Key Card Spending limit?

[pateoreo1]

Ok this will be our first cruise with our kids. I have been told that we can make it to where there cards are not allowed to charge, but can we have them set a limit on them. i.e. $100 and once it is gone it is gone? My mom is also going with us can we set her card to go to a different credit card we are all in the same room.

 

It is so much easier when it is just me and the wife.

[lvsatman]

We could not do that, we tried. It is either on or off for spending, no set limit.

[ImADaneFan]

Ok this will be our first cruise with our kids. I have been told that we can make it to where there cards are not allowed to charge, but can we have them set a limit on them. i.e. $100 and once it is gone it is gone? My mom is also going with us can we set her card to go to a different credit card we are all in the same room.

 

It is so much easier when it is just me and the wife.

Your mom can have any charges she makes with her card go to a different credit card, even if you're in the same room.

[crew mom]

Your mom's charges can be applied to her card. Just do that at check-in.

 

As for the kids, I don't believe you can set limits. It would be nice if you could. I would suggest that you get a copy of their charges daily from reception so you can stay on top of those charges. You don't want any major surprises at the end of the cruise!

[armwinder]

We used to have the kids turn in their receipts each evening, that way we could keep a handle on what they charged and where. Gives the kids an idea on how much they spent, just make sure it does not turn into a competition on who can spend the most. On a cruise in 98 our 14 year old Son spent a great deal on “mock tails” for himself and friends, almost $800.00, we then implemented the show what you spent to-day ruling.

[leeker13]

If you put cash on a card I believe they cut you off when you reach your deposit limit, couldn't you put a cash deposit down for the kids cards only?

 

I know that we have used different credit cards for each person in our room and one used cash one time while the rest of us used credit cards.

 

Again, I have never heard of this, but it was just a thought!

[yoyocruiser]

I am struggling with the same issue. Each has a debit card that they could utilize, but I have read that there are complciations with the credit card. I think we are jsut going to have to trust them--ask for the receipts.

 

LOL--the mocktails!! We had the same thing happen--but not quite so badly. But our son was very young on a Disney cruise and before we could even have the "talk" about the card (and we wanted him to be able to buy a soda here and there so had allowed his card to be able to charge) he had met some friends nad bought a "round" of drinks--and my gosh they are almsot as much as real cocktails. His round cost us $76 (yes--he did tip also!!)

 

If anyone has any great ideas on this one let me know.

 

yoyocruiser

[pateoreo1]

If you put cash on a card I believe they cut you off when you reach your deposit limit, couldn't you put a cash deposit down for the kids cards only?

 

I know that we have used different credit cards for each person in our room and one used cash one time while the rest of us used credit cards.

 

Again, I have never heard of this, but it was just a thought!

 

 

That is a good idea I will surely try that when we check in. Maybe I need to do that to the wife also. Or see if I can set it up so the Spa will not accept her card.LOL!!!!!!!:):):)

[downsized]

We're taking our grandkids with us in March, and NCL told me that I can set a limit on each card, either daily or for the entire cruise. Should more be needed, it will not be a problem to add to any (or all) of the three cards.

If I were you, I would call NCL and talk to them. They seem to be very accomodating to individual needs.

[FanofFlorida]

If you put cash on a card I believe they cut you off when you reach your deposit limit, couldn't you put a cash deposit down for the kids cards only?

 

I know that we have used different credit cards for each person in our room and one used cash one time while the rest of us used credit cards.

 

Again, I have never heard of this, but it was just a thought!

 

Just did this last week on the Star

You can assign cash to the account- my 16 yr old had her own account separate from mine; no cash left=suspended account

[crew mom]

Just did this last week on the Star

You can assign cash to the account- my 16 yr old had her own account separate from mine; no cash left=suspended account

 

Duh! Never thought of cash! Great idea!

[pateoreo1]

We're taking our grandkids with us in March, and NCL told me that I can set a limit on each card, either daily or for the entire cruise. Should more be needed, it will not be a problem to add to any (or all) of the three cards.

If I were you, I would call NCL and talk to them. They seem to be very accomodating to individual needs.

 

 

I will give them a call on Tuesday and see what they say.

[Rina155]

I just returned from sailing Christmas Week and went to the Reception desk to do just this. I was told no I could not set a limit nor could I put cash as a deposit on my son's key card, it was either open or not with no limits and went on my credit card. (son is 15)

[downsized]

I just returned from sailing Christmas Week and went to the Reception desk to do just this. I was told no I could not set a limit nor could I put cash as a deposit on my son's key card, it was either open or not with no limits and went on my credit card. (son is 15)

 

I find this very disconcernting! We are being told two completely different stories. Me, by the folks at NCL on the phone, and you, by the NCL folks on the ship!

I have never worried about shipboard expenses for me and my DW, as I know what we can and cannot afford. I always keep a rough talley of just what we have spent, but I am not about to send three teenagers about with an unlimited credit limit!

 

Hopefully, there are others here that have more experience, and will chime in.

[CanadianTwosome]

I see this as a matter of trust. When our daughter was younger, we had the charging ability removed from her card in case she lost it, but not because we were concerned she would run it up herself. The last two cruises we've just left it alone, because we know she won't use it without consulting us first. So far, in four cruises, she's purchased one NCL bear and two airbrush tattoos, adding to a grand total of about $40.

 

When you think about it, there are really only three things a kid might need to charge on board:

 

Sodas/drinks - if they're soda drinkers, the best option is a soda sticker (or bracelet depending on their age). For the older ones, it comes with a cool go-cup (I love the one I just got on the Sky), and for the younger ones, you can get a bracelet along with the new Kid's Crew backpack, which is actually pretty nice and comes with a great tee shirt, some pretty cool shades (kid-size), a hat, and a plastic drink cup and straw.

 

Smoothies - a teen passport, containing 20 vouchers is by far the best way to go for smoothies - they can be shared since they're vouchers, and we even kept our leftovers from our January cruise and used them last week on the Sky.

 

Purchases - anything for sale on the ship is either going to still be available after a short consultation with a parent, or if it's the 'last one', a staff member will surely hold on to it for the time it takes - and if your kids are 'borrowing' your money (via your credit on their key card) this is not an unreasonable expectation.

 

I should add that I'm one of those crazy parents who thinks there's enough to do on a vacation without having to be on the internet or play in an arcade, so I don't even factor these activities in as potential charges. There's just so much included fun to be had on cruise ships, I guess I just don't see any need for kids to be running up charges for anything. That being said, I know kids like to feel independent, but in that case, it should still be a simple task to discuss the limits and expectations with them in advance and trust them to respect your rules. If you can't, then you should remove the charging ability from the card.

[scchasgal]

To the OP why don't you purchase the fillable VISA cards and put only a certain amount on them would that work? Then once it's gone it's gone. It would work like your mom's just attach that card to the person in the cabin.

[sunshine nana]

On our Med cruise, a woman was meeting with the concierge in the Star Bar because a family member had run up a huge tab in the casino. It was on a different credit card from the one the woman had used at check in. The conceirge told her too bad.

[CanadianTwosome]

On our Med cruise, a woman was meeting with the concierge in the Star Bar because a family member had run up a huge tab in the casino. It was on a different credit card from the one the woman had used at check in. The conceirge told her too bad.

 

I should hope so! Not that I don't have sympathy for anyone who is affected by a gambling problem, but I'm sure she wouldn't have been chasing the concierge down to return the money if the family member had won a bundle. Sadly, this happens all too often, at sea and on land, and it's not the responsibility of the gambling establishments to 'get permission' before they allow someone with a valid source of payment to gamble. On our honeymoon in New Orleans, we took advantage of a gambling riverboat to get a free ride one evening, and after we'd played our $20 in the nickel slots (and broke even! :p), we stopped and watched in awe for a while as a gentleman stood and played $100 chips in a slot machine, one after the other without stopping... I suggested to my husband that I go and stand with my mouth open and one arm up and see if he'd notice. In the few minutes we sat there, he easily played over $1,000.

 

Thankfully gambling isn't an issue that parents need to be concerned about regarding their children's key cards!

[blindrid]

I just returned from sailing Christmas Week and went to the Reception desk to do just this. I was told no I could not set a limit nor could I put cash as a deposit on my son's key card, it was either open or not with no limits and went on my credit card. (son is 15)

 

My thought is that you need to take care of this when you check in, not once your onboard. Only a guess though as I'm thinking once the card is linked with your CC, it can't be undone.

 

I'm not a fan of using debit cards due to the holds and potential for losses - not quite the same as a CC, as you can dispute the bill without your money being already "gone". Some places do not accept pre-paid cards and I believe cruise lines are one of them.

[petersgal]

I can't give much insight as to what NCL will do, but I CAN give you insight as a former teenager who cruised on NCL with my parents. When I went, (at age 16) my parents bought me a soda pass and that was it. I didn't have a spending limit on my key card at all... it was good for one thing, opening up the room door :).

 

If I needed something I had to find them. The first day it was a little annoying (as most things are when you are 16), but it encouraged me to spend more time with my family, b/c if I wanted something I had to ask them for it, lol. So while my motives were greed, I have to say that was one of the best family vacations I have ever had.

 

Point being, if your only option is to make the card without a spending limit, it may not be that bad. It worked for my family anyway!

 

Have fun on your cruise!

~Krista

[downsized]

I see this as a matter of trust.

 

I don't quite know how to respond to this post.

Certainly, it is a matter of trust.

Do I trust my grandkids? Absolutely.

 

My primary concern was that I received one answer from NCL over the phone, while another person received a different answer when on ship.

 

I am, however, reluctant to turn three kids (or anybody but myself, frankly,) loose with what amounts to a virtually "unlimited" credit limit!

 

I'm always a bit concerned when the waitstaff keeps my card so that I can "run a tab"....and I have been using cards for a very long time.

I suspect that my 14 year olds may not be quite as observant as I.

 

I can afford a $300 or $400 loss...but have no desire to spend the time or energy to dispute a loss that can be much, much higher.

 

Either I can be the "hovering" grandpa, and approve each and every item that the kids want, or I can give them a reasonable amount to spend on their own discretion, but I will not give them unlimited access to my CC.

Especially with a card that can be so easily misplaced, lost, or stolen!

[pateoreo1]

Ok I do trust my 10y son with the card it is my 7Y daughter that I am not sure about. They both have done extra jobs over the last year to earn money for the cruise. I would liked to have put X amount on the card for them to do “Whatever” with. I have already got my DD the backpack with the coke card. She is the type that will buy things for other people. My DS will not drink cokes and will ask if he can buy something.

So if they will not let me assign an amount to each card I guess she will not have the rights to charge on her card.

I never trust what NCL phone people tell me. I have looked at a price on NCL.com and called about it and they would not give me the same price unless I tell them the price on the website then I get it.

[NMLady]

My thought is that you need to take care of this when you check in, not once your onboard. Only a guess though as I'm thinking once the card is linked with your CC, it can't be undone.

 

That's what I was thinking too when I read that. The cc is taken care of as you're checking in, not at the purser's desk. But maybe that checkin is what the post-er meant?

[Linegirl]

We took our 15yo son and his friend on our cruise. We restricted spending on their key with $0.00 limit. We bought them each an unlimited soda card for 50.00 dollars each. Other than soda, food is free except for the speciality restaurants. There are plenty of free things for them to do on the ship while at sea. Save yourself some money and restrict their cards! You can do that at the purssers desk. Their card becomes just a room key with a soda sticker. Enjoy!

[CanadianTwosome]

I think there may have been a little bit of misunderstanding with my use of the word 'trust' in my earlier post. Trusting someone to be responsible for an 'active' key card is not so much about their character as it is about knowing them well enough to know how capable they are of managing their spending and observing a set limit.

 

For instance, when my sister and I were kids, more than once she came home from shopping thinking she had lost some money somewhere. My mom would then sit down with her and go over her receipts and every time it turned out that she'd spent more than she thought she had. Math is simply not her strong suit. When a kid like that has cash in their wallet and they can SEE how much is still left, it's an entirely different thing than asking them to just be aware of their limit on a piece of plastic that looks the same before and after every purchase.

 

So, every parent, grandparent, or guardian has to evaluate their situation for themselves. What are the risks? How capable is the child of keeping track of their spending and their set limit? How much time is your child going to be spending unsupervised? What do you think they're going to want to spend money on, and are there alternatives (like the soda sticker/bracelet)?

 

Every child is different and every situation is different. Something I think is important to keep in mind is that, depending on your child's age, they may be unlikely to be alone at any time on the ship. The only time a child is going to use their key card to charge something is when they're without you somewhere and they want something. When considering whether a child should be allowed (or even needs) an 'active' card, it's important to think about when, if, and under what circumstances this might happen.

 

For older kids who will have more freedom to move about the ship unsupervised, aside from drinks, what do they really need to buy on board? Just to be clear, this isn't a rhetorical question; I'm really curious. As I mentioned in my earlier post, in four cruises our daughter has only spent about $40 total on 'extras'. Of course, she's not a teenager yet and she is never unsupervised, so if there's something I need to watch out for in the next few years, I'd very much like to know. :)