Debit cards okay?

[kstrege]

I also used my debit card with a mastercard logo. I used it for the entire cruise (cost of the cruise, seapass deposit, etc) with no problem at all. I do agree with others in that you should notify your bank before you leave and let them know your plans so they don't put a hold on your account for "suspicious activity" and leave you high and dry.

[debgirl]

When I use my debit card, I always have the store run it through as a credit card so I don't have to give them my pin number. As for my regular credit card, if I am going on a cruise, I always call them to tell them which countries I am going to be in, so they will not put a hold on my card.

[RevSmith]

I didn't know that...thanks!

[Hypo]

There is a new issue with using debit cards that is currently in the news. Apparently thieves have figured out a way to get the PIN and card number on many accounts. Merchants are not supposed to store/keep your PIN in their records, but apparently, some do.

 

Once a thief has your card number and your PIN you are out of luck.

 

Additionally, some, but not all, debit cards and their issuing banks will protect you from debit card fraud. Not all do. Credit cards limit your exposure to $50.00, if you notify them of the erroneous charges within the required time frame.

 

I have read on these boards where even use of a credit card, while ashore in Cozumel, has resulted in fraudulent charges. The problem in Cozumel is apparently tied to car rentals and scooter rentals. The thieves will have several days to use your card, as you will be at sea and traveling home, before the card issuer can contact you about any observed fraud.

 

Best protection, IMO, is to use cash when onshore.

 

Hypo

[Desertbelle]

I have used my Visa Checking Debit card many times for my ship account and I have never had any amount put on hold nor have I had any problems of any sort. At least once a year I receive a mailing from Visa and my bank telling me that my Visa Debit card is to be accepted exactly as a regular Visa credit card and to please contact them if any merchant refuses it or gives me any trouble accepting it.

 

There is certainly a lot of misinformation about the use of debit cards on cruises on these Cruise Critic forums.

[EggDropErin]

One other type of card you can use is a AAA Cash Card. You pre-load with a set amount and use it like a credit card. Kind of like AMEX Travelers checks. You need to be a AAA member to use this service. However, it is a good, secure way to use a card for making purchases.

 

 

I work for AAA and sell those cards. I don't know about using them for your onboard account, but I do know that you cannot use them to pay for the cruise. I sold one once to a couple who didn't have a credit card to pay for their cruise and ended up having to refund the card. That was a fun time! :)

[Mamacruisediva]

what happens if you use your debit card and someone gets ahold of it and charges it up (fraud), are you covered like a regular credit card???? If you are great, but if not, I would imagine it would be nightmare trying to recover the funds.

 

Why not just use a true Credit Card with protection and when you get home pay it off???

 

do debit cards offer any protection like credit cards do??

 

The problem for some people is No Credit card or a very limited amount on the credit card they have. I have a very large group going and a few family members have to use cash or their Visa debit card for the seapass.

 

It's good to know this in case they are interested in using their debit card. Thanks for posting this!:)

[Bluenose Sandy]

IMO, the problem we're having here is because the word "debit card" is not well defined and so, whenever we ask "can we use a debit card?" or "will there be a hold on my debit card?" both the asker and responder may be using very different terms of reference! Here in Canada, banks (and everybody else) started using the term "debit card" and setting up a system where retailers let you swipe your bank card, put in your PIN, and take the money out of your bank account to pay for just about anything in Canada anywhere. So "debit card" here means your bank card. Trouble is, our Canadian debit system doesn't work with US retailers unless they're hooked into the right banking networks... so when I ask a retailer in the US "Can I use a debit card?" first I have to establish that I mean a non-credit-card-logo debit card linked to a bank account, THEN I have to find out if a CANADIAN bank card/debit card will work. They usually don't know until we actually swipe the card and try the transaction. It adds a little suspense to buying stuff!

 

About the PIN stealing... the crime-of-the-minute up here is for thieves to fit an unobtrusive "stripper" to the ATM/credit-card-swiping device to get your account info, then use cameras or the cooperation of poorly-paid cash register workers to get your PIN. The merchant doesn't have access to your PIN at all unless they steal it. But because you need your PIN to get into your account, the opportunity to steal it is there.

[Lewdog]

They will not accept a debit card -- however, you can put up cash to put toward your ship account. So if you don't want to carry cash -- get travelers checks. Rental car agencies don't accept debit cards either. They do have an ATM machine on board to get more cash also.

 

Really? Is that why I have used my debit card before?

 

Yes, they will take debit cards.

[gratefulguy]

Another reason there is still debate about "Debit Cards", is that the issuing bank may use the overall credit history of the account holder to determine daily use limits. Some of the posters who book Grand Suites for 10 cruises a year may never have experienced any difficulties because they have a long history and/or high balances where they bank! Also, it is probably counter-productive to use the word "never" or the phrase "That's not true" on these boards, since you don't always know where someone else comes from, or has been through. Most posters are just trying to help someone who has asked for advice--but as always, "Your mileage may vary"!

[sha88]

Do you get double points for charging everything onboard to your RCCL Visa card?

[Lightsluvr]

sha88, a little off the debit card topic, but yes, you do get double points for all on-board charges.

 

Everything on your SeaPass account gets double points. This includes cash obtained at the casino, bingo cards, drinks, you name it.

 

That is why earlier in this thread I suggested that you never use the ATM on-board or on shore to get cash. You can go to the casino, get your cash at the cashier's window, and avoid ATM fees and onshore fraud.

 

LL

[rgnok]

It may be spelled out in the merhant rules but I've seen holds for a lot longer. Trust me, I deal with it on a semi-regular basis. I suspect the ones I've seen have had the customer sign something with fine print authorizing them to hold funds longer than the 72 hours.

 

That aside though if it is at all possible to use a credit card or some other way to pay besides a debit card that takes funds directly from your checking account you should. Even if you open a second checking account and get a debit card for it so your regular account doesn't bounce your car payment or utility bills while you're gone.

 

PeterR717 and I will just have to agree to disagree on the first point here . . . sort of -- (I actually agree that banks have been known to do things that are not exactly by the book at time, but, in a case like this, Visa's rules would protect you, in that -- if a hold of longer than 72 hours resulted in bounces that would not have otherwise occurred, Visa will go to bat for you -- there is no fine print you can sign to waive your rights on this point, but yes, a bank might bend this rule from time to time). As a merchant, I also deal with credit and debit cards and merchant rules on a daily basis.

 

But on the other point -- the idea of a second checking account just for this sort of thing is great for people who either can't get a credit card or choose not to use them. Although I do use credit cards, I also have two checking accounts at two different local banks. One is the account that I use - day in and day out for everything. The other one I use for on-line bill payments and, from time to time, debit card purchases that I want to "shield" from my primary checking account. I just move enough money from my primary account to my secondary account to cover what I'm doing. Then, if something unforseen happens, it won't mess up all my regular household stuff. It is, of course, an extra step, but it also affords a lot of extra peace of mind in certain transactions!

[BearySweet2Cruise]

what happens if you use your debit card and someone gets ahold of it and charges it up (fraud), are you covered like a regular credit card???? If you are great, but if not, I would imagine it would be nightmare trying to recover the funds.

 

Why not just use a true Credit Card with protection and when you get home pay it off???

 

do debit cards offer any protection like credit cards do??

 

Because not all people can qualify for a credit card, I know that after 2 divorces and having to file bankrupct because of one of the divorces, I cannot get a real credit card... and frankly I do not care to have one at all... There is no interest associated with a visa debit card as well

[dagadget]

I have read on here in the past that debit cards are a hassle to use on the ship. I would like to use mine for our cruise in a month. It has the VISA logo. Will I have any trouble using it?

 

Used my check card (Debit visa) on my last cruise and had not one problem with it. It always helps to have a fat wad of $$ in the account before the cruise starts like we did.

[crookedhalo]

I also work in a bank, and yes, different people get different daily limits. I've seen them range from $1k per day to $5k per day - it's based on banking history (not really credit history). As to holds, yes they are placed. You may not see them when you check, but believe me the bank sees them when they check. My personal account looks completely different when I look @ it online versus @ branch. Only real thing to worry about is the overlapping holds. Each hold is for 3 BUSINESS days (key word there folks!), so lets figure this out. You leave on Friday - one hold (thay may linger up until Wed.), 2nd day is Saturday - another hold - now you have two, etc. Each hold is a predetermined amount. One poster stated that they hold for anticipated amount and a little more. In hotels "the little more" is approx. 25% more than anticipated total. Say your bill was $100, they put hold for $125. The extra $25 won't be released until charge is final - not pending - in most cases. If you don't have a real credit card, try to use cash to open sea pass and then your debit (check) card as a back up - that way you can still use it to shop! Remember, if you don't use all the cash you opened your sea pass with, you do get it back:)

[KarinaGW]

Once upon a time, along time ago in a galaxy not so far away....

 

debit cards did not have Visa or Mastercard logos on them. They were only allowed to be used on certain ATM networks. While there were a couple of nationwide ones, there were also region-specific networks (my very first debit card worked only at ATMs in a certain number of southern states and when I went home to NY I was S.O.L.).

 

Then came the prevelance of national networks...notably, I believe STAR and PLUS... and most debit cards would work on those systems and some merchants also subscribed to the networks and began to accept debit cards as payment.

 

At some point, a few years ago, someone got the bright idea of working it so bank debit cards would carry the VISA and/or Mastercard logo and be treated as credit cards for the purposes of buying things. The difference being, of course, was that these cards did not work against a credit limit but out of your bank balance.

 

HOWEVER!!! Plain un-credit-card-logoed debit cards do still exist. Many times they are tied to college card systems. Those debit cards will indeed not be accepted as payment types such as are under discussion in this thread.

[thomasale]

Now thats' all as clear as Mud

[init4fun]

I used my debit card last year and I am using this year. I never had a hold on my card but I did call Gifts and Gear before I left for the cruise and had $250 put on a card that they had waiting for me in my room, it was like a Credit Card and it had my amt(250) on it, I then took it to the pursers desk and had it transferred to my Set Sail Account. Every night I looked up my account online in the room and made sure my charges were correct for that day. Of course there may have never been a hold put on my card because I put cash on my sail pass everytime I got down to my original $250 and only ended up using $9 on my Debit Card but nothing over that was held.

[BevMoney]

I've been on 5 cruises and used my debit card (with visa logo) and never had a hold placed on my card.

 

There are holds on it but RCL seems to remove it quickly when you settle your account unlike some hotels who want to keep a hold for up to a week sometimes. Just like hotels though, each cruise ship is its own hotel so it may to the discretion of the ship manager on how it works on his/her ship.

[MonaCK]

I called RCCL about this very issue this morning --

 

They read from a procedure guide that stated that they do nightly holds on the card - so if, for example, I am on the ship on Monday and I charge $100 worth of stuff, they will do an authorization for $100, and so forth. Unless they get another form of payment from me before the end of the cruise, they will at the end of the cruise put a charge through for the amount that they've already gotten authorizations on.

[BearySweet2Cruise]

I called RCCL about this very issue this morning --

 

They read from a procedure guide that stated that they do nightly holds on the card - so if, for example, I am on the ship on Monday and I charge $100 worth of stuff, they will do an authorization for $100, and so forth. Unless they get another form of payment from me before the end of the cruise, they will at the end of the cruise put a charge through for the amount that they've already gotten authorizations on.

 

Maybe they have recently changes there policy.....

because as I stated before when I was on mariner there was a 500.00 hold on my visa debit card over and above our seapass account (our seapass was 900.00) which did not come off for one week

 

On sovereign there was a either 200 or 300 (can't remember) held over and above a 500.00 sea pass account.. and it was not released for a week either...

Now, if they stopped with holds.. that is good news. I have read many posts where hold have happened to countless others... so I think that it is good news if the holds are not placed any longer...

 

And HAPPY CRUIZIN!!:):)

[weechloe]

In May when sailing on the Mariner, just for further info, for those of you who want to get cash at the ATM on the ship, the ATM was out of money on Tuesday and yes you can write a cheque for $200 but those of you like myself who don't like to carry a lot of money and like to get it as we go, there were no bank machines working for the rest of the cruise.

[BearySweet2Cruise]

I wound not advise using those ATM's anyways they charge a big fee to use them and in addition too many banks have their own separate fee as well... It is much easier and cheaper to go to the casino and get cash on the seapass..and avoid those extremely high fees to use the ATM.