Final payment question

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

I am not sure if it makes a difference, however I noticed the travel agent we use, normally gives a final payment date of about 7-10 days earlier then when the direct Princess bookings says it is due.

 

I believe their reasoning is if for some reason your credit card did not go through, you have a few extra days to resolve it before Princess is expecting final payment.

 

David & Ellen

 

Mine does the same thing also for those reasons.

[iceleven]

I don't like to pay early either so I pay the deposit and authorized final payment on the due date on the same card. It happens automatically then and I'm done.

 

We rarely book a cruise that far in advance (generally only 3 months out, at the most) so we always pay in full right up front. But this last cruise was booked early enough that we were able to just use a FCC for deposit so I decided to just see how well this system works.

 

When I spoke to the Princess agent she guaranteed that they would post, from my credit card on file, the final payment when final payment was due. So I tested it to see if it actually worked. I checked twice on the due date and still no payment. By 3 in the afternoon, PST, I decided to go ahead and pay on line because they still did not show a payment having been made. I just couldn't take a chance that they would screw up. Maybe it would have worked had I been more patient but I didn't feel good about it.

 

Does anyone know, from experience, when their payment actually went through?

[beg3yrs]

If using a TA, you should always deal with a TA that gives your charge card number to Princess to take care of the payment. The TA never sees any money in its own account in order to get any benefit from it.

 

If the TA is putting the payment in its own account and then later paying Princess, run, don't walk, to another TA.

 

I agree completely. Several years ago I was advised to be sure a TA placed the card charge directly with Princess and I did just that a few days early to be safe. Two days later the TA went out of business but since we'd had them pay directly to Princess, we were OK.

 

Unfortunately the friends who gave us the advice, did not follow it themselves and lost their booking. While their card charges were refunded by the card company, they had to rebook directly with Princess at a higher price.

[Treven]

If using a TA, you should always deal with a TA that gives your charge card number to Princess to take care of the payment. The TA never sees any money in its own account in order to get any benefit from it.

 

If the TA is putting the payment in its own account and then later paying Princess, run, don't walk, to another TA.

Within a day or two of instructing my TA to take $xxx from my credit card, I'll see a debit on my card to Princess and Santa Clarita, so I know the pymt was made directly.

[thyme2go]

How quickly does Princess credit the payment if you book and pay directly through them?:confused: I assume there would be a confirmation number that would verify that you paid on the date you contacted them.

[roomba920]

We paid in full about 2 weeks before the final due date, because we were satisfied we got the best price and cabin and didn't want to change anything. Plus we wanted to get it out of the way and rest assured we were locked in. If you don't pay by the final due date, your reservation is cancelled, and we didn't want to risk that.

[roomba920]

How quickly does Princess credit the payment if you book and pay directly through them?:confused: I assume there would be a confirmation number that would verify that you paid on the date you contacted them.

 

We got our confirmation via e-mail within minutes after paying.

[Mickeyc5]

My auto pay came through today which was the due date for the balance. Gotta tell you though y'all made me nervous. I think next time I'll just pay it all up front for peace of mind;-/

[AZbeachboy]

How quickly does Princess credit the payment if you book and pay directly through them?:confused: I assume there would be a confirmation number that would verify that you paid on the date you contacted them.

 

I now book directly with Princess and I get a reference number right away.