How do you pay for cruises

[clo]

57 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

It's a shame to so many "preferences" chosen on baseless reasons, leaving money on the table or spending beyond means.

 

When the Chase Sapphire Reserve first came out, I balked at the $450 annual fee and thought that was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Fast forward to today, my only issue is I wish I had applied to it sooner. The bonus was higher, and I would have accumulated more points. If you spend a significant portion on travel and dining, it is worth every penny.

 

We are able to pay down our cruises entirely in Ultimate Rewards earned from our various Chase cards. And no, I'm not some 6+ figure earner spending huge amounts. Everything possible goes on the card. Never, ever cash. Certain purchases use different cards. We also don't book hugely expensive cruises. A few simple choices in life make a huge difference. We take a $1500 cruise with no out of pocket expenses instead of paying $3000 out of pocket for "more". In the end, how different would my cruise memories REALLY be? This approach allows me to travel multiple times per year and not even feel it.

We just got our CSR card a few days ago.  Had lunch at our fave Mexican/Margarita place and it was about $65.  I can do that math.  And we've only paid cash for drive-thru McDs but it will be CC from now on.  I had booked our flight with a ridiculous number of points.  I cancelled them, rebooked and paid for economy, and paid for waitlisting ($$$ and points) for business class.  And our final payment will, of course, be put on the card at 3X.  Having a good time with this as you can tell.

[slidergirl]

On 7/4/2019 at 12:46 AM, kelship said:

Overtime baby!! 

 

I rarely turn down overtime, have a travel rewards credit card (paid off weekly), and hubs doesn't travel (I have travel buddies) so I just have to pay for me. 

Good on you to work for a company that allows you to work overtime.   My current hotel is very strict on overtime.  There are actually weeks were we have to "share the pain" and have one or two of our hourly employees (including me - hourly manager) take an extra "day off" without pay when occupancy is low.  I am one of only 2 in Guest Services who can do overtime without previous upper management approval, since we have to stay until all work is done (yep, if things are left at the end of shift, I get to stay and finish everyone's work).   Salaried people don't get overtime, so sometimes they are actually making less than hourly because of the overtime issue.  Why I'm not minding being one of those managers/supervisors who are still hourly.  

My vacation in late May this year: flight paid with miles, a friend let me use her beach shack for free (she AirBnB's it when she's not there), got a cheap deal on a car through hotwire, just paid for food and a tank of gas.  I maybe spent $200 more than what I would have spent at home for the same week.  If I didn't have my friend, I would have either gone camping or stayed home.

[Joebucks]

14 hours ago, DarrenM said:

I have felt for a long time now that credit cards are evil. Yes I have one, and its got a large limit on it, but I try not to use it, and keep the balance at zero. Credit card firms were to blame for huge numbers of folk getting into serious debt. And it was a deliberate ploy.

 

Many folk should be advised to not have one, not the other way round.

 

Like the idea of prepaid ones though.

 

Credit cards are just another tool of oppression, right? Just like casinos, junk food, guns, etc etc. Personal responsibility is gone because we can always blame someone else to feel better about ourselves.

 

Fortunately for the rest of us, credit card rewards are born from the carelessness of many. 

[DarrenM]

I am just glad we are all financially astute on here.

 

 

[DarrenM]

And what's wrong with junk food?

[navybankerteacher]

  

6 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

...

But in a larger sense they ARE evil, IMO, because they are an important step on the road to a cashless society, and a cashless society is a surveillance society.

Virtually anything can be used for an evil purpose (remember Lizzie Borden)  - and think of those custard pies which might be thrown in peoples’ faces.

 

I really haven’t that much to hide from spending  surveillance - but I agree about not wanting the cashless/surveillance society - simply because I don’t want my tax dollars being used to pay people to keep an eye on what I do with my money/time/whatever - so they can advise other people on how to get more tax dollars out of me - or otherwise control my actions.

[DarrenM]

Agree with both of you 

[MicCanberra]

Big brother is already watching.☠️

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

  

Virtually anything can be used for an evil purpose (remember Lizzie Borden)  - and think of those custard pies which might be thrown in peoples’ faces.

 

I really haven’t that much to hide from spending  surveillance - but I agree about not wanting the cashless/surveillance society - simply because I don’t want my tax dollars being used to pay people to keep an eye on what I do with my money/time/whatever - so they can advise other people on how to get more tax dollars out of me - or otherwise control my actions.

I think you have far more to fear from Big Tech 'keeping an eye on what you do', than Big Government.  True, Big Tech does not have the powers to compel that Big Government does but Big Tech has far more incentives than Big Government.  I've yet to receive an unsolicited ad from Big Government. 

[navybankerteacher]

33 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I think you have far more to fear from Big Tech 'keeping an eye on what you do', than Big Government.  True, Big Tech does not have the powers to compel that Big Government does but Big Tech has far more incentives than Big Government.  I've yet to receive an unsolicited ad from Big Government. 

I have never had much problem ignoring Big Tech.  But I would be surprised to hear that you have never received a non-optional invoice from Big Government.

 

Big Tech wants to sell you something - which you can reject;  while Big Government wants to tell you something - which you may not reject.

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

Big brother is already watching.☠️

 

To a degree.  I don't want to increase that degree.  And then there are secondary problems.

I remember the joke:  to err is human, to really screw something up takes a computer.  Hacking the 5,000 paper health records we used to have in Dr.s' offices is impossible.  Hacking 12,000,000 health records from a medical databases?  Not a piece of cake but doable - we know because it has happened.

I'm a big fan of liberty and privacy, and I have no illusions about where we are headed in that regard.  I'm glad that I have lived my adult life over the last 45 years rather than over the next 45 years.

[MicCanberra]

It will certainly get worse.

[iancal]

We are in our late 60's.  We are very thankful for credit cards and for technology.   We view them as useful tools to enhance our lives.   The trick is to use them properly and not abuse them.   People who blame credit cards for their financial challenges should look long and hard in the mirror instead of pointing a finger eslewhere.

 

 They allow us to travel for extended periods of time without the need to carry lots of cash money.  We have moved everything possible to the web. It allows us to travel for months at a time and still attend to the usual financial matters and issues.  Cannot imagine leaving home with two or three months of cash or travelers cheques in our pockets.  Now, we simply ensure that we have two or three working credit cards, and debit cards.  

 

No doubt this new age of technology has introduced challenges to privacy and fraud but in our view the benefits far outweigh disadvantages.  It not just about financial matters.  Distance medicine and distance learning has opened the world for many.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, iancal said:

We are in our late 60's.  We are very thankful for credit cards and for technology.   We view them as useful tools to enhance our lives.   The trick is to use them properly and not abuse them.   People who blame credit cards for their financial challenges should look long and hard in the mirror instead of pointing a finger eslewhere.

 

 They allow us to travel for extended periods of time without the need to carry lots of cash money.  We have moved everything possible to the web. It allows us to travel for months at a time and still attend to the usual financial matters and issues.  Cannot imagine leaving home with two or three months of cash or travelers cheques in our pockets.  Now, we simply ensure that we have two or three working credit cards, and debit cards.  

 

No doubt this new age of technology has introduced challenges to privacy and fraud but in our view the benefits far outweigh disadvantages.  It not just about financial matters.  Distance medicine and distance learning has opened the world for many.

Perfectly said.  I think we switched to online banking when a first class stamp reached 30-something cents. 🙂  There's no way we could live the way we do without online capability.  Re privacy I just accept that we have very little online privacy and, honestly, except for financial fraud I don't really care.  As you state, the benefits are worth it.

[iancal]

Blaming credit cards and the availability of credit for your financial problems is not dissimilar to an obese person blaming the supermarket, the bakery,  or the fast food joint for their health challenges.

Edited July 7, 2019 by iancal

[cruisemom42]

18 hours ago, DarrenM said:

And what's wrong with junk food?

 

The fact that it has the word "junk" in it should provide at least one clue....?

 

A fast food meal generally provides far more calories, fat, and sodium than are recommended for a single meal based on RDA (recommended daily allowance); consuming some of these individual meals actually uses up (or exceeds) your allotment for an entire day.

 

Lack of fruit, vegetable and whole-grain options.

 

Lack of quality.

 

 

[slidergirl]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

The fact that it has the word "junk" in it should provide at least one clue....?

 

A fast food meal generally provides far more calories, fat, and sodium than are recommended for a single meal based on RDA (recommended daily allowance); consuming some of these individual meals actually uses up (or exceeds) your allotment for an entire day.

 

Lack of fruit, vegetable and whole-grain options.

 

Lack of quality.

 

 

Remember the movie "Super Size Me" ???  

 

Nothing wrong with hitting up the drive-thru once in awhile - heck, even my diabetic nutritionist says I can go and have my grilled chicken sandwich and fries (yes, even before my diagnosis, I got the chicken sandwiches since I don't do red meat) every so often.  But, I usually get the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad (hold the pecans and it's pretty close to my carb goal), takes me much longer to eat that than that sandwich!

 

Back on credit cards/how we pay for cruises:  I would never put down a debit card for a hold.  That money is unavailable to me for however long that hold is.  If I have an emergency, the money is not usable.  If I use a credit card, it is just a pre-authorization request.  The money goes back to the debit card at your financial institution's discretion - it can be anywhere from a day to 14 days.  It's a pain to get it released earlier.  The CC release is much easier.  

Edited July 7, 2019 by slidergirl

[geoherb]

I was thankful that I was able to go cashless while I was in Vancouver before and after my recent cruises. The Canadians seem to have advanced more in that direction than we have in the U.S. 

[RocketMan275]

22 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I have never had much problem ignoring Big Tech.  But I would be surprised to hear that you have never received a non-optional invoice from Big Government.

 

Big Tech wants to sell you something - which you can reject;  while Big Government wants to tell you something - which you may not reject.

True, but Big Tech can always merge with Big Government.  It's hard to tell them apart sometimes now.   Big Tech is even attempting to censor the internet just like the government tried a few years back.

[John&LaLa]

Sam's Club MC. They rebate 3% on travel.

Got $2,800 rebate check last year

[clo]

20 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

Sam's Club MC. They rebate 3% on travel.

Got $2,800 rebate check last year

Do you get that in cash that you can spend any way you want?

[John&LaLa]

22 minutes ago, clo said:

Do you get that in cash that you can spend any way you want?

 

Yes, but you have to go to Sam's Club to pick up the cash.  

You used to mail you a check that could only be cashed there. Wierd

[clo]

2 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Yes, but you have to go to Sam's Club to pick up the cash.  

You used to mail you a check that could only be cashed there. Wierd

I won't shop there but that sounds like a great deal.

[John&LaLa]

11 minutes ago, clo said:

I won't shop there but that sounds like a great deal.

 

You don't have to shop there. 😉🍺

[DarrenM]

13 hours ago, iancal said:

Blaming credit cards and the availability of credit for your financial problems is not dissimilar to an obese person blaming the supermarket, the bakery,  or the fast food joint for their health challenges.

I get it. Everything is self inflcted. But for the grace of god go I.