Ljr51

They asked for $50 for the two of us and said full payment was due in 30 days. So we just paid--it was due tomorrow.

leaveitallbehind: yes we had to pay $50 deposit and we used a credit card. We will use a credit card--Chase Sapphire Preferred--which has a cash back option and ample credit line to cover this. We had started using a CapOne Venture Card for travel benefits but I've become unhappy with that card--the cash back for travel seems puny and they would not give us a decent credit line even though our credit scores are in the 830 range. Not enough credit to pay for the cruise and air fare. We do not carry credit card balances. I don't get why they won't increase the credit line. I asked twice and was turned down with no explanation twice. I guess I really don't understand trip insurance--I can get a medical only policy that would be paid by the year and cover any number of trips? I must look into that. For this trip, I already bought an Allianz policy that covers trip costs and medical. Because I am in NYState the only way I could get pre-existing conditions covered was to buy that policy within 14 days of our first trip deposit, which was Oct 30. Also thanks to reading these boards we just did transfer our booking to a travel agent and will get some monetary benefits for doing that. I had no clue that this was a thing. Thanks!

Thanks all for the replies. I will pay via credit card because it does add another layer of protection (I have a travel policy from Allianz as well, purchased within 14 days of my first deposit, so it will cover pre-existing conditions). I will get cash back by paying via CC at whatever rate, and it did make me nervous to think of paying with bank debit (ACH).

We booked at the end of October and they said we needed to pay in full by Nov. 28.

I went to the Viking thread and people there mention the 3% discount for cash. I guess it's a Viking-only thing. I am leaning toward paying via credit card --it just seems to offer some extra protection. And I can get cash back on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, so that provides some level of discount even if it's not 3%. This is the first time we've chosen and booked a cruise on our own (once years ago, we booked the same cruise friends were on, so that did not involve any research on our part--our only cruise experience so far). I'm discovering it's very complicated!

Well it was from Viking itself. We were told that if we pay via ACH from our bank we get a discount, I think it is around 3%. We've paid via bank transfer for other things, specifically for new kitchen cabinets. That company insisted on payment via bank debit, not credit card. This is the same thing. It is from Viking itself--cash payment for a discount. It must be on their website, or else it was just conveyed from the rep that made the booking for us.

It's Viking. It was specifically mentioned in the article I found online that recommended not taking that offer of a discount for paying via bank account. I am in New York, USA.

I read advice online to pay via credit card instead of taking the cash payment with discount route. The reason was that credit cards have certain protections and insurance features in case something happens and the cruise is cancelled or postponed. I did purchase separate trip insurance from Allianz. Does it still make more sense to pay via credit card vs cash? Payment in full is due soon and the cruise is 4 months away.