Onboard charges - Physical credit card required?

[Mike07]

I read the Viking passage contract.... Looks like you can settle your account with cash. On river cruises, I'm not sure how you can work up that large of a balance since there are no diamond, watch or perfume sales.

[CDNPolar]

11 hours ago, Mike07 said:

I read the Viking passage contract.... Looks like you can settle your account with cash. On river cruises, I'm not sure how you can work up that large of a balance since there are no diamond, watch or perfume sales.

 

Sure, you can pay cash.  We have paid left over Euros on a River Cruise and then the balance on Credit Card.

 

Unless you pay your gratuities in advance of boarding, and if you charge alcohol to the cabin it could add up.

 

 

[KBs mum]

18 hours ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

What's your plan to pay for goods in the event of lost or delayed luggage? A stolen it or misplaced passport? Having to unexpectedly fly home or pay for medical treatment?

 

 

We have cards with us, obviously, payment from the chip. The retailer can't see the numbers at any point. 

We don't give the numbers unless it is essential, such as for online payments. 

For lost passports we have phisical and scanned copies to make getting emergency travel documents easier. 

Unexpected flights and medical are covered by insurance, excess will be billed after the event. Phone insurer, they sort it all out

[FetaCheese]

Another point:

One can change the card on file with V.  Explorer's desk will handle this.

 

I also do not put Credit card into MVJ in advance -- just skip it.  On  a recent VO voyage, at port check in, agent asked for card, but reader device did not work.  Agent said just add card onboard.

 

One time I said I would settle in cash, and was not asked for card.

[vslparis]

1 hour ago, KBs mum said:

We have cards with us, obviously, payment from the chip. The retailer can't see the numbers at any point. 

We don't give the numbers unless it is essential, such as for online payments. 

For lost passports we have phisical and scanned copies to make getting emergency travel documents easier. 

Unexpected flights and medical are covered by insurance, excess will be billed after the event. Phone insurer, they sort it all out

This might be true for those insured in the UK. However, in my experience both personally and in my over 30 years in the travel industry, most Trip Insurance companies in the U.S. require you to pay for any medical expenses and unexpected flights first and then you will reimbursed after your claim has been approved. 

[Mike07]

1 hour ago, vslparis said:

This might be true for those insured in the UK. However, in my experience both personally and in my over 30 years in the travel industry, most Trip Insurance companies in the U.S. require you to pay for any medical expenses and unexpected flights first and then you will reimbursed after your claim has been approved. 

 

 

I concur with this.

[Mike07]

3 hours ago, KBs mum said:

We have cards with us, obviously, payment from the chip. The retailer can't see the numbers at any point. 

We don't give the numbers unless it is essential, such as for online payments. 

For lost passports we have phisical and scanned copies to make getting emergency travel documents easier. 

Unexpected flights and medical are covered by insurance, excess will be billed after the event. Phone insurer, they sort it all out

 

 

I get that... I just question the logic of traveling without a card in 2024 unless you're bringing large stacks of cash.

 

What is strange to me is that I've had people on Viking ships that are old enough to be my grandparent think that everywhere in the world takes cards. They travel to these foreign locations and assume everywhere is like the USA.

Edited June 20 by Mike07

[KBs mum]

55 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

I get that... I just question the logic of traveling without a card in 2024 unless you're bringing large stacks of cash.

 

What is strange to me is that I've had people on Viking ships that are old enough to be my grandparent think that everywhere in the world takes cards. They travel to these foreign locations and assume everywhere is like the USA.

We do take cards, we just don't give anyone the numbers or allow pre authorisation unless essential. 

Last time we had to pre authorise was at an unmanned fuel station in the far north of Scotland. Happy to do so there, good reason for it. 

Contactless and chip and pin transactions don't reveal the card number to the retailer or anyone else, we never let anyone else handle the cards. This is normal in most developed countries. 

We also take a small amount of local currency. 

So far the only place we have problems with our cards is the US, due to the PIN system and contactless seemingly being unusual there. We use cash there now, it's easier. 

 

Remember also any pre authorised amount is deducted from available balance, even if it isn't needed. It's only released  after checking out, and not allways immediately or even same day

Edited June 20 by KBs mum

[rjp50]

5 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

So far the only place we have problems with our cards is the US, due to the PIN system and contactless seemingly being unusual there. We use cash there now, it's easier. 

Not sure when the last time that you were in the US or if there is something unique about your cards, but use of credit cards in the US is ubiquitous.  About the only time I use cash is when I get a haircut and even that is my choice since my barber does accept credit cards.  Perhaps not every terminal is contactless (most are), but everyone accepts the chips.  My pet peeve with credit cards is at restaurants where for the most part the server has to take possession of your card to run it through a machine.

[Mike07]

1 hour ago, rjp50 said:

Not sure when the last time that you were in the US or if there is something unique about your cards, but use of credit cards in the US is ubiquitous.  About the only time I use cash is when I get a haircut and even that is my choice since my barber does accept credit cards.  Perhaps not every terminal is contactless (most are), but everyone accepts the chips.  My pet peeve with credit cards is at restaurants where for the most part the server has to take possession of your card to run it through a machine.

 

 

Europe has a more secure payment network overall the way it has been built out. Efforts have been made for the US to follow suit but the major processors are happy with the status quo.

 

Credit card fraud is accounted and built into credit card transactions within the US already.

 

As honest people, most of us wouldn't get it, but it is what it is.

[KBs mum]

2 hours ago, rjp50 said:

 My pet peeve with credit cards is at restaurants where for the most part the server has to take possession of your card to run it through a machine.

That's the problem, few terminals that can be brought to the table, and terminals not where the customer can easily reach them. In the UK staff rarely touch the terminals, unless the detatchible bit is taken to the customer. Staff never touch the card. Same as in most countries that have widespread card use

[vslparis]

15 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

I get that... I just question the logic of traveling without a card in 2024 unless you're bringing large stacks of cash.

 

What is strange to me is that I've had people on Viking ships that are old enough to be my grandparent think that everywhere in the world takes cards. They travel to these foreign locations and assume everywhere is like the USA.

Very true.  Especially since Covid I have  run into more taxis and restaurants that want cash. And a lot of smaller vendors or marketplaces only take cash. Also, there are those that think they can spend USD in stores and restaurants in places like Europe , UK, Asia etc.  I know there are some places like Mexico, the Caribbean, Panama where you can but they are the rare exceptions for International destinations. 🤔

[KBs mum]

50 minutes ago, vslparis said:

Very true.  Especially since Covid I have  run into more taxis and restaurants that want cash. And a lot of smaller vendors or marketplaces only take cash. Also, there are those that think they can spend USD in stores and restaurants in places like Europe , UK, Asia etc.  I know there are some places like Mexico, the Caribbean, Panama where you can but they are the rare exceptions for International destinations. 🤔

Covid has had the opposite effect in Europe, some places don't take cash now, card payments are usual in most situations. In the UK I don't carry cash now, unless for a specific reason 

[vslparis]

6 hours ago, KBs mum said:

Covid has had the opposite effect in Europe, some places don't take cash now, card payments are usual in most situations. In the UK I don't carry cash now, unless for a specific reason 

Actually , I was talking about my experiences in Europe. Experienced in France, Poland and Italy last year, France also the year prior. Also have experienced places that only take cards . Learned never to assume.

[uktog]

15 hours ago, vslparis said:

This might be true for those insured in the UK. However, in my experience both personally and in my over 30 years in the travel industry, most Trip Insurance companies in the U.S. require you to pay for any medical expenses and unexpected flights first and then you will reimbursed after your claim has been approved. 

Medical expenses may be automatically billed back to the insurer in the UK however flights, hotels etc it’s the same as the UK. You have to pay and claim back. This can be rather expensive (last year we needed to pay £12k in that connection, all eventually reimbursed) so one of our cards we bring has a high unused limit. 
 

I can’t see any valid reason in this day and age in many parts of the world not to use cards. And certainly I do as asked at check in to avoid delaying others behind. If they ask for my card, they get it. I saw someone decline to do so in Norway and the whole checking in got stuck with supervisors needed etc 

[KBs mum]

Anyway, back to the original question, you could manage the whole vacation without ever using a card. It would likely be a hassle, but is possible