60$ a day pre authorization on credit card?

[Judyrem]

My sister in law pointed this out to me when we checked in for our Nov 10 sailing on Nieuw Statendam.  I am not sure how this works?

[taxmantoo]

It is just a hold of $60 per day on your card (processed at embarkation for the total) to ensure that you have sufficient credit on the card to pay the final bill at disembarkation.  There is no factual charge to the card until disembarkation when the hold is released (cancelled) and the actual amount is charged. 

 

While no amount is charged, it does affect your credit balance and could limit the amount you can spend elsewhere if you have a low limit.

Edited October 31, 2019 by taxmantoo

[3rdGenCunarder]

When you check in on embarkation day, HAL will put a hold on your credit card equal to $60 times the number of days of your cruise. They do not take this money. They just sort of wall it off so that it will be there at the end of the cruise to settle your bill. It reduces the available credit on your card, which is a concern for people who expect to spend a lot of money off the ship or for people with a low balance or credit limit. 

 

At the end of the cruise, after your bill is paid, any remaining hold is released. 

 

[Mary229]

I keep my credit limits low and my cruises long.  Knowing this I have a separate "clean" card for the cruise line to put the hold on then use another card for expenditures off ship

[DeeniEncinitas]

As said above all it is, is a hold on your card and charges are at the end of the cruise. No big deal. Have a great cruise!

Denise😊

[msmayor]

Be aware, though, that if you use a debit card instead of a credit card it can affect the availability of cash to pay any bills you might have scheduled to pay while you are away.

[catl331]

2 hours ago, Judyrem said:

I am not sure how this works?

Effectively it's just a temporary lowering of your credit limit.

[Judyrem]

42 minutes ago, catl331 said:

Effectively it's just a temporary lowering of your credit limit.

From my bank?  

I have never encountered that before on a cruise ship.

 

It's my sister in law that was concerned.   

 

Thanks all who responded.

[kazu]

1 minute ago, Judyrem said:

From my bank?  

I have never encountered that before on a cruise ship.

 

It's my sister in law that was concerned.   

 

Thanks all who responded.

 

Every hotel, gas station and cruise line does this.  It’s a pre-authorization to make sure you are good for the charges.

 

IF you have a credit card that shows pending transactions when you look on line you will see them.  They just never move down to charges. 😉 

But, they lower your limit on your credit card.  For example, if you limit is $10,000 and you are cruising for 10 days (with no other charges) it’s an authorization for $600 which lowers your credit limit to $9,400 as $600 has been ‘spoken for’.

 

Hope that helps?

It’s not a big deal unless you have a very low credit limit or a big balance on your credit card.

[Mary229]

I wouldn't exactly call it lowering your credit limit, it simply uses up part of your credit limit temporarily.   

Edited October 31, 2019 by Mary229

[Judyrem]

10 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

 

 

Hope that helps?

It’s not a big deal unless you have a very low credit limit or a big balance on your credit card.

Yew, it does, as I have almost too much credit available which sometimes I get a little carried away🤪

[catl331]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

it simply uses up part of your credit limit temporarily.  

Which effectively lowers the remaining credit limit.

[VMax1700]

Remember it is $60 per day per person.  If you are a using one credit card for the charges it can add up!  If you are sharing a cabin and both doing your own check in and credit card then it is $60 x days, each.  If you are paying the on board charges with one credit card and there are two of you in the cabin then it is $60 x days x 2.

[Mary229]

11 minutes ago, catl331 said:

Which effectively lowers the remaining credit limit.

No, not really but ok whatever.....

[catl331]

17 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

No, not really but ok whatever.....

Yes, really.

As Jacqui said:

1 hour ago, kazu said:

But, they lower your limit on your credit card.  For example, if you limit is $10,000 and you are cruising for 10 days (with no other charges) it’s an authorization for $600 which lowers your credit limit to $9,400 as $600 has been ‘spoken for’.

If that person tries to charge more than $9,400 the charges will be declined. Their limit is effectively $9,400.

Edited October 31, 2019 by catl331

[Dismomx5]

When we were on the Nieuw Statendam last month, I had the hold put on. No biggie, but THEN I bought the internet package, and there was a SECOND hold put on (~$50) I was not happy, I told them that if, every time I bought something another hold was put on (that was their explanation and I’d already been approved for over $2200), I would buy zero. Not a drink, not an excursion, nothing. They removed it, but the second hold should never have been added in the first place. 

[Mary229]

18 hours ago, catl331 said:

Yes, really.

As Jacqui said:

If that person tries to charge more than $9,400 the charges will be declined. Their limit is effectively $9,400.

The  credit limit stays the same, that is established by the bank when you applied for the card.  The available credit is impacted.  To change a credit limit would require an action by the bank based on a degradation of your credit history or by a vast improvement in credit history or by approved request of the card holder.  Just being a bit persnickety

Edited November 1, 2019 by Mary229

[catl331]

13 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

The available credit is impacted.

Correct. Their effective credit limit is lowered.

Edited November 1, 2019 by catl331

[SargassoPirate]

It appears they add this $60 per day hold even if you have a boatload (pardon the unintended pun) of OBCs to use.

 

"Registering a credit or debit card(s) (Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express®, and Discover®) as part of your pre-cruise check-in process activates your keycard. The day you board, Holland America Line places an initial hold on your credit or debit card for $60 per person per cruise day ($30.00 per person per day for cruises longer than 25 days).   Once you’ve spent the initial hold amount, we will authorize your card for the total of your onboard purchases to date plus an additional $60 per person per day for the remainder of your cruise. Please note that there may be multiple authorizations throughout your cruise, and that some banks may keep the hold in place for up to 30 days."

 

 

Edited November 2, 2019 by SargassoPirate

[pcur]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

It appears they add this $60 per day hold even if you have a boatload (pardon the unintended pun) of OBCs to use.

 

"The day you board, Holland America Line places an initial hold on your credit or debit card for $60 per person per cruise day ($30.00 per person per day for cruises longer than 25 days)."

Thank you for this additional information! 

 

I was freaking out about what the credit card hold would be for the two of us for a 24 night cruise, and just about ready to change the card to one we never use, when you posted this about cruises over 20 days.

[Mary229]

That must be a recent change. The two over 25 days we took the hold was per day per person 

[Judyrem]

On 11/1/2019 at 8:17 AM, Dismomx5 said:

When we were on the Nieuw Statendam last month, I had the hold put on. No biggie, but THEN I bought the internet package, and there was a SECOND hold put on (~$50) I was not happy, I told them that if, every time I bought something another hold was put on (that was their explanation and I’d already been approved for over $2200), I would buy zero. Not a drink, not an excursion, nothing. They removed it, but the second hold should never have been added in the first place. 

Oh my!  

 

As I said before my sister in law gets upset over these types of situations and I want her to not worry.😳

Your problem would worry her however.😲

 

I think I will tell her to bring a card she does not use a lot.

Edited November 2, 2019 by Judyrem

[Mary229]

3 hours ago, Judyrem said:

Oh my!  

 

As I said before my sister in law gets upset over these types of situations and I want her to not worry.😳

Your problem would worry her however.😲

 

I think I will tell her to bring a card she does not use a lot.

Judy,  what she can do is register the little used card online for the room expenses and she can even leave that card at home once registered.   At the end of the cruise they will allow her to transfer all or part of her expenses to a different card or even pay charges with cash.  I carry another card for off-ship expenses, my husband carries a totally different card also. So in all 3 cards are involved - the one registered beforehand but left at home.  One in my wallet and a different card in his wallet.  

[sail7seas]

On 10/31/2019 at 1:07 PM, Mary229 said:

I wouldn't exactly call it lowering your credit limit, it simply uses up part of your credit limit temporarily.   

 

 

In 'effect' it temporarily lowers your 'available  credit

 

 

Relevant  info  regarding the hold:   

  All the years I have been here on CC, many times there have been comments it took HAL too long to release the hold at  t he end of the cruise when  the   actual amount (of   the final bill   was pro cessed.  they have thought it was slow release by  hAL of their   hold.    Often  when all was investigated, it proved to be the bank /credit card company who failed  to quickly release the hold of funds.

 

 

Edited November 2, 2019 by sail7seas

[TAD2005]

In all the HAL cruises we have been on since 2014,  the credit card hold ($60 per day, per person or $30 per day, per person on cruises over 25 days),  usually hits our card the day after sailing.   Checking our card account later in the cruise, the hold has dropped off the card by day 5 or 6.   And this is on a range of cards like Visa, Capital One and Discover.   Our cruises are usually 24 days and longer, so this may have an effect on the length of the hold.   We always have the SBP, either purchased or through a promotion, so our onboard spending is just HSC and internet.