what's with credit card preauthorization charge?

[TAD2005]

The original question on this thread was when you file your passport and credit card information on-line, months in advance of your cruise. The poster was concerned that HAL would put a hold on the card for the $60 per day when this information was submitted at that early date. My understanding is that HAL only records your credit card info, and only transmits it to the ship on boarding day. The actual hold of the $30/$60 (depending on cruise length) does not occur until you board the ship and sign the authorization. That is the reason some posters say they check the "cash" box when submitting passport info, and then switch to credit card when they board. Am I right on this ??

[Fouremco]

The original question on this thread was when you file your passport and credit card information on-line, months in advance of your cruise. The poster was concerned that HAL would put a hold on the card for the $60 per day when this information was submitted at that early date. My understanding is that HAL only records your credit card info, and only transmits it to the ship on boarding day. The actual hold of the $30/$60 (depending on cruise length) does not occur until you board the ship and sign the authorization. That is the reason some posters say they check the "cash" box when submitting passport info, and then switch to credit card when they board. Am I right on this ??

It really doesn't matter what you indicate when you do your online check-in. What counts is what you provide at embarkation. I use a CAD credit card for booking the cruise, but provide a USD card for onboard expenses. The hold is only applied at the time of embarkation, not when you do your online checkin, which was the point of confusion for the OP.

[POA1]

The original question on this thread was when you file your passport and credit card information on-line, months in advance of your cruise. The poster was concerned that HAL would put a hold on the card for the $60 per day when this information was submitted at that early date. My understanding is that HAL only records your credit card info, and only transmits it to the ship on boarding day. The actual hold of the $30/$60 (depending on cruise length) does not occur until you board the ship and sign the authorization. That is the reason some posters say they check the "cash" box when submitting passport info, and then switch to credit card when they board. Am I right on this ??

You are correct, but the net result is the same if you check in with a credit card. The actual hold goes on at check-in. It does not matter when you supply the credit card.

 

Holds are generally more of an issue for debit card holders, since it ties up - but does not actually use - money on deposit. For a credit card user, it simply reserves part of the available credit line. (There are cards with no credit line, in which case it doesn't even matter to the card holder.)

[frankc98376]

When we first started cruising, I remember all the announcements on disembarkation morning, asking for Mr. So-and-so or someone from cabin X to report to the front office (or purser's desk... It's been a while.) I haven't heard that in years. It slowed down disembarkation, and was probably pretty humiliating for the unfortunate people who were paged.

 

I believe that there can be mid cruise increases in the hold amount if you start to outpace you original hold. This is based on alerts we've gotten mid cruise from the credit card company.

 

I remember how frustrating that was- no one could disembark until all accounts had been settled. We had to be out of our cabins bright and early and sat in a bar listening to them paging the same people over and over.

[gander]

For me, I am glad they do the hold. What if we had to stand in the Purser line each morning to clear the previous days charge ?? omg

Edited July 27, 2015 by gander

[BruceMuzz]

I get it now. HAL wants to put $420 per person as a hold for a 7 day cruise. This seems excessive.

 

You may be surprised to learn that the cruise lines do not just pull that dollar figure out of the air when they determine how much to "hold".

They look at the average amount of money one of their passengers spends per day on a cruise on one of their ships.

It's not excessive at all. It's Average.

[Sopwith]

I remember years ago, when WalMart first came to our small city of mostly home owned stores where you were known and trusted. I was initially shocked and insulted to have to have my shopping bags stapled shut as I entered the store.

 

About 7 or 8 years ago one of the big box electronic stores in my community decided to post an employee near the exit to check customers' bags before they left the store. When I was stopped by the employee I asked for an explanation, and when she told me I asked her to call the manager. I gave him two options: (1) He could look in the bag, and one of two things would happen: (a) if he found anything that didn't belong I would wait patiently while he called the police and had me charged with shoplifting; or (b) if he didn't find anything that didn't belong, I would take the contents back to the cashier and get a full refund, and I would never be seen again; or (2) he could allow me to leave without looking in the bag.

 

The manager reluctantly chose (2). I chose (1 b). Today the store is out of business.

[tooalto]

I don't have a problem with the hold because I pay my credit cards off every month and have quite a lot of room on them. I'm curious how the cash option works. Does Hal expect a large cash deposit? If the op has a lot of obc couldn't that be taken into consideration on boarding? I'm sure I've seen posts that stated people were able to negotiate and amount but it has been a while.

 

A couple of cruises ago. we found that our only credit card, with plenty of room for all we would need, had been compromised once we arrived at our hotel in FLL. Fortunately I always buy lots of OBC but still had to bring $1200 cash with us in order to check in. We were able to get that much from ATMs and we received it all back in cash on debarking. Needless to say, the first thing we did when we got home was get a second major CC. Now, DH has one and I have the other.

[3rdGenCunarder]

A couple of cruises ago. we found that our only credit card, with plenty of room for all we would need, had been compromised once we arrived at our hotel in FLL. Fortunately I always buy lots of OBC but still had to bring $1200 cash with us in order to check in. We were able to get that much from ATMs and we received it all back in cash on debarking. Needless to say, the first thing we did when we got home was get a second major CC. Now, DH has one and I have the other.

 

As an additional "just in case" thing, we each leave a different credit card home. So if DH loses his wallet or it's stolen, I will have a card that hasn't been compromised. And if I lose my wallet, he'll have a card that hasn't been compromised. Interestingly, our Capital One cards just got changed, and although it's a joint account (one bill, one payment needed), we have different numbers. So if one of us loses the Cap One card, the other card is still good, even after we report the loss/theft.

[Fouremco]

A couple of cruises ago. we found that our only credit card, with plenty of room for all we would need, had been compromised once we arrived at our hotel in FLL. Fortunately I always buy lots of OBC but still had to bring $1200 cash with us in order to check in. We were able to get that much from ATMs and we received it all back in cash on debarking. Needless to say, the first thing we did when we got home was get a second major CC. Now, DH has one and I have the other.

A very sound practise. A number of years ago we spent two wonderful weeks diving in Bonaire and only had one card at the time because it had an excellent points plan. When we went to check out, our card was declined. It turned out that a major big box chain had been hacked and the cards of all customers making recent purchases there were frozen. Fortunately, the owners were trusting and we were able to provide them with a new card number within a week, but that was the last time we held only one card.

[mickey89]

Pre-authorising of your credit card results from a lack of trust that American businesses have with theiir customers. I can remember the first time I drove a hire car in the states and went to refill with fuel, I had to either leave cash or my credit card with the cashier before they would allow the fuel pump to operate, it is not the same in the UK, we are more trusting this side of the pond !

 

Should HAL at least trust their Mariners or is that too much to ask ?

[Globaliser]

I can remember the first time I drove a hire car in the states and went to refill with fuel, I had to either leave cash or my credit card with the cashier before they would allow the fuel pump to operate, it is not the same in the UK, we are more trusting this side of the pond!

It depends where you are. There are plenty of petrol stations in the UK where you have to leave cash or a card before you can fill up, although perhaps only at certain times of the day.

 

And there are plenty of petrol stations in the US that don't require this. So the dynamic may be the same on both sides of the Atlantic.

Should HAL at least trust their Mariners or is that too much to ask?

Hotels don't trust their frequent stayers in this way, so why should HAL be obliged to "trust" its frequent cruisers? The hotel function is the same in both cases.

[jmkennett]

I get it now. HAL wants to put $420 per person as a hold for a 7 day cruise. This seems excessive.

 

HAL has always been excessive with this. Celebrity was half that amount when I was on the Solstice. My argument with it is if I have prepaid shore excursions, spa treatments, specialty dining, etc., they still want to authorize my card $60 pp, even if I have some cabin credits as well. That is excessive. If you have a quad, $240 a day is a bit much, especially if most other things are already paid in advance.

 

The way around it is to say you are going to pay cash. Go onboard, head down to the Front Office and set up the account with cash. I've always start with around $600 for a seven day and add to it if/as needed. Never had a problem.

 

I work in a AAA Five Diamond resort, and we authorize an extra $120 a day on the room. HAL is the same for double occupancy, but double that for a quad. And, on a cruise your food is already paid. At our resort it is not and you can charge it to your room. So, $60 PP, per day, with most food already included, is excessive IMO.

[Fouremco]

HAL has always been excessive with this. Celebrity was half that amount when I was on the Solstice. My argument with it is if I have prepaid shore excursions, spa treatments, specialty dining, etc., they still want to authorize my card $60 pp, even if I have some cabin credits as well. That is excessive. If you have a quad, $240 a day is a bit much, especially if most other things are already paid in advance.

 

The way around it is to say you are going to pay cash. Go onboard, head down to the Front Office and set up the account with cash. I've always start with around $600 for a seven day and add to it if/as needed. Never had a problem.

 

I work in a AAA Five Diamond resort, and we authorize an extra $120 a day on the room. HAL is the same for double occupancy, but double that for a quad. And, on a cruise your food is already paid. At our resort it is not and you can charge it to your room. So, $60 PP, per day, with most food already included, is excessive IMO.

I'd suggest that quad occupancy with everything prepaid is very far from the norm. HAL bases its hold on the average passenger, with some spending less, as in your case, and others spending more. HAL has no way of knowing how much or little each passenger will spend, but it does know what the average passenger has spent historically and has based its rate accordingly.

[jmkennett]

I'd suggest that quad occupancy with everything prepaid is very far from the norm. HAL bases its hold on the average passenger, with some spending less, as in your case, and others spending more. HAL has no way of knowing how much or little each passenger will spend, but it does know what the average passenger has spent historically and has based its rate accordingly.

 

They do know how much is prepaid when you check-in and a lot of people pay many things in advance. Excursions, spa, dining, etc. There are several triples and quads on each sailing. For a 12 night cruise, $2880 (quad) held on your CC is absurd, especially with prepaid items, and exceptions should be made.

[Fouremco]

They do know how much is prepaid when you check-in and a lot of people pay many things in advance. Excursions, spa, dining, etc. There are several triples and quads on each sailing. For a 12 night cruise, $2880 (quad) held on your CC is absurd, especially with prepaid items, and exceptions should be made.

As I said before, they know what has been prepaid but they have no idea what you will spend going forward. Maybe all four of you are wine lovers and will order several bottles of the best HAL has to offer each night. Or maybe you are hard-core gamblers and will be buying hundreds of dollars worth of chips each night. The key is that, no matter what you might have pre-paid, they have no possible way of knowing what you will spend going forward.

 

Also, while HAL might have that prepaid information in its databanks, they are not going to try to prepare a separate hold amount for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of passengers it carries every year. They do have an average spending figure, however, and that's what they base their hold on. And it is only a hold after all, not a charge.

[cruz chic]

They do know how much is prepaid when you check-in and a lot of people pay many things in advance. Excursions, spa, dining, etc. There are several triples and quads on each sailing. For a 12 night cruise, $2880 (quad) held on your CC is absurd, especially with prepaid items, and exceptions should be made.

 

Have you ever contacted Hal? I've seen posters on this board say they were able to get the amounts reduced.

[sail7seas]

Pre-authorising of your credit card results from a lack of trust that American businesses have with theiir customers. I can remember the first time I drove a hire car in the states and went to refill with fuel, I had to either leave cash or my credit card with the cashier before they would allow the fuel pump to operate, it is not the same in the UK, we are more trusting this side of the pond !

 

Should HAL at least trust their Mariners or is that too much to ask ?

 

Wow, were you ever lucky the hotel was willing to have you leave the island without paying your bill. Most would charge you with defrauding an innkeeper or whatever is similar charge in that country/state. :eek:

 

No, HAL should not at least trust their Mariners. Why should they? Because they paid their bill last 5 cruises is no guarantee about the 6th. That is what the hold is about....... a guarantee they will get their bill paid.

 

Anyone who doesn't want to secure their OBC with either credit card or cash can stay on the ship with no charging privileges. Pre-pay your hotel service charge and not buy a drink, coffee, t shirt....... not buy anything for the whole cruise. That sure doesn't sound like all that much fun, to me. :D

 

[kazu]

Pre-authorising of your credit card results from a lack of trust that American businesses have with theiir customers. I can remember the first time I drove a hire car in the states and went to refill with fuel, I had to either leave cash or my credit card with the cashier before they would allow the fuel pump to operate, it is not the same in the UK, we are more trusting this side of the pond !

 

Should HAL at least trust their Mariners or is that too much to ask ?

 

I don't mean to pick on your post and maybe it is more trusting there, BUT, it seems to me that when I booked my hotels in the U.K., they wanted my credit card to guarantee the reservation. What's the difference? They also wanted it at check in for any charges and yes, there were holds in place.

 

Let's get real everyone, basically all companies that are providing a service that you pay later are going to put a hold on your account. Some are higher than others - but they all do it. Hotels, auto rentals, gas pumps, cruise lines, etc.

 

It's simple business to make sure the bill will be paid. Whether or not you are Mariner doesn't mean you are a good bill payer (with no insult intended to anyone). HAL is just exercising prudent business management.

 

I guess I don't get it, but it's fine by me. Beats waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Deadbeat to be called for the 45th time like in days of old.

[Lizzie68]

Pre-authorising of your credit card results from a lack of trust that American businesses have with theiir customers. I can remember the first time I drove a hire car in the states and went to refill with fuel, I had to either leave cash or my credit card with the cashier before they would allow the fuel pump to operate, it is not the same in the UK, we are more trusting this side of the pond !

 

Should HAL at least trust their Mariners or is that too much to ask ?

 

It's not just in the US at all. We go back to the UK frequently, and hire a car. While we prefer to pay in cash, we have to give them our credit details anyway as security. Makes perfect sense to me. And ditto with many gas stations (petrol to you:)) where we had to go inside to pay or leave our CC before we could gas up. I don't ever recall having to do that here. Otherwise, I find it very much the same in the UK as it is on this side of the pond.

[Ricktan]

Pre-authorising of your credit card results from a lack of trust that American businesses have with theiir customers. I can remember the first time I drove a hire car in the states and went to refill with fuel, I had to either leave cash or my credit card with the cashier before they would allow the fuel pump to operate, it is not the same in the UK, we are more trusting this side of the pond !

 

Should HAL at least trust their Mariners or is that too much to ask ?

 

As a business owner in the US, I point to the old saying old ...one bad apple, etc, etc. 99% of my customers are awesome, wonderful, trust worthy people.....but that 1% can do a lot of damage and I'm more concerned with protecting my business and my family's source of income than I am about about hurting someone's feelings when I request a deposit. Of you are honest and planning to pay, why would a hold upset you? You would probably never dream of sticking someone with an unpaid debt but there are some out there that will do so with a big smile on their face......

[PatsyAnne]

There was something in either a CC post or a travel article a few years ago that mentioned the percentage of people who were unable to cover their bill at the end of the cruise. Does anyone else remember this, because I can't seem to find it now. All I remember is that it was much higher than I would have expected.

[iancal]

Trust but Verify!

 

This is normal business practice. It has happened to us in car rentals, hotels, etc in North America, UK, Europe, Asia...just about everywhere. It is why we like a credit card with a high limit.

 

It is such a common practice that many people do not know about it. Why should the vendor be stuck with a deadbeat customer when they can protect themselves. Who says a four star mariner is not a dead beat...give the chance. I am sure that this group has the same percentage as others in the same demographic and socioeconomic group.

[Stratheden]

Pre-authorising of your credit card results from a lack of trust that American businesses have with theiir customers. I can remember the first time I drove a hire car in the states and went to refill with fuel, I had to either leave cash or my credit card with the cashier before they would allow the fuel pump to operate, it is not the same in the UK, we are more trusting this side of the pond !

 

Should HAL at least trust their Mariners or is that too much to ask ?

 

You are incorrect in saying that it is an American distrust. Every hotel in Europe, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ and the US have asked for my credit card when I check in - and I always have prepaid bookings. This is to cover any phone call or mini-bar purchases that I may make.

[jmkennett]

As I said before, they know what has been prepaid but they have no idea what you will spend going forward. Maybe all four of you are wine lovers and will order several bottles of the best HAL has to offer each night. Or maybe you are hard-core gamblers and will be buying hundreds of dollars worth of chips each night. The key is that, no matter what you might have pre-paid, they have no possible way of knowing what you will spend going forward.

 

Also, while HAL might have that prepaid information in its databanks, they are not going to try to prepare a separate hold amount for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of passengers it carries every year. They do have an average spending figure, however, and that's what they base their hold on. And it is only a hold after all, not a charge.

 

My disagreement is when the triple or quad has one or two children. To authorize $1440 for two teenagers, on a 12 day cruise, is ridiculous. Or for that matter, two seven year olds is even more ridiculous. They may purchase a few soft drinks, but that is about it.

 

If a guest goes above and beyond their spending the front office can adjust the authorizations throughout the cruise. In a hotel, night audit tracks spending every night and makes adjustments if needed. A computer program lists the guests who are close to their limits.

 

HAL very easily can do the same as the computer systems are built to do it. If you reach your authorization limit, your account is cutoff, just like in real life. There is no financial risk to the cruise line. You try to buy a spa treatment and you already have bought $4000 in wine, then no spa treatment unless more authorizations are put through on your card. Simple!

 

No, it's not a charge, but unless it is the usual AMEX, is still ties up available credit until the authorization falls off. This does not happen until the final charge goes through and in some cases a few days after that. If you have, say a $5000 limit, and are travelling before and after the cruise, tying up $3000 in authorizations, when you may only spend $1000 is not ideal. Other cruise lines don't authorize nearly as much as HAL, so not sure why they need to do this.

Edited July 29, 2015 by jmkennett