Final Payment Question

Is there any advantage to making a final payment early, prior to the due date? Example upgrades or move over offers.

Thanks

Kirk

Is there any advantage to making a final payment early, prior to the due date? Example upgrades or move over offers.

Or price drops!

I never pay more than a week before final payment.

No, paying early just ties up your money....unless you are in another country and playing with exchange rates. Another vote for paying about a week before final payment is due--that way, I can see that they payment has been processed before the deadline.

On the other hand, make sure you pay at least 2-3 business days before the final payment date. If there’s an issue processing your payment, your booking will be automatically canceled if it’s even hours late. There is no grace period.

I wait until just before final payment and then transfer it to my TA for a discount. I like to have control of the booking up until that point. I can't see any possible benefit to paying early although, with the current state of interest rates, it's not like paying in full at the time of booking would cost much more. :rolleyes:

I wait until just before final payment and then transfer it to my TA for a discount. I like to have control of the booking up until that point. I can't see any possible benefit to paying early although, with the current state of interest rates, it's not like paying in full at the time of booking would cost much more. :rolleyes:

Basically my approach as well. Leaves me in control for most of the booking but gets my OBC and other benefits from my TA.

I wait until just before final payment and then transfer it to my TA for a discount. I like to have control of the booking up until that point. I can't see any possible benefit to paying early although, with the current state of interest rates, it's not like paying in full at the time of booking would cost much more. :rolleyes:

That is a really good idea!! I thought you had to transfer after "x" time from booking. I've never tested the time frame, but good to know you can hold onto it until close to final payment. I would FAR prefer that!

Thanks Thrak!

Basically my approach as well. Leaves me in control for most of the booking but gets my OBC and other benefits from my TA.

Some TAs book group space on cruises which gives them the ability to offer a bigger discount as long as they still have space in their "group."

If you wait until close to final payment to xfer the booking to a TA, the group space may have already been allocated and you may miss out on an even bigger discount.

We have a final payment due about July 10. We will be on a cruise in the Baltics then, so I will arrange the final payment early next week. I will have it made in Mid June right after the American Express bill closes for the month. I will verify that it is done thru the ship's internet.

Just one more suggestion to think about.

I quite often find myself on a cruise when the final payment is due for the next one. I call Princess right before I leave on the cruise and tell them to place an "AUTOMATIC PAYMENT" on my booking and I give them the credit card number, I always ask them to send me a new 'Booking Confirmation' when I do this. The first line in the NOTICES section will read:

Per your request, the credit card registered will automatically be charged when final payment is due.

Then on the final payment date they will send you another 'Booking Confirmation' that reads in the PRICING DETAILS section:

Total Amount Received: x,xxx.xx (the amount you are being charged)

Net Due: 0.00

Payment Details

Booking is paid in full.

I have used this method dozens of times and it has never failed me yet.

I wait until just before final payment and then transfer it to my TA for a discount. I like to have control of the booking up until that point. I can't see any possible benefit to paying early although, with the current state of interest rates, it's not like paying in full at the time of booking would cost much more. :rolleyes:

Ditto!

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Just to add one more reason not to pay off your cruise way before final payment ...

If you are also purchasing the Princess insurance, that non-refundable payment is also due at the time you pay off your final balance.

Thanks everyone for the info. Makes my decision easy.

Kirk

What happens if you don't have all the money On your credit card to pay at the end of the trip?

They lock you up and throw away the key.

What happens if you don't have all the money On your credit card to pay at the end of the trip?

they do 'temporary charges' most every day to your credit card to see if your can cover the charge...

if not - your cruise card account is put on hold

What happens if you don't have all the money On your credit card to pay at the end of the trip?

as you disembark the ship, security needs to scan your key card. if there is any issues with your account, the computer system will display an error and then security will tell you to go to guest services.

at guest services, they want you pay whatever you owe. sometimes it can be simple as trying a different card or it can be a complex issue with a i o u note being signed

I wait until just before final payment and then transfer it to my TA for a discount. I like to have control of the booking up until that point. I can't see any possible benefit to paying early although, with the current state of interest rates, it's not like paying in full at the time of booking would cost much more. :rolleyes:

This requires a fax or two so don't wait until the last day to start it. Process took over four days when I last transferred a cruise over to the agent. Delay was all on the Princess side.

I generally book all our cruises after the final payment date--and thus have to pay everything all at once. For our upcoming cruise, though, I booked early to take advantage of a Princess offer (free gratuities and reduced airfare). I paid it off a few weeks early because I knew my TA was going out of town and due back just a couple of days before the final payment date. It ended up on the same credit card statement it would have if I had waited, so I did not lose anything by having the charge processed early. And we ended up getting our cabin assignment (a slight upgrade) before the final payment date as well. I'm not sure if paying off the cruise had anything to do with getting the assignment early. There are others on our rollcall still waiting for their assignments.

Some airlines on ez air will not let you book assigned seats until final payment is made. Soooo, we made final payment early for flights to Barcelona to get seats we wanted.