3% international charge on MC & Visa how does princess handle charges?

[kgn]

I just recently booked an excursion for our upcoming dec. cruise. I booked the dolphin swim in Cozumel through the park directly and when I got my statement from Visa it had an aditional 3% charge because it was "international". I called my credit card company to inquire and they said this was new on most visa & mc.

 

This got me thinking when I get on board and give my credit card for my on board charges will Princess be charging it through the US or through the island in wich they are registerd and therefore making it an "international" charge. That would add 3% to a usually hefty bill (we are a family of four sailing).

 

Has anyone else experienced this or know how Princess handles their charges?:confused:

[patlanta]

First, in traveling all over the world with Princess we have not incurred these fees for any charges, and we've mostly used a Discover credit card.

 

That said, the fee you were charged is getting a lot of discussion on the Oceania board. The fee is appearing in addition to deposit and final Oceania payment charges. The fee is called the Dynamic Currency Conversion &/or Foreign Transaction Fee. Some people get hit with it and some people do not. The Oceania board has been trying to narrow down the culprits since July and the "best" resolution to date has been to see if the fee appears on your credit card statement and then work with your TA reversing the charge and using another credit card.

[kgn]

Patlanta:

 

You are correct this just started in July. Have you cruised on Princess since that time and still not incurred this fee?

[Cruise Junky]

What could a TA do to reverse a credit card fee? that would be like asking my TA to reverse my ATM fees? It's a standard fee, just like an ATM card. Check what type of credit card you have on-line and it will list your fees attached with that card. If you're not happy switch cards.

[Pam in CA]

Princess is a U.S. corporation with headquarters in Santa Clarita, CA. Your onboard account will be charged to your card in US$ in the US. There should not be any additional international charge.

 

If you book or charge something internationally, you should assume you're going to be charged based on the country's currancy exchange rate plus any fees. If you exchange US$ internationally, there is sometimes a fee in addition to the exchange rate. I'm guessing this is pretty much the same thing.

[patlanta]

Sorry, Cruise Junky for not being clear--the entire payment charge is credited, not just the charge for the fee.

 

Kgn, no I have not cruised on Princess since July; switched to Celebrity then.

[LHT28]

Here is a link to tell what cards charge the fee

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20020513c.asp

For U.S. cards I am still looking for a Canadian list

[cherylandtk]

Princess is a U.S. corporation with headquarters in Santa Clarita, CA. Your onboard account will be charged to your card in US$ in the US. .

 

This is true for US passengers only. If your country of citizenship is not the US, Princess will charge your onboard account in your local currency, and yes, with a conversion charge. UNLESS you 1-check the box on the BACK of the form used at check-in which says something like "charge my account in US Dollars" and 2- verify with the Pursers office the night or two before the end of the cruise that your account is being charged in dollars.

 

It is usually cheaper to let your bank/credit card company make the conversion. Many of them do charge a conversion fee, but as the post above by LHT28 shows, not all of them and not all at the same rate.

[Pam in CA]

Cheryl... thanks for the clarification.

[cherylandtk]

Pam, not a biggie, just something I learned myself from other cruisers on these boards. Sort of like attending Cruise U!

Cheryl (formerly of San Clemente, CA, just down the road from you)

[HighFlyer]

I am still looking for a Canadian list

http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/publications/ccc/0104/pdfs/SFees-e.pdf

[LHT28]

http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/publications/ccc/0104/pdfs/SFees-e.pdf

 

Thanks

[UKLady]

This is true for US passengers only. If your country of citizenship is not the US, Princess will charge your onboard account in your local currency, and yes, with a conversion charge. UNLESS you 1-check the box on the BACK of the form used at check-in which says something like "charge my account in US Dollars" and 2- verify with the Pursers office the night or two before the end of the cruise that your account is being charged in dollars.

 

It is usually cheaper to let your bank/credit card company make the conversion. Many of them do charge a conversion fee, but as the post above by LHT28 shows, not all of them and not all at the same rate.

 

Just incase any UK passengers are reading this, if, like we did you forget to tick the back of the card then go to the pursers desk during the cruise they wont change it for you. We asked on 3 occasions different staff members and all said no. Make sure you remember to tick it as Princess do charge you for converting your bill into pounds and they also give you a rubbish exchange rate.

 

I have a list of things to remember on my cruise and this is now on that list, the day before im going to stick a post it note to my credit card to remind me. Might seem a little extreme but it can make quite a difference to your bill, especially if you spend a fortune like me!

[espartaco]

I saw in my docs a document that has a chekmark if you don't want Princess to convert dollars in my own currency.

 

My question is it's all I have to do or I have to do again in the port check-in:confused:

 

Thanks for your responses

 

Fernando

[cherylandtk]

Fernando, that's the one you want to check mark. You may have to verify again at check-in, but it is well worth it to be VERY CLEAR at check in that you want your account charged in dollars. It only takes seconds to do, but saves you a lot on the conversion rate.

[bearette]

I just wanted to point out for the people who have MBNA credit cards that there is now a fee for conversions of foreign currency! This happened when they were bought out by Bank Of America. This was done in the last few months so that chart LHT28 posted is a little out of date. The best thing is to check your credit card contract to see exactly what the fee is since it may vary by state. (They all have different laws.)

[cruisequeen10]

Last year this happened to me on my Alaska cruise. I charged a lot of purchases so I could keep my cash. When I got my VISA bill, there was an administrative charge for each item. I did not know this. If I had known, I would have used my MC. They don't charge any extra fees. When I went on the repo cruise this past May, I enquired with MC to see if they had changed their policy, they did not.