Credit limit on card high enough for Onboard Expense Account?

[Sunkisthappy]

Hello,

 

My fiance and I are going on our first cruise for our honeymoon on the RCI Allure of the Seas. Although we have been together for almost eight years, we are still only in our early 20's and are working on establishing credit. The highest maximum we have is my card which is only $500. Should I try to request an increase from the credit card company or use cash? And do we each need to supply a card or can we use one card for our onboard expense account?

 

I guess I should add that we already have $200 OBC + prepaid gratuities from our travel agent and plan to pay for ship excursions ahead of time. We do not plan on spending more than $500 on the ship.

 

Thank you in advance - Sunkisthappy :)

[Verfai]

I don’t know and even doubt if they actually can check the open credit amount!? To my knowledge, as long as they don’t enter a debit amount they can only check if the card number is valid and open for credit.

Anyway, we to pay everything in advance, never had OBC and when on vacation we party hard :D so we don’t hold back on ordering drinks...We never had a bill above 480Dollars (and that was a lot trust me).

And congratulations!

[Gil T. Azell]

I don’t know and even doubt if they actually can check the open credit amount!? To my knowledge, as long as they don’t enter a debit amount they can only check if the card number is valid and open for credit.

Anyway, we to pay everything in advance, never had OBC and when on vacation we party hard :D so we don’t hold back on ordering drinks...We never had a bill above 480Dollars (and that was a lot trust me).

And congratulations!

 

They certainly can and DO check for authorization of your CC. They do so on a daily basis so at the end of the cruise there will be multiple holds but only 1 charge. This means if at the end of day 1 your charges are $100 they will authorize for the $100 then at the end of day two if your charges are $175 they will authorize for $175 then day 3 if total charges is $225 they will authorize for that and......

 

Therefore by day 3 there would be a total hold of $500 on your CC from these daily holds and you would be unable to spend anymore without putting cash down or another CC with available credit. At the end of the cruise they will only charge the total of your account but the holds will not have dropped off yet so your available credit will be affected by the daily holds. Generally it can take anywhere from 4-10 business days for these holds to drop off from your account.

[birdylady]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. It sounds like you two are already on the way to a successful marriage working at being responsible financially.

 

As far as how much do you may need all depends on what you two may decide to do. Couples Massage (before tip) approx $240. Drinks $5-$10 each. Bingo? Heck that could run you easily over $50pp, per session (i.e. one day is a session, multiple days may be offered). Photos $10 each. Misc sales on the ship (Jewelry, liquor, t-shirts,etc..). And have you pre-paid your tips? If not, you'll have to pay them either with cash or charged to your seapass account (more than enough on the OBC to cover it).

 

You get the idea. Ultimately only you will know what your expenses might look like.

 

Good luck and may you two have a long, happy and healthy wedded life together.

 

Erika

[isdoo]

I believe you could opt for a cash account and then use your $200.

 

Then when you are running low add a credit card to your on-board account from customer services desk. The card does not have to be added at check-in.

 

That might be better for any hold amount.

[uksimonusa]

The best way, in your situation, would be to a) Either buy more OBC, close to the amount you think you will spend, before you go, and then set up a cash account, but give them your CC on the last day, so that any unused can be credited to that card, or b) Just set up a cash account, then give then your CC on the last day, so that the charges will be charged at night, no holds that way.

[kleo30]

We used a credit card to secure our account, but didn't want to put all of our on board expenses on it. So a couple times during the cruise, I went down to guest services and paid cash on our account.

[cruiseguy1016]

They certainly can and DO check for authorization of your CC. They do so on a daily basis so at the end of the cruise there will be multiple holds but only 1 charge. This means if at the end of day 1 your charges are $100 they will authorize for the $100 then at the end of day two if your charges are $175 they will authorize for $175 then day 3 if total charges is $225 they will authorize for that and......

 

Therefore by day 3 there would be a total hold of $500 on your CC from these daily holds and you would be unable to spend anymore without putting cash down or another CC with available credit. At the end of the cruise they will only charge the total of your account but the holds will not have dropped off yet so your available credit will be affected by the daily holds. Generally it can take anywhere from 4-10 business days for these holds to drop off from your account.

 

This is a nice scare tactic but not true. We have NEVER had a hold put on our credit card while on a cruise. I know because I check daily to make sure there are no malicious charges after using the card on one of the islands. I have heard of holds put on a DEBIT card but we don't use one so I can't speak about that. I can speak about MY credit card (which happens to be an RCI Visa) and MY credit card company (Bank of America) and I can say that we have never had a hold put on our card.

[Jetdriver787]

This is a nice scare tactic but not true. We have NEVER had a hold put on our credit card while on a cruise. I know because I check daily to make sure there are no malicious charges after using the card on one of the islands. I have heard of holds put on a DEBIT card but we don't use one so I can't speak about that. I can speak about MY credit card (which happens to be an RCI Visa) and MY credit card company (Bank of America) and I can say that we have never had a hold put on our card.

No, it isn't a scare tactic. It is true, and it is a standard procedure for Hotels, car rental companies etc. The "hold" doesn't show on your on-line balance, as it is not considered a charge, simply a potential pending charge. The "hold" provides a surity to the merchant that the account is good for that sum. The account holder is likely to be unaware that a "hold" is in effect. If the account balance is approaching an agreed limit, the "hold" can effectively tip it over that limit, until such time as it has dissolved.

 

RCCL is providing a hotel service, and they most certainly do put a "hold" on any credit cards presented as security for onboard charges. If you don't believe it, ask them. Indeed if they didn't, they wouldn't know if the presented card provided any surity at all.

[Iluvcruising2]

Wonder how much hold RCI puts on the credit card.

 

Any idea?

[Verfai]

No, it isn't a scare tactic. It is true, and it is a standard procedure for Hotels, car rental companies etc. The "hold" doesn't show on your on-line balance, as it is not considered a charge, simply a potential pending charge. The "hold" provides a surity to the merchant that the account is good for that sum. The account holder is likely to be unaware that a "hold" is in effect. If the account balance is approaching an agreed limit, the "hold" can effectively tip it over that limit, until such time as it has dissolved.

 

RCCL is providing a hotel service, and they most certainly do put a "hold" on any credit cards presented as security for onboard charges. If you don't believe it, ask them. Indeed if they didn't, they wouldn't know if the presented card provided any surity at all.

 

I don’t believe it ether...I think this way of working would max out my credit account in an instant, Before I turned 30 my limit was only 750 which is not a lot.

 

Royal Caribbean is not looking for security, otherwise you would not be able to pay cash to settle your onboard expenses...There they have no security what so ever.

If your credit card can’t cover the bill it will go depending on your bank, in negative numbers or RCI will be able to lay a lawsuit on you as you signed your set sail confirming you are able to pay for the onboard account.

[Lou_70]

I don’t believe it ether...I think this way of working would max out my credit account in an instant, Before I turned 30 my limit was only 750 which is not a lot.

 

Royal Caribbean is not looking for security, otherwise you would not be able to pay cash to settle your onboard expenses...There they have no security what so ever.

If your credit card can’t cover the bill it will go depending on your bank, in negative numbers or RCI will be able to lay a lawsuit on you as you signed your set sail confirming you are able to pay for the onboard account.

 

I can tell you first hand what happens. When you check in they pre authorize 250 per person on your card. This could of gone up in the past 3 years, but that's the number.

If you have a credit card, it shows nothing and will show nothing until a final charge. They do a 2nd authorization 2 days before the end of your cruise for the current balance if it is over the initial 250 per person.

 

If you use a debit card, that 250per person hold is actually held, like all the signs say when u check in.

 

I know this because I got a letter two days before my last cruise ended saying I was over my credit balance (1000) bucks on a small card I checked in with and had to goto customer service and give a new card.

 

They don't check while at sea, just at the last port so they have 2 days to solve any issues.

 

 

I talked in detail to the hotel staff on it when I was giving my new card to them!

[av8tr21]

I would suggest asking for a credit increase. Like others mentioned, the pre-auth amounts will vary with your spending. Also, it's not necessarily healthy for your credit to max out a card even if you intend to pay it off. Who is the card issued by?

[cls8402]

I was concerned about this too. I spoke with a rep on their website and they said the only thing they do is check to make sure you have credit available. I flat out asked if I have $50 available on that card, is that what they'll limit me to and she said no.

 

Good luck and Congrats!! :)

[PeterPan]

Let me chime in with this: I have seen it work both ways over the years. Sometimes, no "pending charges" show up. However, my last 2 cruises (Navigator and Serenade) there have been daily "pending charges" which never end up as a fnal charge. They simply "expire" and a final charge is made at the end of the cruise.

 

The pending charges do show as decreasing the available credit on my RCCL Visa.

[Wayniac]

You should definitely request a credit line increase with your card issuer. You may incur unplanned expenses. Life happens.

[goodml]

I was concerned about this too. I spoke with a rep on their website and they said the only thing they do is check to make sure you have credit available. I flat out asked if I have $50 available on that card, is that what they'll limit me to and she said no.

 

Good luck and Congrats!! :)

 

If you called back three times and spoke to different people you'd get different answers.

 

I'm a banker. The policy of authorizing charges is absolutely true. Companies don't just take things on faith when there are accepted practices in place that allow them to ensure they'll be paid. In fact, over the years on these boards there have been numerous stories of peoples cards being declined in ports or on land after the cruise due to shipboard authorizations that haven't dropped off yet.

[goose30]

 

Royal Caribbean is not looking for security, otherwise you would not be able to pay cash to settle your onboard expenses...There they have no security what so ever.

 

 

 

I am confused by this statement. Is cash no longer good? Don't forget you pay the cash up front and when you run out you cannot charge any more to the card.

 

So what is the security issue from the ships point of view?

[ryano]

It seems there is no consistent way of how they handle this.........many people report HOLDS and many report no HOLDS.

 

Im not sure how it works with credit cards and there are many conflicting stories.

 

I have used a debit card in the past and have never had a HOLD put on it. They just debited my account for the total amount on disembarkation day and the charges cleared my account before I could even make it home.

 

If you already have 200.00 in OBC, prepaid gratuities and are paying for excursions ahead of time, as long as you arent big drinkers, you will probably be just fine and even have a hard time spending the 200.00.

[ryano]

If

I'm a banker. The policy of authorizing charges is absolutely true. .

 

And every bank or credit union handles things differently when it comes to pre authorizations. See my reply on NO holds on my debit card. Ive used it three times on cruises so far.

[Booking It]

After our Allure cruise, we had our onboard charges show up on our online statement ($500 some odd dollars... a new low record!). In addition to that, we had 3 or 4 holds from Royal Caribbean for odd amounts each (like $86.54, $116.38, $56.29). The holds had different dates that were during our cruise. The cruise ended on a Sunday and I don't think the holds fell off until like Thursday or Friday of that week.

 

$500 limit would be too risky for me. Everything on the ship is quite expensive, and it's easy to go overboard in spending when all that you have to do is swipe your card (I learned THAT lesson the hard way in my early 20s!). Plus, emergencies happen. I got sunburned really badly in Cozumel. Did I pack aloe vera? Of course not. But I was able to purchase a 4 oz bottle for $15 in the gift shop. :eek:

 

Use some of your wedding cash to put down as a deposit for a cash account or ask your credit card company to up your limit. I did that when I was establishing credit and it worked in my favor. If you have a good history with them, it shouldn't be a problem.

[sjb317]

In 24 cruises I have never noticed a hold on my charge card and this is something I check several times during a cruise. Last cruise was in November on the Navigator and I checked my card more often as the cruise was a TA (more sea days:D) and we had spent 3 days in Rome previous to the cruise. Very weird that there is so much inconsistency among banks/credit cards.

 

$500 is probably not enough credit, I think it is always better to either take more cash or have more credit than you think you will need. On our first cruise (11 days) we spent almost $800, but we were like kids in a candy store! I would never have imagined spending that much on a cruise!:D

 

Sherri:)

[CCMS14]

When my BF and I went on X, I took my cc w/ a $500 limit on it, as well as cash. Firstly, have you considered over-paying the card? That way even if you only have a limit of $500 if you are in a credit position of say $250, you can spend up to the $750? Alternatively, consider setting it up with a credit card, and sporadically throughout the cruise head to guest relations and put cash down on the account. We were warned doing this on Celebrity that there may be a hold put on the card for 21 days. This is only my experience with Celebrity, but I would assume that similar practices are true for RCCL

[goodml]

And every bank or credit union handles things differently when it comes to pre authorizations. See my reply on NO holds on my debit card. Ive used it three times on cruises so far.

 

Well then, clearly you would know better than someone in the industry.;)

 

Btw I was addressing the OP's question about credit cards. As a borrower with a short credit history, I assure you there will be holds as the card is programmed by the issuer. If you have a long tenure with your issuer or fabulous credit history you are likely to have no holds. We have people who deposit a check for $50 and it's held for 5 business days and others who can deposit $100,000 for example, and it's not.

[DebJ14]

In 24 cruises I have never noticed a hold on my charge card and this is something I check several times during a cruise. Last cruise was in November on the Navigator and I checked my card more often as the cruise was a TA (more sea days:D) and we had spent 3 days in Rome previous to the cruise. Very weird that there is so much inconsistency among banks/credit cards.

 

$500 is probably not enough credit, I think it is always better to either take more cash or have more credit than you think you will need. On our first cruise (11 days) we spent almost $800, but we were like kids in a candy store! I would never have imagined spending that much on a cruise!:D

 

Sherri:)

 

As previous posters have indicated different bank handle things differently. In August when we cruised I used a Discover card for the onboard account. The pending holds did not show up during the cruise when I checked my account online. That doesn't mean they didn't place the holds - just that we couldn't see them. When we cruised in January I used my Chase OnePass Mastercard and each day there was a different hold amount that coincided with what we spent. The holds fell off one by one by the end of the next week. No big deal because we have high limits.

 

I would get a credit limit increase or if that is not possible see if a parent with a higher credit card limit can get you an additional card on that account. The reason I say that is what if you have an emergency and have to leave the ship? How will you pay for your airfare home? Or what if you have an unexpected medical emergency and have to use the ship's doctor and have a high Sea Pass bill from that? We gave each of our kids one of our high limit credit cards in high school. They knew it was for emergency use only and that we would kill them if they used it for anything else. One son had to use it when he was in a car accident and had to pay his emergency room charges because his health insurance has a really high deductible. The other son used it for his wife when she fell and broke her foot in Cozumel. They had to pay for the ambulance, doctor, xrays, pain killers and crutches. Unfortunately, we have learned over the years that stuff happens when you least expect it and we don't want our kids out there unprepared. We send the kids new cards when the expiration date changes and the same rules apply - use it for anything other than an emergency and you are dead meat! But, now that they are gainfully employed they understand they have to pay us back whatever they spend on the card.