Sign & Sail card and debit cards

[Relayer]

I've always used a debit card on my 5 cruises. No problems......

 

 

Nice to have another Cat fan living in NC! Nice win last night in the Garden.

 

Nine cruises - no issues with debit card. Holds have usually dropped off by the time I get back home.

[mkleblanc]

There is another option worth considering. If you don't want to carry a lot of cash or deal with travelers checks, you can get a prepaid credit card to use for your Sign & Sail account. You would have to decide how much to load on the card ahead of time, then once on board, keep tight control on your on board purchases. If you've prepaid for most or all of your excursions, as well as other anticipated on board expenses (drinks, spa, etc.), it should work out. Then you won't have to worry about holds on your debit card.

 

I thought I read some where on Carnival's site that you can't use a prepaid. I'll check again though. Thanks

[rellersi]

What often happens with debit cards is that the cruiseline will put authorizations onto in as your s&s charges build. Usually 50 dollars at a time. So, say at the end of your cruise your s&s bill is 525 dollars, they will probably have auths of 550. Then when you debark, they SALE your card for the 525. The problem with debit cards is that, depending on the bank, auths don't fall off for up to 30 days. So you may get home to find that the 525 has been removed from your account AND 550 is also being held up to 30 days. No huge deal, as long as you have plenty in that account. Hope that makes sense.

 

Call your bank or go to their website and ask them how long they hold funds. Ours holds for 3 days, so even on a 7 day cruise only the last 3 days would be held at debarkation

[mkleblanc]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I'm considering opening up a "travel" bank account with a debit card and put what I think will be necessary in it for the trip. Then I won't have to worry about any holds effecting my regular checking account status. I still think I'll bring a bunch of cash, try to purchase drink coupons, etc. This is our first cruise so I'm not sure what to expect but I've been doing a lot of researching so I think I'll be ok. Our OBC will likely just be for drinks. We are not "picture" people, i dont buy knick knacks in the gift shop and our excursions will be paid for.

[elcuchio24]

Call your bank or go to their website and ask them how long they hold funds. Ours holds for 3 days, so even on a 7 day cruise only the last 3 days would be held at debarkation

 

Good advise. Some hold funds for longer, some shorter. But what happens alot of times to folks who have problems is that even if the hold is only for three days....they might have 1000 in the account and their S&S bill is 550, so they think their fine, but for that three day window, 550 has been withdrawn, along with another 550 in holds, thus overdrawing their account. Really, all you have to do is make sure to have plenty of money in the account before you go and there will be zero issues, but don't try to cut it close....

[B and C Blake]

My MIL was on the Elation in Sept. About a week after she got home, she had NSF notices for checks her bank automatically issues each month. The checks were sent out the week of her cruise. They were not paid as result of the hold the cruiseline put on her account. She had a six figure balance in her account so they had to put a hold on her entire account.

 

I have used a debit card in the past and have not had any problems. I think it all depends on the institution you bank with.

 

With that kind of balance she needs to change banks.

I've never had a problem with my entire account being placed on 'hold'.

 

Although, I am now thinking maybe she did not notify her bank that she was traveling out of the country.

Just the same it sounds a little outlandish to have a 6 figure account put on hold.

[elcuchio24]

With that kind of balance she needs to change banks.

I've never had a problem with my entire account being placed on 'hold'.

 

Although, I am now thinking maybe she did not notify her bank that she was traveling out of the country.

Just the same it sounds a little outlandish to have a 6 figure account put on hold.

 

Why would you have 6 figures in your bank account? Got something against compounding intrest?

[Jenna1983]

Just off Victory on Sunday. They put the initial $50 hold. My hold fell off midway through the cruise because I had a $4 credit (??) and spent $7 by that point. However, I purchased jewelery in the store on Saturday night. They put a hold then for cost of sign and sail bill - $50 initial hold. So basically, they weren't making daily holds of $50. My mom's account had the $50 initial. Then had subsequent holds for actual purchases of like $94, $11.38, $16.68 and that's it. So at least on Victory they're NOT doing $50 holds each time you make a purchase but it looked as if they were doing ACTUAL purchases. However, some of the actual holds were there about 24 hours after the sign and sail posted to the account.

[B and C Blake]

Why would you have 6 figures in your bank account? Got something against compounding intrest?

 

I was replying to another poster saying their MIL had her full 6 figure account placed on hold during her cruise.

 

On another note having 6 figures in *our* account is not at all a problem.

Hit a certain total and transfer XX amount into a higher interest location, LOL

Gotta love being locked into a minimum rate when every other place drops below ours we stay at minimum; goes up we go up but never below:D

[elcuchio24]

I was replying to another poster saying their MIL had her full 6 figure account placed on hold during her cruise.

 

On another note having 6 figures in *our* account is not at all a problem.

Hit a certain total and transfer XX amount into a higher interest location, LOL

Gotta love being locked into a minimum rate when every other place drops below ours we stay at minimum; goes up we go up but never below:D

 

Oh I know you weren't talking about your own account, just making a general remark:) I just can't imagine letting 100k+ just sit and rot in a savings/checking account.

[B and C Blake]

Oh I know you weren't talking about your own account, just making a general remark:) I just can't imagine letting 100k+ just sit and rot in a savings/checking account.

 

LOL yeah right ... That's what GMIb's are for;):D

[geckog]

Having worked for many years in the accounting department of hotels, my advice to anyone is this:

 

Never, ever, ever, ever use your debit card for hotels, rental cars, or cruises. Your funds WILL get tied up for more than you spent, and there is very little the accounting department can do to free it up. It has to do with the way the merchant services (people who process credit cards) work in these industries. They automatically authorize X amount at the time you check in or pick up your car, and that includes more than you will likely spend. On a rental car, it is to cover what you could just pay a cash deposit for and get back at the end of the rental with no further ado. In hotels and ships, it is to provide you ample on property "credit" for use around the property or ship. These holds can take up to a week to be released after you have checked out. Every bank is different about how or whether they will release a hold before the time limit is up, and this can turn into a huge and costly headache.

 

If you simply put a cash deposit down for your onboard credit, you will get a check back for whatever you don't use on the last day instead of having to wait a week for those funds to be available again.

[ramrax4]

You could open a second account at your bank and use this just for your cruise. It will take a few days to get the card after you initially open it, just make sure you do not link to your checking. That way you could dep as much as you wanted for spending on the cruise and you could transfer more cash from you main account if need be.

[CottonCandy2608]

So if you have already completed your funPass and used your debit card do you have the option of removing the card and using cash once you board the Ship?

[elcuchio24]

So if you have already completed your funPass and used your debit card do you have the option of removing the card and using cash once you board the Ship?

 

Yes.