double charge

[markboston35]

So me and my girlfriend just got back from Bermuda we went on the gem. We bought alcohol played bingo casino etc on the boat everything was paid with my debt card on file. Now Norwegian took $1443 and some cents out of my account i called and was told it was for my bill. is this standard practice? what happened to all the money i spent on the boat? its not in my account.

 

the story gets better however i called my bank to dispute the charge and was told the bank is being told its my cruise fare! i paid the fare back in april when i first booked the cruise and 1443 wasn't even close to the full price of the cruise.

 

has anyone else experinced this?. is it normal practice for Norwegian to charge you on the boat and then charge you again after you leave the boat?

[KarlChilders]

Maybe I'm not understanding, but if you gave them your debit card on board, that charge would come out of your account.  What am I missing?

[markboston35]

correct. the issue is it didn't post till just now. shouldn't they have been charging me all along on the cruise or do they wait till the end of the cruise?

[snirpville]

They wait until the end of the cruise. You should have received an invoice on the last day before debarkation which would show how much you would be charged in total. Then you will see it in your account (or on your credit card if you had used one).

Edited June 28, 2019 by snirpville
added info

[markboston35]

hmmmm so what happened to all the money that they took out during the cruise? and im still a bit confused as to why my bank is telling me its for the cruise fare.

[PTC DAWG]

Sounds like you spent $1400 or so on board...

[smplybcause]

Whenever you use you card onboard the charges go to your onboard account. At the end of the cruise they take the total from your onboard account and then put that amount on your credit/debit card. 

 

When I look at my credit card statement the charges for my cruise fare have the same wording as my onboard account charges. That's probably why the bank says it's for a cruise fare -- because all charges from NCL look the same to the bank. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by smplybcause

[markboston35]

i do see one charge from gobal cash access from miami fl im assuming thats ncl for 465.

[markboston35]

so if this amount was due why did my bill say zero. and they let us leave the ship wouldn't they have said you owe a balance?

[smplybcause]

Because they put the entire balance on the card you provided them either during on-line check-in or when you checked in at the pier. It was debited from your card either late the last night or very early on the last day so you onboard account had a zero balance after they used your card to pay it. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by smplybcause

[markboston35]

also they were charging my card during the cruise because i had to call my bank a bunch of times because they refused the charges because i forgot to tell the bank i was going out of the country.

[snirpville]

Because they charged your account at the end of the cruise. Therefore, it was paid in full when you disembarked.

[snirpville]

Just now, markboston35 said:

also they were charging my card during the cruise because i had to call my bank a bunch of times because they refused the charges because i forgot to tell the bank i was going out of the country.

They were checking to make sure your card would work but they do not charge until the end of the cruise.

[markboston35]

1 minute ago, smplybcause said:

Because they put the entire balance on the card you provided them either during on-line check-in or when you checked in at the pier. It was debited from your card either late the last night or very early on the last day so you onboard account had a zero balance after they used your card to pay it. 

 

so that brings up the question what happened to the money? im still a bit confused i assumed i was being charged all along and had no balance.

[smplybcause]

3 minutes ago, markboston35 said:

also they were charging my card during the cruise because i had to call my bank a bunch of times because they refused the charges because i forgot to tell the bank i was going out of the country.

Those weren't charges. You used a debit card. As you spent more they had to put more holds on your account. NCL usually puts holds in around $500 increments so with a $1400 bill they would have put a hold when you got on board, after you spend $500, after you spent $1000....

 

And the end of the cruise they charge your card the exact amount you spent. With debit cards it can take a long time for the holds (usually seen as pending charges on your account) to fall off. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by smplybcause

[snirpville]

1 minute ago, markboston35 said:

 

so that brings up the question what happened to the money? im still a bit confused i assumed i was being charged all along and had no balance.

I'm not sure I understand. So you thought your account was being debited as you cruised but in actual fact one large amount was removed from your account at the end...is that right? So, you were not being charged as you went along the cruise. Only at the end. So you should see 1 charge from your account for NCL. This would be all the casino, drinks, etc from on board.

[NLH Arizona]

6 minutes ago, markboston35 said:

so if this amount was due why did my bill say zero. and they let us leave the ship wouldn't they have said you owe a balance?

Because you left your card on file and they automatically charge it, thus your zero balance when you left the ship

Edited June 28, 2019 by NLH Arizona

[markboston35]

1 minute ago, smplybcause said:

Those weren't charges. You used a debit card. As you spent more they had to put more holds on your account. NCL usually puts holds in around $500 increments so with a $1400 bill they would have put a hold when you got on board, after you spend $500, after you spent $1000....

 

And the end of the cruise they charge your card the exact amount you spent. With debit cards it can take a long time for the holds (usually seen as pending charges on your account) to fall off. 

 

 

i do not like this system. is this standard practice with all cruise lines?

[snirpville]

When debit cards are used, yes.

[NLH Arizona]

1 minute ago, markboston35 said:

 

 

i do not like this system. is this standard practice with all cruise lines?

Same on all cruise lines.  You give them a card at embarkation, they will one, put a hold on your card, which will come off sometime after your cruise and two, they keep your card on file and three, on the last evening of the cruise, they will charge your card for what you spent.

Edited June 28, 2019 by NLH Arizona

[markboston35]

1 minute ago, snirpville said:

I'm not sure I understand. So you thought your account was being debited as you cruised but in actual fact one large amount was removed from your account at the end...is that right? So, you were not being charged as you went along the cruise. Only at the end. So you should see 1 charge from your account for NCL. This would be all the casino, drinks, etc from on board.

 

correct. so all of those holds should of dropped off and i should have like $2000. im still never confused but the bank will figure it out i guess.

[Hockeydad1972]

🤔

 

so confused!!!

 

 

[smplybcause]

Just now, markboston35 said:

 

 

i do not like this system. is this standard practice with all cruise lines?

 

Yes. They want to make sure you actually have the money you're spending so they will put a hold on it as you rack up your onboard account. With credit cards, the holds usually don't effect anyone as they have room on the card and they're merely holding a portion of your credit so the holds taking a while to fall off is no big deal. But with debit cards they are putting a hold on the actual money in your account -- NCL wants to be paid at the end of your cruise -- so until the holds fall off they are holding on to your actual money to make sure you don't spend it.

 

That's why it's recommended to use a credit card for your onboard account. Or cash. 

[snirpville]

Just now, markboston35 said:

 

correct. so all of those holds should of dropped off and i should have like $2000. im still never confused but the bank will figure it out i guess.

You should be able to ask the bank if they see the "holds" NCL put on your account. And they should be able to tell you when they will fall off...

Assuming I understand :-)

[markboston35]

1 minute ago, Hockeydad1972 said:

🤔

 

so confused!!!

 

1 minute ago, Hockeydad1972 said:

 

 

 

now you know how i feel. the bank will figure it out.