Is a credit card a MUST to cruise on Carnival?

[Athankfulheart]

I have actually booked a carnival cruise over the phone using my checking account ( electronic check). Long story why that was my only option at the time. Just wanted you to know that this was possible. By the time I cruised, my card situation was rectified and we were good to go. I also scored an upgrade to an aft wrap one day and my bank was having card issues that day (we have since changed banks). The lady said that she couldn't hold the upgrade without payment so she took an E-check and set the pmt deadline out far enough for it to clear so the system wouldn't auto - dump the reservation.

[makeda]

I do not travel with a credit card. I purchase bank debit cards which are ok for my sail and sign and most other purchases (not rental cars or hotels). Works beautifully for me. I don't understand your TA, won't they accept cash?

[april_4_us]

One thing i would mention is that you get holds alot while traveling. Say you book a hotel for 125 pn they put a hold for 250 that may not fall of for 3 to 5 days. Same worth booking a car. I know to put on our sign and sail card it's 250 pp.

I would always have a cc for back up. Also let you credit union or bank know your traveling if your using your debit card so they don't flag it for fraud.

[crusinpsychRN]

They put a hold against a debit card. Don't use one.

[Justwant2cruise]

I would say No , why would a cc be required to travel in general , I know some hotels require a card but a pre paid one works fine , even with the hold they put on them if you plan correctly it's no big deal. Sounds like your agent doesn't like to deal with cash , maybe a new TA agent is needed

[Doggielover68]

As many have said, it's not required, but I prefer to have it at least for emergencies. I would suggest buying carnival gift cards. They are available at many places, Lowes, grocery stores, warehouse stores, etc.

 

 

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[peppergal]

One other thing to consider is how much do you trust that TA? If the TA is playing financial games or goes bankrupt and you paid by cash or check, you can pretty much kiss that money goodbye. If you paid by credit card you have the option of going through the bank for a refund.

 

If it is a huge TA the risk is usually minimal, but we hear stories a few times a year with smaller ones. Google the recent bankruptcy of hoteling aka LowCostHolidays for an example of people that ended up either losing their reservations or having to pay again directly to the vendor.

[Florings]

We have always used cash! Never a single credit card.

[meatloafsfan]

From the Carnival Website:

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/568/~/forms-of-payment

 

Forms of Payment

 

We accept the following forms of payment as noted below.

 

Credit Cards

 

We accept the following credit cards as a form of payment for your cruise reservation, online shore excursion purchases and online spa service purchases:

American Express Card

MasterCard

Visa

The Discover Card

Diner’s Club

 

Carnival Gift Card

We accept Carnival Gift Cards as a form of payment for your cruise reservations, online shore excursion purchases and online spa service purchases.

 

If a guest uses their Carnival Gift Card and then later cancels, any refund due back to the guest will be sent in the form of a new Carnival Gift Card. It will be mailed to the address on the booking profile and take 5-10 business days.

 

Gift Cards

We accept the following gift cards as a form of payment for your cruise reservations, online shore excursion purchases and online spa service purchases:

American Express Gift Card

MasterCard Gift Card

Visa Gift Card

The Discover Card Gift Card

Diner’s Club Gift Card

 

It is important to retain the credit card gift card in the event of cancellation and refund due. Guests will need to call the gift card issuing bank (800 number listed on the back of the card) and provide the gift card number used in order for them to issue a new gift card for the credit due.

 

Debit Cards

We accept the following Debit Cards as a form of payment for your cruise reservations, online shore excursion purchases and online spa service purchases:

MasterCard Debit Card

Visa Debit Card

 

Personal Checks

We accept personal checks as a form of payment for your cruise reservation. Please note the following:

A personal check (sent via mail) is accepted as a form of payment up to 21 business days prior to the sail date.

We prefer check payment be submitted through CashPro Biller. These checks will be accepted up to10 business days prior to the sail date.

Any check returned due to non-sufficient funds (NSF) will be charged $25 USD.

 

Additional Forms of Payment

We also accept the following as a form of payment for your cruise reservation.

Credit Card Issued-Check

Cashier's Check

Bank Check

Certified Check

Money Order

Western Union ‘Quick Collect’

MoneyGram Express Payment

Bank Wire

 

So no, it's not necessary to have a credit card to book a Carnival Cruise and as you have noted, it's not necessary onboard.

 

As many have stated already in this thread though - a credit card for emergencies is recommended by most people.

[Cocochanel26]

No you don't need a CC to cruise. You can book your cruise with a debit card or gift cards you have purchased at grocery stores. On the cruise itself you can use cash, a gift card, CC, or a debit card for money. I wouldn't use a debit card.

[maldenmusic]

I guess I never thought about the other payment methods. We always use our Carnival MC to book our cruises then get $$ off the cost when we pay it because of the points earned.

[bigd332]

I was just going to say the exact same thing. You don't technically need to a credit card to book a cruise, but I think you are out of your mind if you are going to travel without one.

 

Otherwise, what is your plan to deal with an emergency that comes up? For example, on my last cruise, my husband fell and hurt his knee on the ship. He ended up needing surgery, but because the ship's doctor misdiagnosed him, he didn't have the surgery until we got home. But had he been diagnosed correctly on the ship, we would have been left in Nassau. We would have been faced with having to pay the hospital up-front, pay for new flights home, and I would have had to pay for a hotel in Nassau while he was in the hospital.

 

So again, if that happened to you, how would you pay for all of this until you can get reimbursed from your medical or travel insurance if you don't have a credit card or a debit card with enough money to cover all of the expenses?

 

 

 

Trip insurance!!

 

 

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[LMaxwell]

Trip insurance!!

 

 

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Most trip reinsurance reimburses your expenses. Some pay up front, but most do not. You still have to pay your costs out of pocket at time of services and then file a claim.

[DebJ14]

Your TA may insist on payment by card. They might not like handling cash, but if that's the issue they mat accept a cashier's cheque.

 

Make sure if you are paying by cash or check that the TA is signed up for Funship Pay, so they can send the funds electronically. Otherwise, they might arrive late and the booking could cancel.

 

If they have to FEDEX a check to Miami, they may not want to accept a cash or check because of the extra expense, which they might pass on to you.

 

If you pay the TA by check, make sure it is a cashiers check. No TA in their right mind will pay for your cruise until the check you gave them has cleared the bank.

 

But, it is safer for you to pay with a credit card. If the TA or the cruise line go out of business you can get your money back from the credit card company. It happened to us on Commodore and The Big Red Boat. If you don't think cruise lines go bankrupt then you missed the closings of the two already mentioned, plus Royal Olympic, Regent (not Regent Seven Seas), and Renaissance. It was rough after 9/11.

[bigd332]

Most trip reinsurance reimburses your expenses. Some pay up front, but most do not. You still have to pay your costs out of pocket at time of services and then file a claim.

 

 

 

What if your trip insurance is primary coverage

 

 

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[DebJ14]

What if your trip insurance is primary coverage

 

 

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That means you don't have to file with your health insurance or homeowners insurance first. But, it still usually means you pay the expenses out of pocket and are reimbursed by the travel insurance. In some foreign countries you have to pay the hospital BEFORE being treated. At the very least, most will not let you leave the hospital until the bill is paid.

 

Unless you want to end up starting a Go Fund Me page for your emergency expenses, I suggest you travel with high limit credit cards and a nice bundle of emergency cash. Here is just one example. Another is they guy who had the heart attack at the Iberostar in Mexico and they had to pay $28,000 upfront. And there was the lady injured in the taxi accident in Nassau who's son had to take a mortgage out on his house to bail his Mom out of the hospital.

 

We never travel without passports, insurance, multiple credit cards and cash. If we do have a problem we have the wherewithal to pay the bill and then of course we would get reimbursed when we filed the claim. Maybe foreign travel is not an appropriate vacation for all.

 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/health-safety/our-holiday-nightmare-in-mexico/news-story/d0c9c4781010ffada312f0052156a4ad

Edited August 12, 2016 by DebJ14

[LMaxwell]

What if your trip insurance is primary coverage

 

 

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Many policies reimburse out of pocket expenses incurred during international travel, not pay up front. Whether it is primary or secondary just refers to who pays first.

 

Have you ever found an insurance company efficient enough to pay in real time during an emergency?

[rjrpar]

Why not get a credit card and make life easy

[bigd332]

Many policies reimburse out of pocket expenses incurred during international travel, not pay up front. Whether it is primary or secondary just refers to who pays first.

 

 

 

Have you ever found an insurance company efficient enough to pay in real time during an emergency?

 

 

 

Here's info from my trip insurance policy.

 

Advance payment will be made to a Hospital, up to the Maximum Benefit Amount, if needed to secure Your admission to a Hospital, because of a Covered Accidental Injury or covered Sickness. The authorized travel assistance company will coordinate advance payment to the Hospital.

 

 

 

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[Karnyval]

First timer on this board but not to cruising.

 

Long story short, is it mandatory to have a credit card to cruise?

 

I'm not talking about sail and sign, I know cash can be used for that.

 

I ask because when we went to the travel agency to get more info today, she made it sound like it's a must.

 

Our plan is to pay the actual cruise in cash, first the deposit and then the balance when due.

 

Thanks

 

No, it is not.

[LMaxwell]

Here's info from my trip insurance policy.

 

Advance payment will be made to a Hospital, up to the Maximum Benefit Amount, if needed to secure Your admission to a Hospital, because of a Covered Accidental Injury or covered Sickness. The authorized travel assistance company will coordinate advance payment to the Hospital.

 

 

 

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Interesting, but I wonder if securing admissions is the same as paying for services rendered. I don't know, honestly.