Will RCCL start adding 3% for casino cash?

[twoputt.plusone]

That's why you cash them ONBOARD. If you don't use them, save them for your next cruise or take them back to the bank.

 

I'm really confused as to why everyone just don't take this option? Sure you have to carry a few pieces of paper with you but isn't it worth the lack of a hassle with this whole thing? :confused:

 

They may be fine if you live in the US but if you don't, you're hit with a fee to buy the TCs and then again on the exchange rate. It would be less expensive to pay the 3% the casino may charge.

 

2P.P1

[lady_cruiser]

Shoot! I knew we should have been quiet about spreading the word of how to get cash out of the casino. It seems that we are not the only ones reading these boards. Now I know it is true that the powers-to-be of the cruise industry are reading these boards too.:p

[Cruising89143]

I get dinged for the currency conversion, and even more dinged if RC does it against my wishes. It took 3 months for me to correct that from my last cruise. They converted my US cc to CAD, and then the cc company converted back to US. This is commonplace for international travelers. Most don't fight it as it is too much work.

 

Carol, I remember the difficult time that you had with this. Did not know that it took three months. Makes almost easier to just carry cash and not bother with a card. It's a shame that RCI cannot get it right when they clearly ask you on your documents how you want to settle your final bill.

[flagger]

$14k is 140 $100 bills, it is not that much. I attract no more attention carrying $100 versus $14000. There is no special "he's carrying large amounts of money radar" that goes off. In my life I have been mugged exactly once and was carrying no money. So in all the days I have been alive, that is pretty low odds that I will be mugged again.

 

It is not a rule that you MUST use it in the casino. Unless you call people getting money out for tips abusers as well. The policy allows or allowed you get up to $2000 against your Seapass card per day from the casino cage. I was following the policy to the letter. I was disciplined enough to take that cash home deposit it and use it to pay the balance on my credit card for that month. We earned several free tickets worth of points that way.

 

I didn't set up the system, but I sure did use the system they set up. I am not the only one who did this as I got the idea from this and another cruise board before my very first cruise.

 

Btw it is legal to carry more than $10K in cash:

 

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/publications/travel/currency_rpt_flyer/currency_reporting.ctt/currency_reporting.pdf

 

Filling out:

 

http://www.fincen.gov/fin105_cmir.pdf

 

Is all you have to do. You are not breaking any laws by doing so, and the one time I was asked I said what I did and that was it. No big deal.

[CdnJeff]

If you are going to get charged for getting cash from the casino cashier then why not just use your Seapass to get chips at a table and then stand up and go and cash in your chips at the cashier. Would that not bypass the 3% fee?

[PhoenixCruiser]

Well if they do change the policy, I just want to say thanks Flag, I hope it was worth it :rolleyes: :mad:

 

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[sea-cruise]

I was disciplined enough to take that cash home deposit it and use it to pay the balance on my credit card for that month. We earned several free tickets worth of points that way.

 

I didn't set up the system, but I sure did use the system they set up.

quote]

I wouldn't call that disciplined. :rolleyes:

[cruisePRN]

Hi, Karyn! How are you doing?:)

 

Now to my concern - we have a $75 Casino Credit from our TA, a $550 OBC from our RCI VISA and a $90 OBC from the fuel surcharge rebate. I don't really gamble at all....I was really hoping to take $300 out of the Casino early in the cruise and then use possibly $40 in the slots. That should take about five minutes!:rolleyes: I was hoping to use the rest for a private tour we have booked. I don't want to abuse the system, but am not sure we would use up all of those OBC's without doing so. We aren't big drinkers either. If I don't use up the OBC's would I have to lose it, get a credit on my card (and therefore lose double points, or be forced to hit the Shops on Board for stuff I don't really need?

 

Hi Ginny, I'm fine. I think you are talking about a reasonable amount of money to take out of the casino that no red flags would go up. In your place i would try to get your money from the casino and see what happens. If they do start monitoring things in the casino then go to the persurs desk.

 

To the poster said who said they have a fee for travelers checks, check around. I have never paid for TC's unless I wanted to put two people on them, DH and myself. If you get them isseued for one person there are several places that don't charge a fee.

[exarolf]

$14k is 140 $100 bills,

Btw it is legal to carry more than $10K in cash:

 

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/publications/travel/currency_rpt_flyer/currency_reporting.ctt/currency_reporting.pdf

 

Filling out:

 

http://www.fincen.gov/fin105_cmir.pdf

 

Is all you have to do. You are not breaking any laws by doing so, and the one time I was asked I said what I did and that was it. No big deal.

 

Actually, few people travel alone - so $14K / 2 = $7K per person - completely legal... And for those counting - that's 70 $100 bills ;)

[flagger]

Actually, few people travel alone - so $14K / 2 = $7K per person - completely legal... And for those counting - that's 70 $100 bills ;)

The point I was making is that is perfectly legal to carry more than $10K on your person into the US.

[Merion_Mom]

To the poster said who said they have a fee for travelers checks, check around. I have never paid for TC's unless I wanted to put two people on them, DH and myself. If you get them isseued for one person there are several places that don't charge a fee.

 

Last spring, before my trip to Europe, I went to AAA to get my "free" traveler's cheques.

 

I purchased them in EUROS to avoid problems on the other end. I had to pay the prevailing exchange rate for dollars to euros, although there was no separate "fee" for purchasing the cheques.

 

When I got to Paris EVERY bank charged me a conversion fee to cash the friggin' traveler's cheques EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE IN EUROS.

 

TCs no longer function as they used to. :( :mad: :mad:

[Merion_Mom]

I *do* think that this will lead to

 

1. more people putting their tips on their SeaPass account.

2. less extra cash for the staff added to envelopes

 

because MANY people used to get that cash out of the casino, but WON'T if there is a 3% fee.

 

(The voucher system DOES cost RC money; they have to do the paperwork and the distribution. Cash costs them nothing.)

 

The Law of Unintended Consequences.

[cruisePRN]

Last spring, before my trip to Europe, I went to AAA to get my "free" traveler's cheques.

 

I purchased them in EUROS to avoid problems on the other end. I had to pay the prevailing exchange rate for dollars to euros, although there was no separate "fee" for purchasing the cheques.

 

When I got to Paris EVERY bank charged me a conversion fee to cash the friggin' traveler's cheques EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE IN EUROS.

 

TCs no longer function as they used to. :( :mad: :mad:

That sucks. I never leave home without my American Express card. They don't charge me a fee for foreign country transactions.

[isujim]

I *do* think that this will lead to

 

1. more people putting their tips on their SeaPass account.

2. less extra cash for the staff added to envelopes

 

because MANY people used to get that cash out of the casino, but WON'T if there is a 3% fee.

 

(The voucher system DOES cost RC money; they have to do the paperwork and the distribution. Cash costs them nothing.)

 

The Law of Unintended Consequences.

 

Hadn't thought of that but agree with this...........it is the staff that will probably end up with less..........

[Merion_Mom]

That sucks. I never leave home without my American Express card. They don't charge me a fee for foreign country transactions.

 

I cashed some of those American Express TCs AT the American Express office in Paris, and was charged a 2% conversion fee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mjyanne]

If you are going to get charged for getting cash from the casino cashier then why not just use your Seapass to get chips at a table and then stand up and go and cash in your chips at the cashier. Would that not bypass the 3% fee?

 

That's an interesting question. I wonder how they would differentiate the charge since it reads the same. So if I get a $1,000 in chips at the BJ table why would that be different than getting $1,000 for the slot machine?

 

And while they will charge customers a 3% fee for each transaction they will only get hit with the bank processing fee once (assuming they only put through the final sea pass charge at the end of the cruise). More nickle and diming to me.

[critterchick]

That sucks. I never leave home without my American Express card. They don't charge me a fee for foreign country transactions.

 

Yes, they do. They just bury in the conversion. I discovered this accidentally - I was trying to buy some tickets to the Titanic exhibit at the BC Museum in Victoria last year. When my Amex, didn't work, I tried my Master Card (turned out it was a glitch in the system). Citibank (MC) showed the cost in USD and a small fee. Amex simply showed one transaction that was a couple of cents more.

[pmshirl]

When you activate your sea pass card, it is connected to some form of payment. The ones who use a BOA credit card to activate their seapass card, and take cash from the casino for other purposes than gambling, are getting double points on the BOA cards.

 

If there is going to be a 3% charge for cash advantages, I would assume, RC will tack that charge on for EACH time a cash advance is made. Therefore if you can get a total of 2K daily, you will be charged 3% from RC, this 3% charge will be put through your sea pass card and on to your form of payment you chose when you activated your sea pass card.

 

It is Rc charging the 3 % PER Cash Transaction (which they can easily add it into the transaction). Assuming this is going to be a new policy, I highly doubt you will be charged for just 1 cash advance, it will be for EACH cash advance.

[Mark_K]

Actually, few people travel alone - so $14K / 2 = $7K per person - completely legal... And for those counting - that's 70 $100 bills ;)

There is no limit on how much cash you can legally bring back in the US, $14B would be legal. However, the $10K limit for bringing cash into the US without declaring it is not per person really, it is per customs form. So a family/couple, traveling together and filling out one customs form would have to declare $14K in cash.

[cruisePRN]

Yes, they do. They just bury in the conversion. I discovered this accidentally - I was trying to buy some tickets to the Titanic exhibit at the BC Museum in Victoria last year. When my Amex, didn't work, I tried my Master Card (turned out it was a glitch in the system). Citibank (MC) showed the cost in USD and a small fee. Amex simply showed one transaction that was a couple of cents more.

 

Could which card you use make a difference. I use the one with no limit and it does have an annual fee. It's worth the annual fee because we use it so much and it gives us 1% cash back.

[love2vacation]

Years ago you could cash a personal check at the purser’s desk. Has anyone tried this recently?

 

M

 

I did this a couple years ago. Yon can only cash a check one time and there is a limit to the amount. I can't remember if it is 200.00 or 300.00.:confused:

[dirtgirl]

Carol, I remember the difficult time that you had with this. Did not know that it took three months. Makes almost easier to just carry cash and not bother with a card. It's a shame that RCI cannot get it right when they clearly ask you on your documents how you want to settle your final bill.

 

 

I don't like to carry a lot of cash, and I get Airmiles on my cc purchases, so I would like to be able to charge like everybody else. ;) This next cruise (in 2.5 weeks, yay!!) I wrote on the Set Sail Pass to charge me in US and that I have photocopied the form. I will use it to fight if they try this again. I do get traveler's checks as well, but no one really seems to use those anymore.

[Merion_Mom]

I did this a couple years ago. Yon can only cash a check one time and there is a limit to the amount. I can't remember if it is 200.00 or 300.00.:confused:

 

Someone started another thread about this, and it was stated that the max is $200.

[dirtgirl]

I only ever took money out for things like giving the staff an extra tip. Because it is harder for me to get US$, looks like they'll be taking the hit, as I have to have money on hand to get home. Carol's right.

[MakinGold]

I *do* think that this will lead to

 

1. more people putting their tips on their SeaPass account.

2. less extra cash for the staff added to envelopes

 

because MANY people used to get that cash out of the casino, but WON'T if there is a 3% fee.

 

(The voucher system DOES cost RC money; they have to do the paperwork and the distribution. Cash costs them nothing.)

 

The Law of Unintended Consequences.

 

Cash pulled out against your credit card costs them something. It's likely closer to 2% than 3, but it costs them, because the credit card company and issuing bank take their cuts.