How much to expect with debit card hold amount?

[travelling_txgal]

I know that Carnival places a hold (similar to car rental companies) on your card once you check-in. Carnival says this amount is $100 for a 5 day cruise, however, first person online accounts have stated much more. Some have given a confusing explanation of the on-board hold. So how much should I expect to be placed on hold and what is the procedure?

[myfuzzy]

Do not use a debit card

 

IF that's all you have, my suggestion would be to take cash and use that as a deposit on your account, this way your card is not held "hostage" by the holds authorized by the cruise line. Holds can take two or more weeks to clear depending on your bank....I wouldn't take the chance.

[1025cruise]

If you have any other option, please don't use a debit card.

[Purvis1231]

I have used a debt card without any problems but in general I use a credit card just in case something goes wrong.

[crzycick]

We’re in the middle of building a house and closing should be soon after we return. We don’t want anything to mess with our bank account for the loan and we don’t do credit cards so we’ll be doing a cash deposit.

[riclop]

Use credit card.

[sanger727]

It really just comes down to how much you spend. They increase the hold as you spend to make sure that there’s money in the account for them to get paid. If you don’t spend (say you have prepaid gratuities and pre-purchase cheers and excursions); the initial hold should be all there is.

 

The problem is that they will increase the holds as you spend - so your bank will not allow you to access held money. Then they charge your card at the end; and the hold won’t necessarily be released right away. So could end up not having access to amount that’s twice your onboard spend.

 

 

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[travelling_txgal]

Sounds like a headache using my bank card so maybe I will go the cash deposit or credit card route. Thanks!

Edited January 17, 2018 by travelling_txgal
left out a word

[sandy toes]

A cash deposit is what a friend that has sailed with us before has done. She does not have anything except her debit card and that is because she has a direct deposit for that account. She does not own any Credit cards. So, every cruise since the mid 90's she has used a cash deposit. I just spoke with her and she said you can put as little as $25 /day and as much as you want at the upper end. She has always prepaid tips and bought excursions. If you owe tips you will need to pay a larger cash deposit as tips are paid prior to boarding. She suggests you visit guest services the last day of the cruise and clear up your account. You will get the refund amount then. If not you get a check left in your cabin sometime that night along with your final account statement.

Hope that helps.

[myfuzzy]

Sounds like a headache using my bank card so maybe I will go the cash deposit or credit card route. Thanks!

 

I will never use my debit card away from my home city. When I travel I have a credit card with a 200 limit, so if I do find a "reputable" merchandiser like in most port areas, If something happens to compromise the card, it's a small amount that could be attached. Then the company would have to deal with it. I don't use my debit card for any online transactions either. I have a budget, have the cash in my account, when I get home I just pay the bill.

[Brad1972]

Get some free money and get the carnival gift cards from AARP or Allstate rewards. $500 carnival gift card for $450 is $50 free bucks. $100 cards for $90. Then add the gift cards to your S&S account.

[h3yitsvictoria]

Not trying to take over the post but does anyone know the hold with a credit card?

 

 

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[Schoifmom]

Not trying to take over the post but does anyone know the hold with a credit card?

 

 

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I know that Carnival places a hold (similar to car rental companies) on your card once you check-in. Carnival says this amount is $100 for a 5 day cruise, however, first person online accounts have stated much more. Some have given a confusing explanation of the on-board hold. So how much should I expect to be placed on hold and what is the procedure?

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1138/~/sail-%26-sign-onboard-account

 

 

• The guest's credit card or debit card will be swiped at embarkation with an initial hold placed on file as a deposit; if the card is activated online, the initial hold will be placed on file on the day of embarkation:
  
  • 2 - 5 day cruise: $100 USD for each stateroom charged using the same credit card or debit card
    
  • 6 days or longer: $200 USD for each stateroom charged using the same credit card or debit card
    

  [*]Throughout the cruise, additional holds will be obtained as needed when the Sail & Sign account exceeds the amount of deposit Carnival has on file.

[sanger727]

Not trying to take over the post but does anyone know the hold with a credit card?

 

 

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Whether you use debit or credit the hold process is the same. The difference is whether they hold money so you can’t use it from your checking account (which could cause bills to not be paid if you underestimate the holds) vs money from your credit limit (which you won’t notice unless you are close to your limit).

 

 

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[jessykaw]

I didn’t know about the debit card holds until I got off my first cruise. They did the initial hold before boarding and then everyday they would do an additional hold. When I got off the ship and checked my bank account, I had about 6 different hold totaling around $700. Later that day, my actual sail & sign total was charged to my debit card...$900ish. I had to wait day-by-day for the holds to drop and release money back into my accounts to pay bills. Absolutely sucked.

 

My next cruise, I opened my sail & sign with a gift card and added additional funds with cash as needed.

 

 

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[Crusin Hogs]

We just take $500 cash , for onboard account , If you need more go to service desk and add ,If you don't spend it all you can get refund last night before you get off ship

[Tre_220]

If you decide to use a cash account, you do not have to go to Customer Service every time you want to add cash. You can use the Sail & Sign Kiosk to add cash to your account. You can also use the kiosk to remove the money that you put on the account.

[tootsiescurly]

We set up a separate account with our bank for travel. We can manually transfer funds into it but no automatic transfers. We put the exact amount of money we plan on spending into this account. Thus it makes using a debit card feasible. Fortunately our bank does not charge service fees because unless we are traveling it only has about $10 in it.

[abhech]

What happens if you use a gift card, but don't spend the full amount? What happens to the remaining amount?

[jessykaw]

What happens if you use a gift card, but don't spend the full amount? What happens to the remaining amount?

 

 

 

Not sure. I just used gifts for the base of my sail & sign and then added to it.

 

 

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[Cafedumonde]

We buy gift cards at kroger. If you don't use it all they can put it back on the giftcard/giftcards (make sure you save them).

[Schoifmom]

What happens if you use a gift card, but don't spend the full amount? What happens to the remaining amount?

 

You have two options. #1, Carnival will mail you a new gift card with the leftover amount following your cruise. #2, you can use the casino trick to cash out the remainder.

 

We buy gift cards at kroger. If you don't use it all they can put it back on the giftcard/giftcards (make sure you save them).

 

Carnival gift cards are NOT reloadable. They DO NOT return anything to the existing cards. They issue a new card for all refunds, including the refund of remaining balances.

 

Reload Information

Q: What happens when the total card value is used? Should I throw the card away?

A: Once you run out of funds on the Carnival gift card, you may not add additional funds. The card may then be discarded.

 

Q: Can I add funds to my Carnival Gift Card online?

A: You may not add funds to your Gift Card online as the gift card is not reloadable.

Cash Back, Card Returns And Return of Merchandise

Q: Can I receive a refund on any unused portion of the Carnival Gift Card amount that was applied towards my Sail and Sign account while onboard?

A: Any unused portion or overage of the Gift Card that was applied toward your Sail and Sign account will be issued in the form of another Carnival Gift Card.

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2004/~/carnival-gift-cards---frequently-asked-questions