Cash v. CC for Onboard Account

[Cruiser_1977]

I searched this forum but couldn't find the answer. I would like to verify what I was told by 2 Princess Customer Service representatives. I input a CC in order to be "Ocean Ready". I have prepaid gratuities, have the drinks package, have already paid for excursions, etc. My onboard account shouldn't have any charges. Both reps told me when I arrive on the ship to head to GS and ask to have my account set to cash. That I won't be required to put any cash on the account if I don't plan on using it to charge. They also said there will be no hold placed on the credit card I have already input. Can anyone please verify that I will NOT have to deposit cash into my account?

[Cruise Raider]

24 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

I searched this forum but couldn't find the answer. I would like to verify what I was told by 2 Princess Customer Service representatives. I input a CC in order to be "Ocean Ready". I have prepaid gratuities, have the drinks package, have already paid for excursions, etc. My onboard account shouldn't have any charges. Both reps told me when I arrive on the ship to head to GS and ask to have my account set to cash. That I won't be required to put any cash on the account if I don't plan on using it to charge. They also said there will be no hold placed on the credit card I have already input. Can anyone please verify that I will NOT have to deposit cash into my account?

 

I have heard of people setting their account to cash instead of a cc in the past, but, I was under the impression that they had to put a deposit of some sort down even though all your amenities are covered.  If they have your credit card on file, I guess you could always be charged for any incidentals or damages that way.  

 

[Cruiser_1977]

@Cruise Raider Thanks! On Carnival and Royal I was able to set up cash accounts with $0 deposit. I was just curious if Princess was similar. I don't shop, use the casino, spa, etc. The only thing I may do is the Winemaker's Dinner. I hear it's amazing. I love food and wine LOL

[Cruise Raider]

Just now, JennyB1977 said:

@Cruise Raider Thanks! On Carnival and Royal I was able to set up cash accounts with $0 deposit. I was just curious if Princess was similar. I don't shop, use the casino, spa, etc. The only thing I may do is the Winemaker's Dinner. I hear it's amazing. I love food and wine LOL

 

I'm with you on the food and wine.  I may have to try that Winemaker's Dinner, too.  

Not sure what to tell you about the cash deposit.  I've always thought it was required. 

[thinfool]

 Not to be impertinent, but what's the point?

 

Even if you want to use cash, you can let you CC cover your onboard account during your cruise, then, on the last night, go to the purser and pay it off with cash.

[msmoger]

I believe you will need to have something on file to cover unanticipated expenses (e.g. medical).  If you deposit cash I believe you can get any unused portion refunded before you get off the ship.

[toescat]

They will require a deposit of $500 dollars.  I just got off the phone with Princess as my daughter does not have a credit card only a debit card.  Princess said that was same as cash and they will charge the $500 on day one.  If does not purchase anything on board the card will be credited back the $500 within 24 hours after the end of the cruise.

 

[voljeep]

32 minutes ago, toescat said:

They will require a deposit of $500 dollars.  I just got off the phone with Princess as my daughter does not have a credit card only a debit card.  Princess said that was same as cash and they will charge the $500 on day one.  If does not purchase anything on board the card will be credited back the $500 within 24 hours after the end of the cruise.

 

does that vary by length of cruise ? - 

[Ombud]

It must bc I was with someone who had to deposit $100 but that was for a 1 week cruise. She had to settle up at the end bc she went over (and it went on a cc). I limit the kids to $20 with gratuities & soda card on my folio

[skynight]

If Princess has your credit card on file and your on board account remains in credit balance or zero, then you will not be charged anything at the end of the cruise and no holds will be placed on your credit card. If you happen to purchase something unplanned then that charge will go on your on board account. Anytime after the purchase you can deposit cash at passenger services to cover the expense. This seems to be the easiest way to proceed.

If you use a debit card instead of a credit card, not recommended, then a hold may be placed on your debit card. Although Princess will remove the hold after 24 hours the bank may take a lot longer and your debit card will be short of funds until your bank removes the hold. I don't recommend using a debit card for this purpose.

[satxdiver]

Princess like hotels etc want to hold something to assure you will pay your bill at the end.  If you use a debit card they will put a hold on a certain amount and deduct your charges from that amount resulting in a final charge.  While Princess may drop the hold fairly quickly, your bank may not be as expedient and can tie up the funds for weeks.  

 

Credit cards work the same way in that Princess will put a hold for a certain amount on your credit card taking up your funds available.  At the end they will make a charge against the card and releasing the rest fairly quickly.  This is only a problem when your card is near its limit.  

[Daniel A]

I don't ever recall seeing a hold on my AMEX card.

[bemis12]

On 12/24/2019 at 10:23 AM, thinfool said:

 Not to be impertinent, but what's the point?

 

Even if you want to use cash, you can let you CC cover your onboard account during your cruise, then, on the last night, go to the purser and pay it off with cash.

They may not want or be willing to give up the credit for the hold Princess will put on the card

[brisalta]

3 hours ago, bemis12 said:

They may not want or be willing to give up the credit for the hold Princess will put on the card

 

I have never had Princess put a hold on credit card that I registered for the Onboard account.  They only charged the card at the end of the cruise for the amount due.

[polmcs]

12 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

I have never had Princess put a hold on credit card that I registered for the Onboard account.  They only charged the card at the end of the cruise for the amount due.

When I’ve run out of OBC, Princess will often place a hold each day in the amount of the daily gratuities against the registered credit card. They never actually pull those funds and just pull the entire amount due in a single transaction at the end of the cruise. The holds usually disappear for my CC account about 7 days later.

 

Not a biggie unless you are up against your card limit, or you purchase something expensive aboard which also attracts a hold.

[XBGuy]

5 minutes ago, polmcs said:

When I’ve run out of OBC, Princess will often place a hold each day in the amount of the daily gratuities against the registered credit card. They never actually pull those funds and just pull the entire amount due in a single transaction at the end of the cruise. The holds usually disappear for my CC account about 7 days later.

 

Not a biggie unless you are up against your card limit, or you purchase something expensive aboard which also attracts a hold.

 

Like some other posters, I am baffled by this concept of Princess placing a "hold" on a credit card.  Not only have I never seen Princess put a hold on my credit card account, I have never seen any merchant do so.

 

I have never left any OBC on the table.  It is always depleted well before any cruise has ended.  In fact I have taken more than one cruise in which I never had any OBC.  Yes, Princess does have my credit card number on file, and they do accummulate my purchases and daily gratuities over the course of the cruise in my account.  On disembarkation day, when I do not go to the Customer Services Desk to setlle my account with cash, they send a single charge to my credit card for the total.  I have never seen a hold on my credit card account that disappears in about seven days.

 

One thing that occurred to me.  Are we talking about secured credit cards on which these holds are placed?  I do not have any secured credit cards.  Maybe that is why I've never experienced this hold thing.

 

the tot

[geoherb]

Princess says that it places a $100 hold on credit cards in its FAQs for "cashless cruising" on this page: https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp

[bemis12]

3 minutes ago, geoherb said:

Princess says that it places a $100 hold on credit cards in its FAQs for "cashless cruising" on this page: https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp

Hotels in car rentals always do it too. You don’t see it because it doesn’t appear on your card. But it always happens

[satxdiver]

Depending on the CC provider, you may not see the hold that Princess or any other merchant puts on your card.  Rest assured though that cruise lines, hotels, rental car agencies etc will put a hold on the card to be sure it is a good card with enough credit to cover your expenses.  If you have the Princess CC, looking online at Barclay will not show the hold.  It only becomes an issue when you are near the limit on the card.

[Cruiser_1977]

I will not be up against my limit. Nor, will I be using a debit card or secured credit card. It's a cash rewards bank issued credit card. I simply like to be prepared and don't like surprises when it comes to money. I am single, one income and am probably over analytical when it comes to my finances. Think an excel workbook for each year with tabs for each month, transactions are color coded and I reconcile daily....🤦‍♀️

 

I appreciate those that have taken the time to weigh in! Happy Holidays all 🙂

Edited December 26, 2019 by JennyB1977

[Daniel A]

On ‎12‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 11:23 AM, thinfool said:

 Not to be impertinent, but what's the point?

 

 

11 hours ago, geoherb said:

Princess says that it places a $100 hold on credit cards in its FAQs for "cashless cruising" on this page: https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp

Since my AMEX card has no pre-set spending limit maybe it was just never an issue for me.  I can understand the point of the question for some scenarios that no longer apply to the cruise.  If Princess puts a substantial hold on your credit card and the CC company doesn't lift the hold at the end of the cruise, how would that hold affect the traveler's ability to use that card to now rent a car and stay in a hotel for a week or two following the cruise?  I think I get the point of OP's concern.

[XBGuy]

15 hours ago, geoherb said:

Princess says that it places a $100 hold on credit cards in its FAQs for "cashless cruising" on this page: https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp

 

15 hours ago, bemis12 said:

Hotels in car rentals always do it too. You don’t see it because it doesn’t appear on your card. But it always happens

 

5 hours ago, satxdiver said:

Depending on the CC provider, you may not see the hold that Princess or any other merchant puts on your card.  Rest assured though that cruise lines, hotels, rental car agencies etc will put a hold on the card to be sure it is a good card with enough credit to cover your expenses.  If you have the Princess CC, looking online at Barclay will not show the hold.  It only becomes an issue when you are near the limit on the card.

 

Thanks to the posters who were able to provide more insight into this issue.  I learned some interesting stuff, here.  Since this is a pretty standard operation, and, since it is completely invisible to me, I guess I don't care.

 

On the other hand, the techno-geek in me wondered about this statement:

While you are onboard, your daily charges will be authorized at close of business each day with your card provider. 

 

The implication here is that every night they transmit a file with records from every credit card being used on the ship.  Do you think they really do that?  From every ship regardless of whether it is in port or at sea?  Since the ships can be deployed over as many as 24 time zones, is there one "close of business" cut off, or 24?

 

I have already been proven completely wrong on this issue.  So, my speculation certainly does not carry much weight.

 

Jenny, back to your original issue. and I apologized for looking at the dark side of just about any issue, but, if you establish a cash account on board the ship, how much cash would you bring?  Taking the position that you are not going to spend any money on the ship for excursions, or store purchased or drinks or bingo or the casino or the spa or for specialty dining does not account for an unfortunate occurrence where you have to visit the ship's infirmary.  Yes, I agree, that it is not likely, but I can tell you, it ain't cheap.  Of course, I suppose that the obvious answer to that is to just switch over to a credit card.

 

Wishing you a great cruise, and I would appreciate it if you would come back after it, and report on your actual experience with the mechanics of setting up a cash account with Princess.

[Cruiser_1977]

@XBGuy Your look at the dark side has been considered and if it were to happen, you're correct I'd just switch to CC. I will report back. I'm resigned to just leaving my CC on file, yet I may go to GS and ask about a cash account. I keep seeing horror stories about billing issues with CCs and I have no interest in dealing with any of that. That's why I prepay everything that is possible. I'd like to #comebacknew and not #comebackwithCCissues LOL

[birdiebill]

I have always had a credit card on file for the cruise.  My credit card company website always shows a pending charge of $100.00 during the cruise.  (I assume that is to ensure the credit card account is a valid account). Since all purchases, gratuities, drinks, specialty dining, etc on the ship go on the ship account, my balance at the end of the cruise is dependent upon our OBC for the cruise and any amount we charge during the cruise.  If we have a balance due at the end of the cruise, that balance is charged to the credit card on file, replacing the $100.00 pending charge.  If we have refundable OBC remaining at the end of the cruise, the pending $100.00 amount on the credit card website disappears, and we receive a check for the refundable OBC within 2 to 6 weeks after disembarkation.  If the refundable OBC is less than $25.00, make sure you get that in cash at the customer service desk before disembarkation, because checks are not sent for refundable OBC less than $25.00.

 

[lstone19]

3 hours ago, XBGuy said:

 

 

Thanks to the posters who were able to provide more insight into this issue.  I learned some interesting stuff, here.  Since this is a pretty standard operation, and, since it is completely invisible to me, I guess I don't care.

 

On the other hand, the techno-geek in me wondered about this statement:

While you are onboard, your daily charges will be authorized at close of business each day with your card provider. 

 

The implication here is that every night they transmit a file with records from every credit card being used on the ship.  Do you think they really do that?  From every ship regardless of whether it is in port or at sea?  Since the ships can be deployed over as many as 24 time zones, is there one "close of business" cut off, or 24?

 

 

Yes they do. The charges come from each ship so it's overnight on each ship. I use a Chase credit card and have fraud alerts set so I get an alert on my phone for every "card not present" charge. The first night, I was alerted to a $100 authorization from NameOfShip Princess (the ship's name shows as the merchant). Once my onboard spend exceeded $100, I received that the authorization had been increased by whatever that day's spend was. If I checked my Chase account online, it would have showed a pending charge from the ship that was the total of the daily authorizations. Once the cruise was over, the charge was finalized and the final charge replaced the pending charge.