PRE PAID Credit card on board account.

[bobontheblue]

Today I received a very generous gift of 2 Visa gift cards for my upcoming cruise. Total 200.00 to spend onboard as I wish. My question is, will they even allow me to apply these to my onboard account. In all my years of cruising I have never had the opportunity to ever use a prepaid gift Visa.

I really would like to tell the person who so generously gave them to me what a thoughtful present and how the gift added to my vacation.

Thank you in advance for your feedback. :)

[caribill]

First, read the fine print that comes with the gift cards. Sometimes it says they cannot be used on cruises (or at ATMs to get cash).

 

I know that a gift card cannot be used as the card for your onboard account to be charged at the end of the cruise. I do not know if one can be used just to apply to your account, but I would not count on it.

 

Onboard Boutiques will take Visa cards as well as the cruise card, but you may not want that much merchandise on the cruise.

 

You may want to consider using the gift cards to purchase everyday items on shore before you leave for the cruise such as your normal grocery shopping or filling you gas tank. Then just take the $200 cash you would have spent on groceries and gas along on the cruise.

Edited October 20, 2014 by caribill

[Pam in CA]

Bill, would he be able to pre-purchase OBC using the Visa gift cards? If it works, he'd have that credit on his account to use for onboard purchases.

[caribill]

Bill, would he be able to pre-purchase OBC using the Visa gift cards? If it works, he'd have that credit on his account to use for onboard purchases.

 

That sounds like a great idea. All the OP has to do is call Princess and try.

 

bobontheblue - as Pam suggests, give Princess a call. Tell them you want to purchase $200 of On Board Credit and see if they will take the gift card numbers. With a normal credit card purchase they would ask for the expiration date and possibly the name on the card (there is usually none on the gift card). It is worth trying with the gift (debit) cards.

[bobontheblue]

Not long after posting the question I did what I should have done in the first place. I searched the forums on this site.

Pam once again , bang on the advice.

Will try to purchase OBC through my TA, using the cards.

Thanks once again.:)

[greenie082756]

On our last cruise with gift cards I was told by Princess that since my name was not on the cards they could not accept them. These were strictly gift cards not a debit/credit card. :)

[M4dC0w]

Too many frauds with gift visa cards, that's why a lot of venders don't accept them.

 

Criminals use a stolen credit card to buy the cards and takes months before it is found out and reversed cancelling the gift cards.. leaving the vendors holdin the losses.

[DES07]

My bank has a debit card called vitual cash and that isn't linked with your checking or savings account. but you can transfer money on to it and use it for your account on the ship. That is what we are going to do on our up coming cruise. It has my name and exp date on it. I bank with Midfirst.

 

Good luck

[caribill]

My bank has a debit card called vitual cash and that isn't linked with your checking or savings account. but you can transfer money on to it and use it for your account on the ship. That is what we are going to do on our up coming cruise. It has my name and exp date on it. I bank with Midfirst.

 

 

That works because it is not a gift card with no name on it.