove to that one! so it was the deal of the century so to speak. and i love the regal so much that id be happy not even leaving for the ports but it's silly not at least to get off and get a tshirt :)

[luckyinpa]

I also print everything out and bring it on board with me in my cruise folder. I like to be organized. LOL.

 

i have print outs, i have PDF on my phone. i have bus schedules for bermuda still on phone from last year. i def print what i've paid for already. maps of the areas offline from google if necessary but i found out since its st thomas that my phone would work if i really needed it.

 

i draw the line at alphabetizing my shirts by color, i dont do that.

 

also gotta get luggage scale so not overweight since its my 1st flight that bags cost money.

[CruiseGal999]

but my question put another way is. if i prepay drinks and grats and never spend another dime on board will they still be putting daily holds on my card in expected expenses? from the answer above i'm assuming the answer is no, which is fine. im' totally good with 100 left on that card and never using it for the trip in any way.

 

 

i didnt want to prepay 300 of charges and show up at the dock with 100 credit and them tell me nope, sorry you need more than 100 on your card to get on board.

 

 

the card i use off the ship has no foreign fees so thats why i use that instead of the other one.

 

IF you prepay tips and drink package with your CC, when you arrive and check in for your cruise, they will take your credit card and take an amount (some posters have said $200) as an authorization in anticipation of you purchasing .... whatever. SO, if you prepay everything at $302 and the cruise line runs an authorization of $200 at check in ... will that work for you or will you be denied?

[Shadow9612]

Holds are the same on most all cards. Some people never see them unless they monitor their account on-line or via an app.

 

True. They do however lower your available credit, albeit temporarily until hold is removed.

 

i cannot believe i'm the only one that sees these holds on a daily basis. the canadian fuel hold really made me unhappy. i only needed 10 of fuel in the end but it put a hold on the card for 150 bucks! crazy.

Canadian fuel holds are crazy indeed. I believe one way around this is to pre-enter the amount of fuel you plan to pump before starting. I'm not 100% sure this is the case, but if you just start pumping before paying, the hold is a lot (eg $125 or $150).

[CruiseGal999]

Lucky in PA, it looks to me that you are traveling with very little wiggle room.

 

If your credit limit is $400, and you know you are going to pay for gratuities and a drink package worth $302, then all you have to play with is $98. To my way of thinking, it doesn't matter if you pre-pay or wait to pay onboard.

 

Why don't you do something like this? Pre-pay Princess the $302. Then send your credit card issuer the $302. Send them a check, arrange a transfer, whatever. Then, when you board the ship, the $400 limit on your credit card will be reinstated.

 

Also, for what it's worth, I am unfamiliar with credit cards on which "holds" are placed. I thought the beauty of a credit card was that any claim from a merchant would be paid by the issuer until the cardholder's balance reached it's individual limit. This whole conversation may be a learning experience for me.

 

You've never gone to a gas station and gotten $50 in gas but a 'charge' shows on your card (credit or debit) of $75? We have ... all the time. The actual $50 charge gets processed and only the $50 charge.

[CruiseGal999]

True. They do however lower your available credit, albeit temporarily until hold is removed.

 

 

Canadian fuel holds are crazy indeed. I believe one way around this is to pre-enter the amount of fuel you plan to pump before starting. I'm not 100% sure this is the case, but if you just start pumping before paying, the hold is a lot (eg $125 or $150).

 

Fuel holds in US are also crazy. Filled up our truck ... got $75.00 pumped and it shut off. We could not re-enter/swipe the credit card to finish filling truck. The credit card authorization was $150.00. IF a hold falls off in 2 days ... THAT is fast!

[Shadow9612]

Fuel holds in US are also crazy. Filled up our truck ... got $75.00 pumped and it shut off. We could not re-enter/swipe the credit card to finish filling truck. The credit card authorization was $150.00. IF a hold falls off in 2 days ... THAT is fast!

 

So true, the hold from fuel charges take so long to disappear - I've seen it on my card for almost a week... 2 days is super fast!

[toeloop]

I have never had princess put a $200 hold when getting on the ship. I don't believe that they run your card a check in. If they did, I would have had trouble in the past when my direct deposit didn't hit my account until the next day.

 

As for holds at gas stations, i have found that if I process my purchase as a debit card purchase, a large hold is placed. If i process it as a credit card purchase, it does not put a large hold on my card,

[dazza1234]

You do know you dont "have to" pay gratuities, right luckyinpa ? I prefer paying staff members directly than letting Princess split up the gratuities for their staff.... Also, this holding money on Cards has stung me bad the last time i went on a cruise....I get back home, and funds were held for about 2-3 weeks after i got back on land.. Ended up going into the bank directly to sort it out, and even then it took another 2 days after that ...This upcoming cruise, im confirming things with the bank before i go cruising...