Out of money

[Organized Chaos]

Why is it so difficult for some people to accept that some of us prefer to use a cash account on board? Who cares, it doesn't affect you, so you don't have to try to convince everyone to do it differently.

 

7 hours ago, Knighton said:

nope, it was my credit card (american express).  And in answer to a previous poster, I did not use my s &s card at the casino.  Each night a different hold for the complete total (not just that day's charges) was tacked onto my card.  Whoever is responsible for taking the holds off doesn't matter.  The point is, they don't come off right away and are totaled up and counted against your available credit, so 4 days worth of holds of hundreds of dollars killed my available credit.  I was using one of my cards that doesn't have a huge credit line, thinking it would be ok since I kinda guessed what I'd have as a final bill, which I actually was in the ballpark of.  Now that I know they do this, I'll make sure I use my card that has a higher limit.

 

I don't know what happened to you in regards to all those holds, but I've never seen anyone report that happening. And that's not what's supposed to happen at all. Carnival is supposed to place an initial hold on the card on embarkation day. The hold amount depends on the cruise length. A $100 hold for 2-6 day cruises and a $200 hold for 7 days & longer. Additional holds (of the same amount) are placed on the card if you exceed the amount of the previous hold.

[crochetcruise]

I am planning and budgeting to use cash on my Carnival Splendor cruise in November 2020-Sydney-Moreton Island-Sydney for 4 nights. Have been scouring the website checking the prices of what I'm likely to purchase, and doubling the total for safety. This works best for me. Others may use a different system.

[sammee]

13 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

Why is it so difficult for some people to accept that some of us prefer to use a cash account on board? Who cares, it doesn't affect you, so you don't have to try to convince everyone to do it differently.

 

 

I don't know what happened to you in regards to all those holds, but I've never seen anyone report that happening. And that's not what's supposed to happen at all. Carnival is supposed to place an initial hold on the card on embarkation day. The hold amount depends on the cruise length. A $100 hold for 2-6 day cruises and a $200 hold for 7 days & longer. Additional holds (of the same amount) are placed on the card if you exceed the amount of the previous hold.

I agree 100%. I've had holds on debit and credit cards. I just do cash or gift cards & cruise cash. I did find that you can put your debit card on the last night, if needed, and you won't have those holds, only a final charge. I did that when we thought we were done spending and than oops, lets get some more pics came up.

[CirrusPilot]

I prefer to budget our cruise spending and then just bring it in Cash, load it to our S&S account once we are on board and relax/enjoy the cruise.  I also enter a card on the first day just in case but thus far Carnival has been very reliable in debiting the cash I deposited on our shipboard account before charging the card.  Basically we burn through the cash first and then if needed we let charges go to our card(s).  System works great for us. 

 

Alternatively Paypal sells Carnival Gift Cards on ebay and the turnaround time if you opt for electronic delivery is about one hour.  I buy however many gift cards we need to total our planned budget for the cruise and simply stop at the Guest Services Desk to have the agent load them to our account.  No muss no fuss. 

[Organized Chaos]

3 minutes ago, sammee said:

I agree 100%. I've had holds on debit and credit cards. I just do cash or gift cards & cruise cash. I did find that you can put your debit card on the last night, if needed, and you won't have those holds, only a final charge. I did that when we thought we were done spending and than oops, lets get some more pics came up.

 

That's a good idea. It prevents the holds from tying up bank funds. Those holds aren't always released immediately after the cruise...sometimes a day or few days later, depending on the bank.

[Bookworm1985]

I don’t know why there are so many people against cash accounts. You can you credit cards. I don’t care. You can use gift cards. I don’t care. You can use cash. I don’t care. You can use a debit card. I don’t care. How you choose to pay for your vacation is none of my business and doesn’t affect me in the least.

 

My first cruise I used a debit card, but after experiencing the holds they placed on my card i started using my credit card. The next few cruises I used credit. Then i started using cash and I never looked back. I always take my card just in case a a back up, but so far I haven’t had to use it and I have more then enough cash to cover my expenses. I prepay as much as humanly possible, and we don’t eat at special restaurants or buy things at the shops. I only have one credit card by choice (same with my husband) and we only use them when absolutely necessary.

[VentureMan_2000]

19 minutes ago, Bookworm1985 said:

I don’t know why there are so many people against cash accounts. 

 

I'm personally not against folks using cash...  but I really love my 'Cash Back' credit cards.

 

They send me checks each year in cash... not points, but cash that I can spend any way I wish, including cruises, or perhaps that new flatscreen TV I've been eyeing.  I normally get between $1,200 and $1,500 cash back each year by only using credit cards for all my purchases... and that does not include the $500+ additional that I'll be getting back for my upcoming cruises.  We pay our CC's in full each month.  These credit cards do not have any annual fees... I'm able to see on one statement where all my money is spent.  I really find this all very convenient... and lucrative.   

In short, I would love to see others enjoy this cash back benefit too, which is why I opine the use of credit cards over cash.

[coevan]

+1,  like George Clooney said in Up in the Air "It's all about the mileage" I have been flying for free for at least 10 years

[DramaQueen22]

It really shouldn't matter to ANYONE how someone chooses to set up their account.  Those who prefer the cash option are likely well aware of what they can or will spend and don't want to go over that.  Those who use a CC don't want the stress of worrying abut their spending while on board.  It's not a big deal people.  

 

I use a CC, but pay it off when I come home.  That way, I get the benefit of the credit card protection, while staying within the budget.  And if I go a bit over, then it's not a crisis.

 

I will be adding a gift card this next trip, before I use CC funds.  

[Butterbean1000]

On 8/1/2019 at 12:33 PM, rufflesmom said:

I have had experience with this.  If you set up a cash account, you can only spend until the cash is gone.  Then they suspend your card until you either put on more cash or add a CC or debit card.

This happened to me on my first cruise.  I put up $250 thinking that would be plenty for a 5 day cruise.  Wrong.  I lost track of how much I was spending.  When I couldn't pay for my Miami Vice, I went directly to the purser and added a cc.    I've used a cc since.

[Elaine5715]

I don't think anyone really cares how people set up their onboard accounts.  It is the people who come here to complain about a process they don't understand set themselves up for advice.

[Lottacruises]

I once received an invoice from them by mail.