Debit Card as Payment?

[scoobcruise]

Hi: I posted this on first time cruisers also, but I am wondering if the NCL cruisers may know more specifically:

We will be going on our very first cruise in May on the Dawn. Does anyone ever use their Debit card (Also a credit card, but linked to our checking account) to settle up the final bill upon getting off the ship? We plan on using cash while off of the ship at the Ports. Or would you recommend bringing our regular credit card? Thank you for any and all information on this topic.

[RSWBADGER]

Hi: I posted this on first time cruisers also, but I am wondering if the NCL cruisers may know more specifically:

 

We will be going on our very first cruise in May on the Dawn. Does anyone ever use their Debit card (Also a credit card, but linked to our checking account) to settle up the final bill upon getting off the ship? We plan on using cash while off of the ship at the Ports. Or would you recommend bringing our regular credit card? Thank you for any and all information on this topic.

 

Make sure you check with your Bank/Financial Institution on your daily purchase limit. Even if you can have $10,000 in your checking account, if your daily purchase limit is only $500.00 and your ship's bill exceeds that you will have a problem. :mad:

[clm101798]

I have also heard of cases where the company that processes the credit card charges for the cruise line accidentally double billing someone, and if you don't have tons of $ in the checking account to cover this double billing and your current bills you can bounce checks. I would recommend using a credit card and when you get back just pay it off with the debit card money you had planned on using.

[Arwenmark]

Yes you can do it but you run the risk of many problems if you do. Also notify your bank and credit card companies of your trip in advance if you want to be able to use those cards out of the country.

[Toyz711]

the poster who suggested using your credit card, then using the money (from your debit account) to pay for it...good suggestion. banks have different rules then credit card companies..more "hold" time on your money, harder to get problems resolved. like one person had problems with, they used their debit card..got charged double..checks bounced. they are being held responsible for the returned check fees. with a credit card that would not have happened. charges could have been reversed right away. protect yourself and use a credit card, as long as you have one.

plus, some credit card companies have some travel protection built in.

[Arwenmark]

Personally I prefer to deposit Travelers checks with the purser for my onboard account. Very safe way to do it. No holds or surprises on your card.

[cruisequeen10]

Use cash, then you won't be double billed.

[melika091900]

we have used our debit card on all of the cruises weve been on , all 4 and never had a problem, they do hold certain amounts, i think NCL held like 200$ but we never had problems getting money

we just went to the casino and got it charged to our room,

we never had any problems,

i would check with your bank if there is debit limits, or withdrawl limits,

because ive heard from someone else, one time there debit card was on hold like that and they couldnt get any money out of the ATM,

but like i said that has never happened to us and our bill is usually about 2500....

check with your bank though and have a great trip and congrats !!!!!!1

[cruiserssandr]

Make sure you check with your Bank/Financial Institution on your daily purchase limit. Even if you can have $10,000 in your checking account, if your daily purchase limit is only $500.00 and your ship's bill exceeds that you will have a problem. :mad:

You should be able to have your bank raise your limit for the time you are on your cruise and then just have it dropped back when you return. This is what most of the customers at the bank I work at do.

[PatnJudy]

I've got to weigh in on this. Use a credit card. As a matter of fact get a Norwegian credit card. It is a Master card. I think Bank of America has taken it over now. Anyway, they pay you 3% on your regular purchases (and a higher amount for on board purchases). This credit is used for future cruises. My wife and I got $1000 credited towards an NCL cruise a few years ago and now have accumulated another $500 that we are using to pay part of our fare next month.

 

That said, I have found it necessary to call the company to tell them I will be making some unusual purchases (that don't fit my usual spending pattern) out of country. A few years ago I'd bought some jewelry in Diamond International for my wife and daughter. Not even 30 min later I attempted to buy myself a watch and found the credit card company had denied the charge. When I called them later they said that the first purchase had tripped an alarm as it was an large purchase and they were protecting me from a possible fraudulent charge. (we all know they were protecting themselves as well.) ButI still think these procedures protect us all.

 

I was emabarassed when my card was denied and had to use a second card. Since then I have learned to let the credit card company know when I was making a series of high dollar or out of country purchases..

[PatnJudy]

I've got to weigh in on this. Use a credit card. As a matter of fact get a Norwegian credit card. It is a Master card. I think Bank of America has taken it over now. Anyway, they pay you 3% on your regular purchases (and a higher amount for on board purchases). This credit is used for future cruises. My wife and I got $1000 credited towards an NCL cruise a few years ago and now have accumulated another $500 that we are using to pay part of our fare next month.

 

That said, I have found it necessary to call the company to tell them I will be making some unusual purchases (that don't fit my usual spending pattern) out of country. A few years ago I'd bought some jewelry in Diamond International for my wife and daughter. Not even 30 min later I attempted to buy myself a watch and found the credit card company had denied the charge. When I called them later they said that the first purchase had tripped an alarm as it was an large purchase and they were protecting me from a possible fraudulent charge. (we all know they were protecting themselves as well.) ButI still think these procedures protect us all.

 

I was emabarassed when my card was denied and had to use a second card. Since then I have learned to let the credit card company know when I was making a series of high dollar or out of country purchases..

[PatnJudy]

I've got to weigh in on this. Use a credit card. As a matter of fact get a Norwegian credit card. It is a Master card. I think Bank of America has taken it over now. Anyway, they pay you 3% on your regular purchases (and a higher amount for on board purchases). This credit is used for future cruises. My wife and I got $1000 credited towards an NCL cruise a few years ago and now have accumulated another $500 that we are using to pay part of our fare next month.

 

That said, I have found it necessary to call the company to tell them I will be making some unusual purchases (that don't fit my usual spending pattern) out of country. A few years ago I'd bought some jewelry in Diamond International for my wife and daughter. Not even 30 min later I attempted to buy myself a watch and found the credit card company had denied the charge. When I called them later they said that the first purchase had tripped an alarm as it was an large purchase and they were protecting me from a possible fraudulent charge. (we all know they were protecting themselves as well.) ButI still think these procedures protect us all.

 

I was emabarassed when my card was denied and had to use a second card. Since then I have learned to let the credit card company know when I was making a series of high dollar or out of country purchases..

[PatnJudy]

I've got to weigh in on this. Use a credit card. As a matter of fact get a Norwegian credit card. It is a Master card. I think Bank of America has taken it over now. Anyway, they pay you 3% on your regular purchases (and a higher amount for on board purchases). This credit is used for future cruises. My wife and I got $1000 credited towards an NCL cruise a few years ago and now have accumulated another $500 that we are using to pay part of our fare next month.

 

That said, I have found it necessary to call the company to tell them I will be making some unusual purchases (that don't fit my usual spending pattern) out of country. A few years ago I'd bought some jewelry in Diamond International for my wife and daughter. Not even 30 min later I attempted to buy myself a watch and found the credit card company had denied the charge. When I called them later they said that the first purchase had tripped an alarm as it was an large purchase and they were protecting me from a possible fraudulent charge. (we all know they were protecting themselves as well.) ButI still think these procedures protect us all.

 

I was emabarassed when my card was denied and had to use a second card. Since then I have learned to let the credit card company know when I was making a series of high dollar or out of country purchases..

[Rusty Trombone]

I'm confused PatnJudy...should you use a credit card? LOL J/K.

 

I plan on using a debit card. I can't see spending over $500 a day on anything.

[RSWBADGER]

Hi: I posted this on first time cruisers also, but I am wondering if the NCL cruisers may know more specifically:

 

We will be going on our very first cruise in May on the Dawn. Does anyone ever use their Debit card (Also a credit card, but linked to our checking account) to settle up the final bill upon getting off the ship? We plan on using cash while off of the ship at the Ports. Or would you recommend bringing our regular credit card? Thank you for any and all information on this topic.

 

The question was on paying the Final Bill which could be over $500.00

 

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[clm101798]

I don't know about other states but in MA you cannot be held liable for fraudulent charges over $50 on any credit card.

[RSWBADGER]

I don't know about other states but in MA you cannot be held liable for fraudulent charges over $50 on any credit card.

 

Visa’s Zero Liability policy means 100 percent protection for you. Visa’s enhanced policy guarantees maximum protection against fraud. You now have complete liability protection for all of your card transactions that take place on the Visa system. Should someone steal your card number while you’re shopping, online or off, you pay nothing for their fraudulent activity.

[Arwenmark]

I'm confused PatnJudy...should you use a credit card? LOL J/K.

 

I plan on using a debit card. I can't see spending over $500 a day on anything.

 

They save up your charges and then post them when they reach a certain amount so it may well be over 500 when they submit it. also as they submit those they put a hold on your account so when they submit again if you don't have enough it bounces.

[hcs81m]

we have used our debit card on all of the cruises weve been on , all 4 and never had a problem, they do hold certain amounts, i think NCL held like 200$ but we never had problems getting money

 

Does anyone know how much of an authorization NCL takes on your card when you establish a shipboard account?

[The-King]

Hi: I posted this on first time cruisers also, but I am wondering if the NCL cruisers may know more specifically:

 

We will be going on our very first cruise in May on the Dawn. Does anyone ever use their Debit card (Also a credit card, but linked to our checking account) to settle up the final bill upon getting off the ship? We plan on using cash while off of the ship at the Ports. Or would you recommend bringing our regular credit card? Thank you for any and all information on this topic.

 

I would use a credit card for your ship board account. All cruise lines will put a temp. auth. every day of the cruise which freezes portions of the creditline or funds in your checking account ( if using a debit card ), just in case you do a little over spending, so they can get thier money. These hold can last up tto 30 Days. So you can use a debit card but just beware of these holds they can interfear with any auto bill pay you may have with your debit card. So my advise is to use a credit card for your ship board account.

I use a credit card for all purchases abroad as they will give you the best exchange rate.

Hope this was helpfull.

[Toyz711]

some have reported having extra charges billed, imagine the problem with you come home to find your bank account tied up while you figure out the extra charges (or wait for the ship's hold to disappear) to clear up. it takes longer to disputes charges and takes forever to get a refund credited with a any thing tied to a atm card, even if you use it as a credit card. bank rules are different then credit card company.

credit cards company can handle disputes better, refund faster. i found this out when i worked as customer service for a major department store.

i didn't know that when a store issues a refund to a credit card, it can be in your account in days, less then a week. on a debit card, 2 weeks at least..usually more..due to bank regulations.

we made extra payments to the credit card so that it had a credit on the card. in effect using cash with the protection of the credit company.

[Missilecop]

I have use my debit card on all my cruises. The first thing I do is call my bank and explain, I am going on a cruise for these dates. They then raise my amount and know if some charges come from out the the country I am traveling. Knock on wood NCL has never messed anything up yet.

[cinnam0n]

I just called NCL to find out about this because I had heard so many different things. (I actually called 3 different times and talked to 3 different reps to make sure I got it!)

To avoid getting the holds put on your account, all you have to do is give them a credit card at the beginning of the cruise. They then create an account for you under that number, but do not charge anything until the end of the cruise. The reps told me that on the final day of the cruise, you have the option of settling that account any way that you want to, whether it be with cash, traveler's checks, debit card, or just leaving it on the credit card. But giving them the credit card at check-in is the easiest way to avoid all the hassle of the holds on your account, etc.

Just FYI, though, the reps I talked to all told me that the holds which are put on your account if you do only use a debit card are taken off when the bill is charged at the end of the cruise.

[Aandark]

I contacted my bank yesterday to make sure that I wouldn't be surprised when I tried to use either my bank credit card or debit card. The teller checked a list of trouble spots for on a credit card warning list and all of my ports of call were in the clear. I might suggest that you contact your financial institution to answer your questions.

[leeward]

I just called NCL to find out about this because I had heard so many different things. (I actually called 3 different times and talked to 3 different reps to make sure I got it!)

To avoid getting the holds put on your account, all you have to do is give them a credit card at the beginning of the cruise. They then create an account for you under that number, but do not charge anything until the end of the cruise. The reps told me that on the final day of the cruise, you have the option of settling that account any way that you want to, whether it be with cash, traveler's checks, debit card, or just leaving it on the credit card. But giving them the credit card at check-in is the easiest way to avoid all the hassle of the holds on your account, etc.

Just FYI, though, the reps I talked to all told me that the holds which are put on your account if you do only use a debit card are taken off when the bill is charged at the end of the cruise.

I sailed on the Dawn 1/7/07 and after my account was paid in full, many holds did not come off my checking account for several weeks. Some were as little as $6.00 and some $400.00. These funds were unavailable to me! I contacted my bank, they required a fax from ncl to release funds. I contacted ncl, since the bill was paid in full and they refused. After about 2 weeks all holds were released.