NCL weird credit card charges (that are not on my final invoice)

[canadian_cheap]

We just got back from a family cruise on the NCL Escape and my sister called saying that now that she was home she was checking her credit card and there where nearly $800 in weird charges (all double digits but different amounts like $13.55, $67.70, $54.18) on her credit card saying "NORWEGIAN ESCAPE MIAMI FL"... so I went and checked mine and it too is full of weird charges, although less than hers, but mine also includes a refund that is greater than the total charges (she does not yet have any refund). My family stayed in our own cabin, under our own reservation number, while hers stayed in 2 cabins under a different reservation.

 

I pulled up the email from Norwegian with my final invoice and not a single one of these charges, nor the refund, are mentioned on it... it's almost like the entire time we where sailing Norwegian was randomly charging amounts to our credit cards and then is refunding them later for some reason, which seems odd to me. Has anyone seen anything like this before? I want to give it a few days for everything to hit the credit card (the actual final invoice amount is not on the credit card yet) before making sure the numbers balance or having to contact Norwegian but at the same time it's concerning me.

[shof515]

most likely these are the normal pending authorization holding charge . depending on your credit card provider, they will be automatically removed anywhere from 3 to 7 days . they are not real charges and will be automatically removed eventfully

[zqvol]

Happens all the time, standard procedure, give it a couple of weeks depending on the issuer and they will all fall off. 

[graphicguy]

11 hours ago, zqvol said:

Happens all the time, standard procedure, give it a couple of weeks depending on the issuer and they will all fall off. 

This is a beef I've had with NCL (and frankly all cruise lines).  I don't know who designed their billing software, but it's the most inane billing I've ever encountered, anywhere, for anything.

 

You can see it when you go to guest services.  It takes a CRAZY amount of time to rectify billing errors.  Just seating you in a restaurant, it seems the host/hostess has to decipher Latin to get you a table.  

 

It's just crazy.  

 

It can't be cheap to run software that causes so much man power to run, correct errors, so inefficiently.  You'd think that would be an area where they could save so much just in labor.

 

[9tee2Sea]

if the charges are not reversed, contact your credit card company and dispute the charges ( make sure to hold onto your embarkation receipt).  This charges could have been for speciality dining.  Happened to me once.  I saw dining charges while onboard, spent 45 min with guest services to straighten it all out.  

[schmoopie17]

We've always seen these types of charges. On our first NCL cruise I went into our onboard account and nearly pooped my pants when I saw them. (Figuratively, not literally). I'm old, but not that old.

 

Apparently they're CC preauth charges (aka "fake" charges that are sent to your credit card to make sure "real" charges will go through.) Goofy, I know...but they never end up sticking and always fall off before we disembark.

 

Edited January 23 by schmoopie17

[smillerholmes]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

This is a beef I've had with NCL (and frankly all cruise lines).  I don't know who designed their billing software, but it's the most inane billing I've ever encountered, anywhere, for anything.

 

You can see it when you go to guest services.  It takes a CRAZY amount of time to rectify billing errors.  Just seating you in a restaurant, it seems the host/hostess has to decipher Latin to get you a table.  

 

It's just crazy.  

 

It can't be cheap to run software that causes so much man power to run, correct errors, so inefficiently.  You'd think that would be an area where they could save so much just in labor.

 

Let the church say Amen!

-annoys the heck out of me too!

RIDICULOUS

[dbrown84]

It's the reason I don't fund my account with a credit card.  I generally have zero charges once onboard, so it's senseless to me to have all this crazy activity on my card, tying up my credit limit for no reason.

[OBSESSIVEWORLDTRAVELER]

I use to manage a financial institutions Visa Credit and Debit card programs. You are likely seeing preauthorized transactions. These fall off automatically one of two ways. 1) The hold expires. Depending on your credit company it can be anywhere between 3 - 10 days from when the transaction occurred. 2) If the amount of the hold matches exactly to the final bill. For example one preauthorized transaction in the amount of $152.62 is held against your account. Your final bill matches that exact amount the hold will automatically fall off. Just keep your final receipt showing you paid in full and give it about 7 days. This is the major reason why you should not use a Debit Card.

[ontheweb]

16 hours ago, OBSESSIVEWORLDTRAVELER said:

I use to manage a financial institutions Visa Credit and Debit card programs. You are likely seeing preauthorized transactions. These fall off automatically one of two ways. 1) The hold expires. Depending on your credit company it can be anywhere between 3 - 10 days from when the transaction occurred. 2) If the amount of the hold matches exactly to the final bill. For example one preauthorized transaction in the amount of $152.62 is held against your account. Your final bill matches that exact amount the hold will automatically fall off. Just keep your final receipt showing you paid in full and give it about 7 days. This is the major reason why you should not use a Debit Card.

I am glad someone mentioned a debit card. The holds that drop off should not be a problem with a credit card (unless you are very near to your credit limit), but can cause a major problem with a debit card.