Princess-What Are You Doing With My Credit Card????

[JulieRose]

Thats so smart! And yes, 15 is REALLY reasonable. With a cruise to boot! I had a spreadsheet for our wedding too. I had planned $500 for each of us on the cruise. But, I'd never cruised before, and my DH had never been to Alaska, so that budget went out the window at the first port, for excursions I didn't preplan :D. We were also two of four younger people on the cruise at that time, so we had the disco/club...whatever it was called, to ourselves the whole time. The drink tab had to be insane. LOL

 

Oooh, that scares me a little, actually. We budgeted $500 spending money each but I have all our excursions, tips and soda cards budgeted separately. I can't see why it wouldn't be enough but I've never cruised before so I can't be sure. We'll find out in a week!

[gertz]

I read all the posts on this thread simply because I saw Roz started it. We have met Roz. her husband and their wonderful rescue dog and I apologize for not remembering the name and since that was a few years ago I sincerely hope the dog is alive and well. She and her husband are very nice people.:)

We will be on the Sapphire again in October on my birthday. Look forward to seeing all the changes and maybe some old friends.:)

As for this CC situation it has never happened to us and I'm not sure what I would do if it did so I called AX to see and this is what I found.

For disclosure I have been an AX card holder since 1974 and have had some very high balances throwout the years and am aware of their policies. But they reiterated this to me that it could never happen and in the unlikely event it was about to happen they would call me first to see if it were a legitimate charge before approving it.

I am not unique this policy applies to all their customers based on their individual record. And some people might not want to do it this way but I do and it makes since to me and we accumulate air miles this way and use them to fly to ports so we can afford to cruise as the cost of flying is getting rather high.

[wizard-of-roz]

I read all the posts on this thread simply because I saw Roz started it. We have met Roz. her husband and their wonderful rescue dog and I apologize for not remembering the name and since that was a few years ago I sincerely hope the dog is alive and well. She and her husband are very nice people.:)

 

We will be on the Sapphire again in October on my birthday. Look forward to seeing all the changes and maybe some old friends.:)

 

As for this CC situation it has never happened to us and I'm not sure what I would do if it did so I called AX to see and this is what I found.

 

For disclosure I have been an AX card holder since 1974 and have had some very high balances throwout the years and am aware of their policies. But they reiterated this to me that it could never happen and in the unlikely event it was about to happen they would call me first to see if it were a legitimate charge before approving it.

 

I am not unique this policy applies to all their customers based on their individual record. And some people might not want to do it this way but I do and it makes since to me and we accumulate air miles this way and use them to fly to ports so we can afford to cruise as the cost of flying is getting rather high.

 

The Service Dog you met is Brenda....she's at home living the life of retirement. She's almost 13 and although she's in good health...she, like anyone who hits their 90's, has slowed down and can't walk the ships like she used to. I've acquired a Successor Dog [Horton], he loved cruising this past week and will go again on October 6th.

Thanks for the information on the credit cards and to everyone else who was helpful, thank you.

I'm very fortunate to be able to pay my credit cards off, in full, each month, which is why these "holds" struck me as odd. I got a huge apology from my CC company and my TA was finally able to use my card for future deposits on my cruising addiction. ;)

[CMcG]

I read all the posts on this thread simply because I saw Roz started it. We have met Roz. her husband and their wonderful rescue dog and I apologize for not remembering the name and since that was a few years ago I sincerely hope the dog is alive and well. She and her husband are very nice people.:)

 

We will be on the Sapphire again in October on my birthday. Look forward to seeing all the changes and maybe some old friends.:)

 

As for this CC situation it has never happened to us and I'm not sure what I would do if it did so I called AX to see and this is what I found.

 

For disclosure I have been an AX card holder since 1974 and have had some very high balances throwout the years and am aware of their policies. But they reiterated this to me that it could never happen and in the unlikely event it was about to happen they would call me first to see if it were a legitimate charge before approving it.

 

I am not unique this policy applies to all their customers based on their individual record. And some people might not want to do it this way but I do and it makes since to me and we accumulate air miles this way and use them to fly to ports so we can afford to cruise as the cost of flying is getting rather high.

 

American Express is different from MasterCard & Visa. AmEx requires you to pay the balance in full each month - so generally they will not refuse any reasonable charge unless you are past due. With MasterCard & Visa you have a credit limit and generally cannot go over that amount (or at least very far over that amount).

[Amuse Bouche]

Oooh, that scares me a little, actually. We budgeted $500 spending money each but I have all our excursions, tips and soda cards budgeted separately. I can't see why it wouldn't be enough but I've never cruised before so I can't be sure. We'll find out in a week!

 

Nah, don't be scared. You have a handle on it. My DH and I are really good at splurging. We wisely decide whether or not we can handle it before, but once we give ourselves the go ahead, it's on. :D

And, you have your excursions! No worries, as that is the easiest way to splurge. I now preplan out all the excursions. Not quite as fun as winging it, but now everything is paid for before we go.

[Cygneagile]

JulieRose .... What a nice name.

 

My friends always purchase a credit card by depositing 2000.00 on it

This is the card they use for their cruises; most of the time they come back with a good 1000.00 still on it. They continue to use the card at home until the balance is 0. They discard the card and purchase one for their next cruise. You can re-load it if you want but they do not since they have another card for their daily costs and needs. This is a good way not to get surprises and they always stay within their vacation budget.

 

Julie

[JulieRose]

Nah, don't be scared. You have a handle on it. My DH and I are really good at splurging. We wisely decide whether or not we can handle it before, but once we give ourselves the go ahead, it's on. :D

And, you have your excursions! No worries, as that is the easiest way to splurge. I now preplan out all the excursions. Not quite as fun as winging it, but now everything is paid for before we go.

 

It's everything. I've been a ball of stress for weeks over playing the "what if" game so this is just one more thing I guess. I'm sure we'll manage.

 

JulieRose .... What a nice name.

 

My friends always purchase a credit card by depositing 2000.00 on it

This is the card they use for their cruises; most of the time they come back with a good 1000.00 still on it. They continue to use the card at home until the balance is 0. They discard the card and purchase one for their next cruise. You can re-load it if you want but they do not since they have another card for their daily costs and needs. This is a good way not to get surprises and they always stay within their vacation budget.

 

Julie

 

That does sound like a good idea. I think we're gonna try giving ourselves OBC ahead of time for this one but in the future, that might be something to consider.

[caribill]

Oooh, that scares me a little, actually. We budgeted $500 spending money each but I have all our excursions, tips and soda cards budgeted separately. I can't see why it wouldn't be enough but I've never cruised before so I can't be sure. We'll find out in a week!

 

Make sure your onboard budget includes the daily service charge (tips for cabin stewards, restaurant staff and others) of $11.50/person/day ($12 if in a mini-suite or suite).

 

The ship's service staff more than earn this "voluntary" tip which is added to your onboard account each day.

[momthecruisedirector]

When using a credit/debit card be sure to call your bank ahead of time and let them know you will be using your card outside of your normal spending area. They may suspect fraud and put a hold on your account - a great service if someone did steal your card but an inconvenience if you are trying to, say, buy a pina colada in Puerto rico.

[Kamloops50]

You can buy OBC's thru your TA or Princess up to 10 days :confused: before departure to cover most of your on board expenses. The balance is returned either in cash or your CC (depending on the amount). The hold is done by all cruise lines , the length of the hold depends a lot on the process time of the bank not the cruise line.

[JulieRose]

You can buy OBC's thru your TA or Princess up to 10 days :confused: before departure to cover most of your on board expenses. The balance is returned either in cash or your CC (depending on the amount). The hold is done by all cruise lines , the length of the hold depends a lot on the process time of the bank not the cruise line.

 

We leave a week from today and they let me add OBC yesterday so less than 10 days. Maybe 7?

[doubletree07]

Oooh, that scares me a little, actually. We budgeted $500 spending money each but I have all our excursions, tips and soda cards budgeted separately. I can't see why it wouldn't be enough but I've never cruised before so I can't be sure. We'll find out in a week!

 

Julie - you should be just fine. Not to mention those "gifts" waiting for you when you board. You might just come home with some money!! Best wishes for a wonderful wedding, a great cruise and a happy marriage. :) We will be celebrating our 51st anniversary this month. April wedding seem to stick. LOL

[Cobraman]

In the past we have not noticed the "hold" charges on our CC, but we just got back from a Princess cruise and noted several small "pending" charges which dropped off one at a time over the course of a few days.

 

The CC is a corporate AmEx which routinely carries very large balances associated with running our business.

 

I'm beginning to think the cruising industry has been forced to alter their policies to match the changing economic climate.

[nho9504]

The incremental daily hold Princess does, has been in practice for several years already.

 

In general, CC companies do NOT release the hold without X days have passed and the vendor has not billed against the hold.

 

The X days depends on issuers and even with the same issuer, some cards have a much longer hold than other cards issued the the same bank.

 

Chase releases hold after 7 days no matching billing.

 

Ditto AMEX, sometimes even earlier.

 

Ditto some Financial institutions cards such as from Fidelity, that are managed by former MBNA, now part of Bank of America.

 

Citi - it usually takes 2 weeks before a hold would drop off. There are times it takes an entire month before the hold would drop off!

 

The problem of Princess' practice is, their final bills would NEVER match with their holds - because the hold they do it every night, is the ENTIRE folio's amount of that night's balance, regardless the previous night they have already put a hold on the balance of that previous night.

 

To give an illustration:

 

Day 1, there are the hotel charges of $22. Hold goes on that, plus an unspecified reserve. Let's say the total amount put on hold is $122 for convenience sake.

 

Day 2, another $22 daily hotel charge added to the folio, making the total 144.

You would think the additional hold should be the 2nd $22. Nope. The hold goes to your CC is the entire of $144 of Day 2.

 

Day 3, and so on so forth, each day Princess put the ENTIRE folio's balance on your CC as a new hold.

 

So now you have a bunch of holds on your CC but the aggregated total is a lot bigger than the bill would / should have been.

 

To make things worse, when Princess sends the final bill, instead of sending it against one of the previous holds, it simply sends a new amount, a new bill. Since no actual bill ever matches the previous holds, the CC by contracts with the merchants, have to keep the hold (authorization for payment) in place until the necessary amount of time to pass, and the holds would drop off day by day till they are all gone - killed by the time passage if you will.

 

I have noticed the above several years ago and have a long discussion with the purser desk on this topic - and they confirmed to me that was how the daily hold being done - not an incremental amount but the whole folio's balance of that night.

 

Now why would anyone travel with a low limit credit card is beyond me.

 

Hotels do the same thing, especially the more expensive hotels - they put an X amount of dollars or euros on your CC at check-in. When we stayed at InterContinental Le Grand at Paris a couple years ago, the front desk showed us a sheet on how much per guest per day the hotel would put a hold on your CC. I recall it is like 75 euro per person per day. So 150 euro would be put on the card, our 5 days stay would have 750 euro put on the card at check-in. To the hotel, this amount actually is kind of low when a cocktail at the lobby bar costs 15 euro or more. One can easily exceed the daily hold if one dine at the hotel's restaurant where the appetizers are priced at 20 to 30 euro and the Mains are 3 times of that...

 

You can imagine the detrimental effect on a low limit card when you have several hotel stays in several cities...

 

Our cards all have high enough limits so I never really care about how much the holds are. However if your cards are of low limits, one way to work around is to give the hotel a card you do not plan to use for your trip, let the holds go on that card. Then at check out, give the hotel the card you intend to use for the trip (so you would earn reward points, cash rebates, whatever reward program your card has.)

 

As for paying everything in cash or debit card - well, this may be someone's way to control spending because s/he does not have the discipline to not over-spend, so a credit card might not be suitable.

 

However, for the majority of folks, credit card is far far more superior than cash or debit card - for one thing, you dont need to carry a lot of cash which if lost, is totally irreplaceable. Credit card also offers protection on mis-charge, over-charge, fraudulent charge. These days most credit cards earn some sort of reward - even a measly 1% rebate is still better than nothing pays you back should you use cash, especially in today's 0% interest rate environment. The banks pay you back when you spend your money - how could one not take the "free money" via using a credit card?

Finally, hold on debit card takes a lot longer to drop off - but instead of freezing your "imaginary money" which is your credit line, the hold on your debit card freezes your REAL Money - your money in the bank that you cannot touch!

 

Whoever opts to only use cash or debit card really deprives him/herself a lot of protection and benefit. Not to mention that companies such as rental car, normally dont take debit card unless pre-approved via some arrangement.

 

Serious, it is hard to believe in these days and time, we still have issues using credit cards.

[JulieRose]

Julie - you should be just fine. Not to mention those "gifts" waiting for you when you board. You might just come home with some money!! Best wishes for a wonderful wedding, a great cruise and a happy marriage. :) We will be celebrating our 51st anniversary this month. April wedding seem to stick. LOL

 

:eek: 51st?!?! Wow, I don't even know if I have that many years left in me but here's hoping! Happy anniversary to you!

[nho9504]

It may be happening to you also.

 

You would not even know it is happening unless:

 

a) All the holds put you over your credit limit

or

b) You can look at your account online and see the holds (most banks do not display this information)

 

You might want to call your bank and ask if holds such as these are ever used by them.

 

Virtually all banks display the hold information one way or the other.

 

Chase, AMEX, BofA, display them in a very clear, itemized fashion - individual pending charge with the merchant's name and the amount.

 

Citi, Capital One dont display the itemized pending charges. However, you can figure the TOTAL pending amount by way of checking your Available credit. If there is no pending amount, (no hold exists), your available credit should be the difference of your available credit minus the BILLED charges. For example, your available credit is 10,000, you have a total of 300 being already BILLED, your available credit now should be 9700 - however, your available credit is only 9250. Now you know there is 450 hold on your account. However you have no idea what makes up the 450 other than call the bank to find out. Although hopefully you have a rough idea of what you have charged, but not show up as BILLED yet.

 

I dont know why some folks are getting so uptight when they have authorizations put on the cards - authorization or "hold" does not mean Billed. Until the amount is billed and you think the billed items are not correct, you dont need to get so worked up.

 

Has anyone seen some gas stations would put a $100 hold on the card when you use your card at the pump? This happens quite often especially at locations near highways, based on my experiences.

[sonnenschein]

I was severely scolded for bringing up the same points you did about using low limit credit cards on cruises or other travel. Still don't understand why I was attacked for being mean spirited while just explaining the facts. One fellow poster made me out to be a rich b...., who doesn't understand how hard it is for some people to afford the money to cruise. I was really taken aback by that attitude,since riches $$$ have not come to me yet,I am just careful with my money and have excellent credit with pretty high limits because of it. So thanks for your post,hopefully you don't get "stoned" by pointing out reality. Gloria

[nho9504]

I was severely scolded for bringing up the same points you did about using low limit credit cards on cruises or other travel. Still don't understand why I was attacked for being mean spirited while just explaining the facts. One fellow poster made me out to be a rich b...., who doesn't understand how hard it is for some people to afford the money to cruise. I was really taken aback by that attitude,since riches $$$ have not come to me yet,I am just careful with my money and have excellent credit with pretty high limits because of it. So thanks for your post,hopefully you don't get "stoned" by pointing out reality. Gloria

 

Those who stoned you have some self-esteem issues. I know when I say that I would be stoned pretty well too but I couldn't care less. :D

 

Like I said, if one cannot discipline one's spending if using a plastic (CC) then yes, that person should stay with cash (and not even debit card because s/he can run up a lot of overdraft!)

 

However, why anyone with the slightest intelligence would shun credit card which offers lots more protection and earn reward, but use the easy to lose cash and the debit card which although banks all advertise the added protection the banks offer on fraudulent charges, in reality, the LAW does not offer the same level of protection as it offers to the credit card.

 

Also, it is just plain common sense that one should not rely on a low limit credit card when one travels.

 

I totally agree with you, having high credit limit is not something that is born with - it usually is a result from hardworking, paying your bills in time, do not carry high revolving balances or maxing out all your credit line ... In short, folks have high credit limits mostly EARN such privilege rather than it is being dropped to their laps from the sky...

 

Ironically, the person whose credit card goes over limit frequently would have negative impact on his / her credit score and his / her credit profile does not look good in the bank's eyes. Therefore his / her credit limit would have less chance to be lifted by the issuers.

 

A good credit history and score open a lot of doors to earn all sorts of sign up bonuses and reward programs that usually come with the high end cards.

 

I dont see what is wrong with that when you have earned that good mark and take advantage of it. We certainly do and not be ashamed of it at all.

[sonnenschein]

Those who stoned you have some self-esteem issues. I know when I say that I would be stoned pretty well too but I couldn't care less. :D

 

Like I said, if one cannot discipline one's spending if using a plastic (CC) then yes, that person should stay with cash (and not even debit card because s/he can run up a lot of overdraft!)

 

However, why anyone with the slightest intelligence would shun credit card which offers lots more protection and earn reward, but use the easy to lose cash and the debit card which although banks all advertise the added protection the banks offer on fraudulent charges, in reality, the LAW does not offer the same level of protection as it offers to the credit card.

 

Also, it is just plain common sense that one should not rely on a low limit credit card when one travels.

 

I totally agree with you, having high credit limit is not something that is born with - it usually is a result from hardworking, paying your bills in time, do not carry high revolving balances or maxing out all your credit line ... In short, folks have high credit limits mostly EARN such privilege rather than it is being dropped to their laps from the sky...

 

Ironically, the person whose credit card goes over limit frequently would have negative impact on his / her credit score and his / her credit profile does not look good in the bank's eyes. Therefore his / her credit limit would have less chance to be lifted by the issuers.

 

A good credit history and score open a lot of doors to earn all sorts of sign up bonuses and reward programs that usually come with the high end cards.

 

I dont see what is wrong with that when you have earned that good mark and take advantage of it. We certainly do and not be ashamed of it at all.

I agree with you 100%,a little financial discipline can go a long way and the rewards are great. If you red my original post you knew I worked in banking and know the pitfalls of debit cards. I love my reward credit cards,I use their money for 31 days,then pay the bill in full and get cash back on top of it. Why would I ever let any merchant or cruise co. take money directly out of my checking account :eek: especially while I am out of town on a ship, dumb, if you ask me. OK enough already.live and let live,but do it smartly, Gloria:)

[JulieRose]

Not attacking anyone but we always refuse the credit limit hikes because, that way, there is no way we can get ourselves in trouble with credit. Maybe we have self control issues but if our credit limits are low, we know we can always pay off our bills at a moments notice even if we max the cards. This is what works for us in our daily lives so we have to figure out how we can make this work for us on cruises as well.

 

I don't think everyone with a high limit credit card is rich but they obviously have proven to their credit company that they are responsible for what they spend. I don't envy those with a high credit limit either. To be perfectly frank, we're young and college educated but, unfortunately, our current incomes deem us decidedly lower middle class so if we want something, we save for it. This also proves that we are responsible and honestly, I kinda resent being looked down on for not spending beyond our means and keeping our credit limits at rates that are manageable for us. Shouldn't we be allowed to enjoy cruising too even if we have to *gasp* pay cash for it?

[caribill]

I don't envy those with a high credit limit either. To be perfectly frank, we're young and college educated but, unfortunately, our current incomes deem us decidedly lower middle class so if we want something, we save for it. This also proves that we are responsible and honestly.

 

It is good that you are both so financially responsible. This will help you to have a great future together.

[BLS]

I always gift myself on board and casino credits before my cruise.

 

Any issues with getting the cash from the casio credits?

Mahalo,

Bev

[Sarapdot]

This may seem silly to some but for me (on a budget) it was a little bit of a mishap and will teach me not to use a debit card for my onboard account. I used my debit card for my onboard account, I knew my paycheck would be deposited the friday we were on the cruise. I assumed my card would be charged sometime saturday night or sunday morning for the total charges. Friday morning very early on the ship I bought a coffee and got a little notice to see guest services. They told me my card did not have enough money on it. I asked why they were charging my card halfway through the cruise. They said they periodically charge your card to check your available balance. By this time my paycheck should have been in the bank and covered the charges. I went to the HUB and checked my account online and sure enough it was there. So I had to go to my room and get my debit card and take it to GS to have them run it again before my S&s card was usefull again. Once they ran it I was fine but it was still a silly mishap to me. I will use cash from now on!!!

[marilynbn]

I have read this entire thread and have question. If I pre pay my ship excursions before I board then there should be a credit on my account when I board. When I board I also give a credit card for additional ship costs. If my ship board account credit is say $1000 and I go on an excursion on Monday that is $200 will my credit card be held that amount or will the 200 come off of the 1000 credit?

 

I am trying to avoid holds to my CC account so that I am not charged in full at the end of cruise and then also waiting for the holds to fall off the account. In essence I don't want there to be $1000 in holds for my excursions and then pay that bill at the end of the cruise and still have the "hold" money unavailable to me for days and days.

 

I hope this scenario is clear. My last cruise was in Sept. 2011 and I had no issues but this time we are going to Alaska and spending a lot more on excursions so I don't want that tied up.

 

 

I just looked at our old folio and it looks like at the first day of the cruise they held $150 on my account and $50 on my husbands account...we used one CC for ship charges.

 

What is a typical per day hold besides the $11.50 gratuity? Does anyone know?

 

~Marilyn

[cherylandtk]

Marilyn,

The $200 will come off the $1000 balance. Nothing is actually charged to your card until the end of the cruise. The amount of the holds and the frequency depends on how much you spend and when.

 

An initial authorization hold of about $300 is placed per person at the beginning at the cruise, when you check-in shoreside and which is usually dropped off by the end of the cruise and never noticed (unless your CC has a limit less than $300).

 

A daily hold authorization will be made on subsequent days, IF you have a balance on your account. If you have no balance, or a credit balance, no holds are placed on those days.

 

Unless you have a low available credit limit (or are close to your max) you will never see any impact from the holds. Holds are placed by gas stations, hotels and cruise companies on a routine basis. Most people never notice them unless they are bumping up against their limit or they are checking online to see what charges are pending. If you are waiting days and days for hold to clear, you need to express your dissatisfaction to your bank.