virginiab Posted August 30, 2020 #1 Share Posted August 30, 2020 While looking for some other info on the Carnival site, I found this on the FAQ pages. So now it could save money to book with a travel agent, assuming you are using a credit card. This is new, right? Accepted payment methods for bookings made directly with Carnival Cruise Line include: A credit card surcharge of 1.1% for Visa and Mastercard and 2.3% for AMEX will apply to direct bookings made through our website and call centre. Surcharges do not apply to debit cards. Please contact our Customer Service department to make payment over the phone. PayPal: We accept the following digital payment methods if your cruise reservation is made directly with Carnival. This form of payment can only be made online by accessing 'Manage My Booking' on Carnival.com.au and choosing 'Pay Now'. Secure shopping made faster. Choose whichever payment method you prefer to make your purchase (credit card, debit card, bank account or PayPay balance). EasyPay: Choose Carnival EasyPay during checkout and the rest of your cruise payments will happen automatically, giving you even more time to spend counting down the days till you cruise. Credit Card surcharges apply as outlined above. Find out full details here. If your booking has been made through a Travel Agent, your payment and any queries relating to the payment of your cruise, must be made via your Agent. For more information, please refer to the Payments section in our Terms & Conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaKat Posted August 30, 2020 #2 Share Posted August 30, 2020 I looked on the Carnival site and didn't see anything like this. Then I noticed the subtle references to Australia cruising. Carnival.com.au doesn't have the same rules as regular Carnival.com. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virginiab Posted August 30, 2020 Author #3 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Wow! Maybe I wandered onto the wrong site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted August 30, 2020 #4 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Yes, apparently in Australia it is permissible to charge a fee for credit cards. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted August 31, 2020 #5 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Yes, sorry folks, but that's par for the course down here in Australia unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkmw Posted August 31, 2020 #6 Share Posted August 31, 2020 I’ve noticed with Carnival Australia if you pay by credit card they take out $200 before you get onboard so any charges come off the $200Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mr walker Posted August 31, 2020 #7 Share Posted August 31, 2020 1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said: Yes, sorry folks, but that's par for the course down here in Australia unfortunately. It's a small price to pay for living here 🙂 We normally pay our cruisefare by direct transfer - no fees. And as been discussed on here a number of times there are credit cards that don't charge fees. And some use cc to pay for cruises to access the travel insurance offered. And many TA's charge cc fees. Do what works for you, and especially in 2020, don't sweat the small stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted August 31, 2020 #8 Share Posted August 31, 2020 My interpretation of the original post is that they would save the 1.1% if they booked through a TA instead of directly through the cruiseline. However the T&C don't say that. They just say that bookings through a TA have to be paid to the TA. We know in Australia that the TA would most likely charge a fee when someone uses a credit card but it could be more than 1.1% - it could be 1.5%. In my opinion 1.1% of the cruise fare as a credit charge fee, isn't worth worrying about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted August 31, 2020 #9 Share Posted August 31, 2020 1 hour ago, mr walker said: It's a small price to pay for living here 🙂 We normally pay our cruisefare by direct transfer - no fees. And as been discussed on here a number of times there are credit cards that don't charge fees. And some use cc to pay for cruises to access the travel insurance offered. And many TA's charge cc fees. Do what works for you, and especially in 2020, don't sweat the small stuff The credit card surcharge is not a credit card fee, it is a merchant fee. Even if you use a card that doesn't charge fees you'll still get hit with the surcharge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowm54 Posted August 31, 2020 #10 Share Posted August 31, 2020 27 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: The credit card surcharge is not a credit card fee, it is a merchant fee. Even if you use a card that doesn't charge fees you'll still get hit with the surcharge. Don’t forget the protection provided when paying by credit card. Just today I have been successful in obtaining a conditional chargeback after the oz agent failed to pass on the refund from Cunard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getting older slowly Posted August 31, 2020 #11 Share Posted August 31, 2020 1 hour ago, Bowm54 said: Don’t forget the protection provided when paying by credit card. Just today I have been successful in obtaining a conditional chargeback after the oz agent failed to pass on the refund from Cunard. Very good point up until a last completed cruise nov-dec 2019 we always use direct debt ( payed into TA's account )..... now not any more will use the card instead Cheers Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted August 31, 2020 #12 Share Posted August 31, 2020 We have been hit with these fees (knowingly) when paying deposits, for the main or final payments we tend to do a bank transfer, to avoid them. Apart from being able to claim back deposits on the credit card if needed, it also means we are covering our trip with the CC travel insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch1 Posted August 31, 2020 #13 Share Posted August 31, 2020 We got a refund a few months ago from Princess and we got everything back except the credit card fees we were originally charged......fact of life I am afraid. I was happy to pay the credit card fees in view of getting everything (cash wise) back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch1 Posted August 31, 2020 #14 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Further to my last post......paying the credit card fees is a small comfort knowing you can claim the initial cost back from the credit card company, should anything untoward happen (eg. the airline/cruise line goes belly up or flight/cruise cancellation). I have made quite a few claims to my credit card in these circumstances with success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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