ACH payments

[phil1107]

For a while I have has the SSBP in my cart. Since there was a recent price increase I assumed that there would not be another one. And that, therefore, there was no urgency to paying for it as long as I did this before the MyVikingJourney closes and details get sent to the on-board account.

 I found out today that this is not the complete story. On receiving an email from Viking saying that I had 2 days to make any adjustments to my MyVikingJourney account (and I assume that payments is one of these) I attempted to pay for the SSBP in my cart. I found that my preferred payment option ACH is no longer available. A message now tells me that I cannot use this 30 days prior to departure.

 

Again Viking has really annoyed me as this is the first that I knew about this rule. They know that I always use ACH for pre-cruise payments and they know that this is in my cart but there was no message on the payment screen prior to this and no ‘heads up’ from Viking prior to the 30 days.

 

Again poor service Viking!

 

I am posting this so that others do not make my mistake.

[KBs mum]

What is ACH? 

[SantaFe1]

9 minutes ago, phil1107 said:

For a while I have has the SSBP in my cart. Since there was a recent price increase I assumed that there would not be another one. And that, therefore, there was no urgency to paying for it as long as I did this before the MyVikingJourney closes and details get sent to the on-board account.

 I found out today that this is not the complete story. On receiving an email from Viking saying that I had 2 days to make any adjustments to my MyVikingJourney account (and I assume that payments is one of these) I attempted to pay for the SSBP in my cart. I found that my preferred payment option ACH is no longer available. A message now tells me that I cannot use this 30 days prior to departure.

 

Again Viking has really annoyed me as this is the first that I knew about this rule. They know that I always use ACH for pre-cruise payments and they know that this is in my cart but there was no message on the payment screen prior to this and no ‘heads up’ from Viking prior to the 30 days.

 

Again poor service Viking!

 

I am posting this so that others do not make my mistake.

Thank you!  I had a date on my calendar to buy SSBP about two weeks before our cruise date, knowing that MVJ closes seven days before.  I have now moved my calendar reminder back just past the 30 day mark, which, yikes, is next week!

[phil1107]

Not sure what ACH stands for. It’s the option to debit a chequing account rather than a credit card. My MVJ offers me a 3.3% discount for doing so.

[TayanaLorna]

24 minutes ago, phil1107 said:

For a while I have has the SSBP in my cart. Since there was a recent price increase I assumed that there would not be another one. And that, therefore, there was no urgency to paying for it as long as I did this before the MyVikingJourney closes and details get sent to the on-board account.

 I found out today that this is not the complete story. On receiving an email from Viking saying that I had 2 days to make any adjustments to my MyVikingJourney account (and I assume that payments is one of these) I attempted to pay for the SSBP in my cart. I found that my preferred payment option ACH is no longer available. A message now tells me that I cannot use this 30 days prior to departure.

 

Again Viking has really annoyed me as this is the first that I knew about this rule. They know that I always use ACH for pre-cruise payments and they know that this is in my cart but there was no message on the payment screen prior to this and no ‘heads up’ from Viking prior to the 30 days.

 

Again poor service Viking!

 

I am posting this so that others do not make my mistake.

I found out about the 30 day rule from a Viking agent then read about it in one of the lengthy documents or FAQ or somewhere on Viking.  It's no secret.

[KBs mum]

32 minutes ago, phil1107 said:

Not sure what ACH stands for. It’s the option to debit a chequing account rather than a credit card. My MVJ offers me a 3.3% discount for doing so.

Understood, for us it's direct transfer

[OneSixtyToOne]

55 minutes ago, phil1107 said:

Not sure what ACH stands for

Automated Clearing House

[CCWineLover]

Yes, this has been their policy for years.  I found out about it 5 years ago sort by accident.  I now always note on my calendar when the 30 day limit is approaching before a cruise.

You are correct - Viking probably needs to do a better job of communicating their policies.  Communication does not seem to be a strong point for Viking.

[longterm]

3 hours ago, phil1107 said:

Not sure what ACH stands for. It’s the option to debit a chequing account rather than a credit card. My MVJ offers me a 3.3% discount for doing so.

It stands for "automated clearing house," which really doesn't describe what it is; it is the vehicle by which companies/agencies can transfer money to or from a bank account; another name for it is "electronic funds transfer."

 

To make an ACH transaction, the payer gets the payee's bank routing number and bank account number; it can then send money to the payee directly, without incurring any bank fees or credit card fees.

 

Regarding the 30-day cutoff, I seem to recall that Viking essentially 'freezes' one's account status at that point; since cruise payments have to be paid long before, all accounts' funds have already been paid, and all excursions are bought; I think you can't even add excursions that late in the process, and have to buy more once you're on the ship.

[phil1107]

But it was only today that I got 2 days notice  to make final amendments for an April 18 sailing. So I think the ‘freeze’ is about 12 days.

[Peregrina651]

Viking does freeze MVJ transactions about one week prior to embarkation.  This is when the data gets sent to the ship.  We have to make any additions or cancellations before that point -- and that is what the email mentioned in the first post is about. We can read what is on MVJ at that point but we can't make any changes.  

 

Moreover, the booking will be removed from your  MVJ account on embarkation day.  If there is anything there that you want to save for future reference, save it before you leave home. 

[Mich3554]

5 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Viking does freeze MVJ transactions about one week prior to embarkation.  This is when the data gets sent to the ship.  We have to make any additions or cancellations before that point -- and that is what the email mentioned in the first post is about. We can read what is on MVJ at that point but we can't make any changes.  

 

Moreover, the booking will be removed from your  MVJ account on embarkation day.  If there is anything there that you want to save for future reference, save it before you leave home. 

Everything in MVJ winds up in an e-mail that is sent to you as part of your e documents when boarding.  As long as you have this in your email, you have access to everything you booked.

[Cienfuegos]

The direct transfer or ACH etc also avoids the 3%-5% interchange fee the credit card companies would otherwise charge Viking as your transaction is processing.  That's why Viking offers the 3.3% (IIRC) discount if you pay by check or e-check

[MikeyB]

Then to avoid that all you need is a credit card that charges no foreign transaction fee.

[Peregrina651]

14 minutes ago, MikeyB said:

Then to avoid that all you need is a credit card that charges no foreign transaction fee.

 

Not really. A no foreign transaction fee card benefits us, not Viking.

 

It works like this (and this is a very simplistic explanation of it). Your cruise costs $10,000. If you pay by credit card, Viking charges you $10,000.The bank takes 4% ($400) and gives Viking $9600. Some banks then turn around and charge you a fee for a foreign transaction, which they also keep (talk about double dipping). You have now paid $10,000 less any "rewards" earned. Whether you are charged a foreign transaction fee or not, Viking still walks away with only $9600.

 

However, if you use their E-check to pay, Viking charges you $9670 for the cruise. You pay $9670 -- and save $330 off the original price of the cruise. Viking keeps the $9670 ($70 more than it gets if you pay by credit card). The bank gets nothing BUT you lose whatever credit card rewards you might have gotten from the $10,000 transaction.  In this case, you have to decide which is worth more to you, a $330 cash savings or the credit card rewards

 

But to muddy the decision even further, using a credit card offers protections that paying cash doesn't. Example, when our May, 2020 cruise was cancelled, I went against my credit card company for refunds for pre-paid independent tours when the companies weren't fast enough in sending refunds (one had gone bankrupt and the other eventually paid the bank what it would have refunded to me). Had I paid cash, I would not have gotten anything from the company that went bankrupt.

 

Credit card vs. E-check is not a clear cut decision. Using a credit card that does not charge a foreign transaction fee is a smart way to go, but it will not make a difference to Viking's take from the credit card transaction; they will get the same amount from the transaction whether you end up paying a foreign transaction fee or not. That is why Viking would prefer that we all use E-check.

[Mich3554]

9 hours ago, MikeyB said:

Then to avoid that all you need is a credit card that charges no foreign transaction fee.

Also, it depends on your credit limit.  
 

We use(d) a Costco Citibank card, which has a healthy credit limit, but not healthy enough to pay for a World Cruise.  We got a little bit more back by doing an ACH transfer once rather than doing multiple charges up to our paid in full date.  The difference was the 3% we’d get back from Costco vs 3.3% from Viking.  
 

 

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

Also, it depends on your credit limit.  
 

We use(d) a Costco Citibank card, which has a healthy credit limit, but not healthy enough to pay for a World Cruise.  We got a little bit more back by doing an ACH transfer once rather than doing multiple charges up to our paid in full date.  The difference was the 3% we’d get back from Costco vs 3.3% from Viking.  
 

 

 

In other words, you have to do the math. It is a complicated decision with many factors to be considered.

[RexMesiter]

How does ACH (or E-Check) work if you've transferred your booking to a travel agent?  Invoice I received from my TA included the full amount and didn't list a payment option that included the 3.3% reduction when paying by E-Check/ check.  Not sure of the payment mechanics - assume I pay the TA rather than Viking directly.  Should I just write a check that reflects the 3.3% reduction even though it doesn't match the TA invoice amount?

[CurlerRob]

1 hour ago, RexMesiter said:

How does ACH (or E-Check) work if you've transferred your booking to a travel agent?  Invoice I received from my TA included the full amount and didn't list a payment option that included the 3.3% reduction when paying by E-Check/ check.  Not sure of the payment mechanics - assume I pay the TA rather than Viking directly.  Should I just write a check that reflects the 3.3% reduction even though it doesn't match the TA invoice amount?

Best to contact your TA directly - their policies will control.

 

Mine will provide the 3.3% ACH discount, but needs to have the money in hand prior to paying Viking. If I provide a non-certified cheque, my TA would have to wait for it to clear - which might take some time. YMMV. 🍺🥌

[Peregrina651]

28 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

Best to contact your TA directly - their policies will control.

 

Mine will provide the 3.3% ACH discount, but needs to have the money in hand prior to paying Viking. If I provide a non-certified cheque, my TA would have to wait for it to clear - which might take some time. YMMV. 🍺🥌

 

My TA operates differently. I don't pay the travel agency any money. I provide either my credit card # or my ACH information (routing and account # from bank) and the TA submits them to Viking on my behalf. Viking's name appears on the transaction, not the travel agency.

[RexMesiter]

4 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

My TA operates differently. I don't pay the travel agency any money. I provide either my credit card # or my ACH information (routing and account # from bank) and the TA submits them to Viking on my behalf. Viking's name appears on the transaction, not the travel agency.

Thanks.  Would I need to make sure my ACH info gets added to my Viking account? That seems to have been deleted when I made the booking transfer.

[Mich3554]

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

In other words, you have to do the math. It is a complicated decision with many factors to be considered.

Yep.  We chose to do what was easiest.  Have all the balance to send to them in one fell swoop without making 7 payments leading up to need to be paid in full by the assigned date.  

[Mich3554]

21 minutes ago, RexMesiter said:

Thanks.  Would I need to make sure my ACH info gets added to my Viking account? That seems to have been deleted when I made the booking transfer.

I don’t believe Viking keeps these numbers.  They do keep our credit cards on file, but every time I have done an ACH transfer, I have had to provide the info again.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s a good thing.

[longterm]

8 hours ago, RexMesiter said:

How does ACH (or E-Check) work if you've transferred your booking to a travel agent?  

I've transferred all my upcoming Viking cruises to my TA, but when it's time to pay, I call Viking and pay direct to get the 3.3%. So long as the cruise is paid for, I don't see how a TA could protest, since I would guess that they get their fees regardless how you pay.

[Peregrina651]

6 hours ago, RexMesiter said:

Thanks.  Would I need to make sure my ACH info gets added to my Viking account? That seems to have been deleted when I made the booking transfer.

 

No. I have always dealt with a TA and I have never been able to pay for anything on MVJ except for shorex and pre-paid gratuities. I have always though that it was because I worked with a TA -- but it could be because of all the blockers that I run on my browser. Whatever the reason, I am quite happy not to have that information stored on MVJ (which is why I also do not register my on-board credit card in advance; it takes a minute a check in).