Do you have to register some kind of payment with your onboard account?

[uCruiser]

Is it ok to not register any method of payment if you have prepaid your gratuities and a drink package and don't plan to spend anything onboard?

 

[Essiesmom]

You will have to register a card once onboard.  They are not going to trust your word that you are not going to spend anything.  (In fact they don’t want to hear you will not spend money…).  There are machines where you do this.  I don’t remember if MSC allows cash accounts.  EM

[uCruiser]

And if you don't register a card once onboard?

You need your room card to make a purchase, right? So if that card isn't authorized for any purchases that really should be ok?

What does people with teenage kids in their own cabin do if parents want to prevent them from spending on their cards?

[shipgeeks]

I believe you can nominate (or not) any users of the card you register.  I always list my spouse, but you could certainly not list the kids.

[Morgsmom]

Correct.   You must register a credit card.  You can go to Guest Services and put down cash if you'd like, but then getting it back would be a pain.  You are also allowed to indicate who on the account has charging privileges.  (On other lines they allow you to set a limit for the secondary users; I don't think that MSC does this.)

[Two Wheels Only]

12 minutes ago, Morgsmom said:

You can go to Guest Services and put down cash if you'd like, but then getting it back would be a pain.

 

On my first MSC cruise, I put down cash. This was in the Yacht Club and the concierge gave the leftover to me in cash on the last night. I imagine that Guest Services can do the same outside of the Yacht Club (not sure).

[Morgsmom]

10 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

On my first MSC cruise, I put down cash. This was in the Yacht Club and the concierge gave the leftover to me in cash on the last night. I imagine that Guest Services can do the same outside of the Yacht Club (not sure).

Two Words .... Yacht Club.... They have their own till up there and everything is much easier.  

[tallnthensome]

1 hour ago, uCruiser said:

What does people with teenage kids in their own cabin do if parents want to prevent them from spending on their cards?

Can't they just tell their kids not to do that? 

[uCruiser]

6 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

Can't they just tell their kids not to do that? 

😂 Sure, in a perfect world I guess that would work.

[JT1962]

Very easy to register a card at a kiosk once onboard. Don’t worry about trying to set it up online prior to boarding, as that does not seem to work on their website.

[AngryBirdah]

6 hours ago, JT1962 said:

Very easy to register a card at a kiosk once onboard. Don’t worry about trying to set it up online prior to boarding, as that does not seem to work on their website.

 

Online registration worked fine for me and my party... but with their IT system, well, yeah...

[perakcruiser]

17 hours ago, uCruiser said:

Is it ok to not register any method of payment if you have prepaid your gratuities and a drink package and don't plan to spend anything onboard?

Before this was perfectly OK, i often had family members not registering their cards and also not been connected to my cruise and credit card. 

 

I would be surprised if this has changed. 

[quattrohead]

I don't think you have too, hence the announcements on debarkation day to pay up !!!!

You cannot get past the Israeli security guards until you hand over payment.

[renysmom]

22 hours ago, uCruiser said:

And if you don't register a card once onboard?

 

 

I haven't sailed MSC since 2018 but back then if you did not have a card registered by end of day one your room keys' were turned off and you had to go to Guest Services to have them reactivated and they would not do it without a card or cash on file.  Not sure if that has changed.

[dexddd]

We sailed September in US.  The main thing the CD was announce for six days to register card.

[Homosassa]

Also an FYI in case you are not  aware of tis:

 

Any charges on board ship will be processed through a bank in Europe (French, if I remember correctly). This applies to any MSC cruise anywhere in the world.

 

That means the initial on board authorization to your credit card will come from a foreign bank.

 

1. If possible, use a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees.

2. Call your credit card company ahead of time with your travel plans and warn them that an authorization request will be coming for MSC from an European bank.  This will prevent a decline of the charges by your card.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Homosassa

[Homosassa]

On 3/27/2022 at 3:18 PM, uCruiser said:

Is it ok to not register any method of payment if you have prepaid your gratuities and a drink package and don't plan to spend anything onboard?

 

It doesn't matter. You must have an onboard account set up - either cash or credit (debit).

 

[miataman19]

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Also an FYI in case you are not  aware of tis:

 

Any charges on board ship will be processed through a bank in Europe (French, if I remember correctly). This applies to any MSC cruise anywhere in the world.

 

That means the initial on board authorization to your credit card will come from a foreign bank.

 

1. If possible, use a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees.

2. Call your credit card company ahead of time with your travel plans and warn them that an authorization request will be coming for MSC from an European bank.  This will prevent a decline of the charges by your card.

This happened to me on Meraviglia March 17th. Called my CC company to alert them to my travel plans, Oh, don't worry you're fine. Registered my card onboard and the $250 hold was denied. The bank MSC uses is in Paris France. Had to call the CC company to OK the transaction. Very frustrating when the Yacht Club Concierge calls you to come down to the desk to take care of your account.

[Homosassa]

27 minutes ago, miataman19 said:

This happened to me on Meraviglia March 17th. Called my CC company to alert them to my travel plans, Oh, don't worry you're fine. Registered my card onboard and the $250 hold was denied. The bank MSC uses is in Paris France. Had to call the CC company to OK the transaction. Very frustrating when the Yacht Club Concierge calls you to come down to the desk to take care of your account.

I understand.  I learned the hard way.

 

That is why I call the credit card company and have the person I speak to make a note in my travel plans and have the person authorize the expected request from a foreign bank.