Onboard Account....

[heatherRN53]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in about 68 days, on the Norweigan Escape. We have started our online check in, and as expected they are asking for how we intend to pay our expenses on the ship. Giving them a credit card to put on file is one option, and I am guessing the easiest. From what I have read they put a hold on funds. My question is how much is that hold and when do they apply it? I called Norweigan and the agent I spoke to said that they had absolutely NO IDEA how much of a hold the ship reserves, which I find very hard to believe. Cash was also an option. If we chose the cash option I am assuming we would have to stand in the long line at guest services day one to add cash to our on-board account. Just trying to figure out whats the best thing to do. We are Canadian and I assume that the working currency on the Norweigan Escape will be USD ( we are going from New York City to Florida and the Bahamas)  so we also have the currency exchange to deal with as well, hence my thoughts of changing money at the bank at home, and leaving them with a USD cash deposit . I would really appreciate any advice and information on this subject. I thank-you in advance.

[smithop]

The payment is set up when you check in so no standing in line onboard at departure, you may have to add more cash onboard as you monitor your spend, so that would be a trip to the front desk.

 

Easiest way is to just use a credit card, the pending charge they put on hold should not affect you credit account in any way, its just to make sure the card will accept a charge.  I can’t recall how much but want to say it was $500 for a 7 day cruise, probably varies by length.

 

The worst way is an ATM card, then the pending charge will affect the bank account available balance, not recommended.

[CruiserBruce]

For a hold on a credit card, no money is actually taken...so no conversion issues. You won't have any conversion costs until money is actually taken, that is, spent.

 

A hold is essentially a test of the status of your credit card. It is confirming the card is good, and money is available. Many businesses do holds... hotels, car rentals, cruise companies. 

[John Bull]

As Bruce's reply, the "hold" isn't taken, it just reserves those funds so it won't appear on your statements & there'l be no conversions.

The "hold" applies whether you use a credit card or a debit card.

And it's not released until a few days (I've heard of two weeks!) after the cruise has finished & the actual spend has been deducted. - you can't access the "held" money,  so for a while it's like having paid twice. No worries unless you are close to maxing your credit card, or run a low bank balance.

 

You can set up the account with a card, then at some convenient time add cash to your on-board account. If you check the outstanding amount on the last full day & pay in  cash to clear it, you can leave your card to pick up any last-day purchases and avoid the last-day line to settle up (not necessary on some cruise lines, which will send you any over-payment) .

 

But converting CAD to USD will get you a lousy exchange rate, far poorer than the exchange rate given by your bank or card issuer. 

Far better to get a credit card that has no foreign exchange fees & use that for non-CAD purchases on the ship, in the ports, and on future foreign travels.

 

If you use a card, decline any offer by the cruise line to convert your on-board account to CAD "for your convenience", the exchange rate that the ship offers will not match the exchange rate that your card issuer will give.

 

JB 

Edited August 20, 2019 by John Bull

[Pierlesscruisers]

On 8/20/2019 at 5:18 AM, heatherRN53 said:

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in about 68 days, on the Norweigan Escape. We have started our online check in, and as expected they are asking for how we intend to pay our expenses on the ship. Giving them a credit card to put on file is one option, and I am guessing the easiest. From what I have read they put a hold on funds. My question is how much is that hold and when do they apply it? I called Norweigan and the agent I spoke to said that they had absolutely NO IDEA how much of a hold the ship reserves, which I find very hard to believe. Cash was also an option. If we chose the cash option I am assuming we would have to stand in the long line at guest services day one to add cash to our on-board account. Just trying to figure out whats the best thing to do. We are Canadian and I assume that the working currency on the Norweigan Escape will be USD ( we are going from New York City to Florida and the Bahamas)  so we also have the currency exchange to deal with as well, hence my thoughts of changing money at the bank at home, and leaving them with a USD cash deposit . I would really appreciate any advice and information on this subject. I thank-you in advance.

 

If you decide to go with cash, you might want to check with Norwegian to see if the amount or the procedure is different but this is the way the cash method is handled on Princess ships. When you are checked in to your cruise at the pier, you will have to choose to either go with a cash account or with a credit/debit account if you have not already entered that information into your account. If you decide to go with cash, then you will have to make a $300/person  deposit for each person who will be on your account. Some cruise lines, Carnival being one of them, lets you make such cash deposits at check-in while others, such as Princess, handles cash only on the ship.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

 

Tom

[mom says]

Cash or credit card- it's your choice. But the exchange rate at your bank won't be as good as the exchange rate (given the same day) by the CC company. Of course the exchange rate fluctuates, and no one can tell whether it will be higher or lower when the charges are actually paid, compared to when you bought that cash. There's also the hassle factor of actually carrying that amount of money with you, the time it takes to set it up on embarkation, and needing to monitor your account regularly to ensure you still have a positive balance, or needing to go to GS to add more cash. A CC just makes it all easier. If you are concerned about the amount of the hold placed on the card because your card has a low limit, consider calling the bank to have the limit raised, or just put a wad of money on the card before you leave so you have a positive balance.

[cb at sea]

The do NOT put a "hold" on a credit card...ONLY on a debit card.  You can always put "cash account" on your online check-in, give them a credit card when you check in, and then pay it off in cash on the last evening of the cruise.  NOTHING is actually CHARGED to the card until the cruise is over.

 

Never use a DEBIT card as manner of payment, as it will incur holds (and this is from your BANK...not the cruise line).  Cash is best if you don't want to use a credit card.

[John Bull]

 

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

The do NOT put a "hold" on a credit card...ONLY on a debit card.

 

Hi, CB.

 

You're so wrong - and it's always worth checking the facts before contradicting someone. 

Here are just a few professional websites which confirm that holds are placed on credit cards as well as on debit cards.

They include US websites, and I haven't bothered to link the hundreds of posts by Joe Public's on T/A, CC, etc which say the same. 

https://www.cruzely.com/everything-to-know-about-using-credit-cards-on-a-cruise/

https://www.rentalcars.com/en/guides/fees-charges/why-do-i-have-to-leave-a-deposit-when-i-rent-a-car/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/cracking-the-case-of-the-mysterious-credit-card-hold/2014/12/04/da24f3f6-5f94-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/can-medical-facility-put-hold-on-card.php

https://help.solesociety.com/hc/en-us/articles/201707323-What-is-an-authorization-hold-

https://www.growingfamilybenefits.com/car-rental-payment-options/

 

I got bored after that, but there are many many more.

 

JB 

[clo]

10 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

 

Hi, CB.

 

You're so wrong - and it's always worth checking the facts before contradicting someone. 

Here are just a few professional websites which confirm that holds are placed on credit cards as well as on debit cards.

They include US websites, and I haven't bothered to link the hundreds of posts by Joe Public's on T/A, CC, etc which say the same. 

https://www.cruzely.com/everything-to-know-about-using-credit-cards-on-a-cruise/

https://www.rentalcars.com/en/guides/fees-charges/why-do-i-have-to-leave-a-deposit-when-i-rent-a-car/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/cracking-the-case-of-the-mysterious-credit-card-hold/2014/12/04/da24f3f6-5f94-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/can-medical-facility-put-hold-on-card.php

https://help.solesociety.com/hc/en-us/articles/201707323-What-is-an-authorization-hold-

https://www.growingfamilybenefits.com/car-rental-payment-options/

 

I got bored after that, but there are many many more.

 

JB 

I did not know that.  And I didn't know that when I see "pending" charges that those are holds.  It doesn't matter cause our available credit is so far above anything we would EVER spend 🙂  But good to know.

[Sauer-kraut]

OP just use your credit card, it will be easier and faster and you don't have to worry about "settling up" on the last day  You can keep track of your expenditures on the cabin television for your account.  Have a super cruise!

[ger_77]

As a fellow Canadian, I suggest you use your credit card, rather than putting down a cash deposit at Guest Services.  That way you won't have to worry about carrying a lot of cash with you, and also possibly having to top up the account if you start getting close to a zero balance.  If you're concerned about credit card privacy, use one that has a lower limit and is used only for cruises.  We use our CC all the time, as it accrues air miles that we often use for flights to and from our cruises, and have never had an issue with the card being compromised.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[clo]

1 hour ago, ger_77 said:

the card being compromised.

I don't know the rules in Canada but in the US you're only responsible for the first $50 of fraudulent charges and our company has never charged us even that.

[ger_77]

24 minutes ago, clo said:

I don't know the rules in Canada but in the US you're only responsible for the first $50 of fraudulent charges and our company has never charged us even that.

Same applies up here.

 

I had my credit card compromised at a hotel where we stayed on the way home from our last cruise - by the time we arrived home (less than 8 hours later), there were thousands of dollars in charges racked up on our card.  The bank contacted me and took care of everything.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[angie7911922]

Exactly, CC is the way to go. If ever I have onboard charges at the end of the cruise and I have some "extra" cash, I will pay some at the reception. 

[mottos1]

could you call cruise line and just add money to your onboard account ahead of time i see carnival has something that you can put money on ahead of time

 

[navybankerteacher]

20 hours ago, mottos1 said:

could you call cruise line and just add money to your onboard account ahead of time i see carnival has something that you can put money on ahead of time

 

Why would you want to do that?

[mottos1]

so you wouldnt have to worry about your credit/debit card or carrying alot of cash with you

 

[SRF]

On 8/22/2019 at 2:06 PM, clo said:

I did not know that.  And I didn't know that when I see "pending" charges that those are holds.  It doesn't matter cause our available credit is so far above anything we would EVER spend 🙂  But good to know.

 

With a credit card, technically it is not a hold, it is a pre-authorization.

 

It acts like a charge, but is not a charge.  And unlike a hold, it is normally voided as soon as the same vendor makes an actual charge against your account.

 

If you even check your account right after buying gas, typically you will see a $100 pending charge.  Then a hour or so later, it converts to the actual amount you charged.

 

Hotels and such do these, to make sure there is enough credit available on the card, so you can pay your bill.  So they normally do a pre-auth for the amount of the hotel room for the number of nights, plus a nominal amount per day for incidentals.

 

With a debit card, they put a hold on the amount of funds.  But when they charge the debit card, the hold is not automatically released.  It can take several days or even weeks for the hold to expire.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, SRF said:

 

With a credit card, technically it is not a hold, it is a pre-authorization.

 

It acts like a charge, but is not a charge.  And unlike a hold, it is normally voided as soon as the same vendor makes an actual charge against your account.

 

If you even check your account right after buying gas, typically you will see a $100 pending charge.  Then a hour or so later, it converts to the actual amount you charged.

 

Hotels and such do these, to make sure there is enough credit available on the card, so you can pay your bill.  So they normally do a pre-auth for the amount of the hotel room for the number of nights, plus a nominal amount per day for incidentals.

 

With a debit card, they put a hold on the amount of funds.  But when they charge the debit card, the hold is not automatically released.  It can take several days or even weeks for the hold to expire.

A pre-authorization on a credit card actually is analagous to a hold on  a debit card because it reduces the amount of your available credit just as a debit card hold reduces the amount of your available cash. A $300 pre authorization on a credit card with a $1,000 credit line reduces your available credit to $700 just as a $300 hold on a debit card of an account with an available balance of $1,000 reduces the available cash balance to $700.

 

The principal difference between the two is that after settlement of the account a credit card pre authorization is typically released faster than a debit card hold, but even then some credit cards take a longer time than others to release the pre authorization. I have one card that is much slower than my others in releasing their pre authorizations. 

[SRF]

They are similar.  But the are not the SAME thing.

 

Yes, both reduce your available credit/funds.

 

The difference is how they are handled with the vendor actually charges the card.

 

All my cards, they are released within hours of the charge being finalized.

[clo]

2 hours ago, SRF said:

They are similar.  But the are not the SAME thing.

 

Yes, both reduce your available credit/funds.

 

The difference is how they are handled with the vendor actually charges the card.

 

All my cards, they are released within hours of the charge being finalized.

And we keep FAR less in a checking account than we have as available credit.  Like a gazillion dollars less 🙂