Credit Card Surprises!!

[Target]

Just thought I would let you guys in on a secret regarding check cards. You know, the credit cards that are attached to your checking account....

 

We use our check card constantly and our Island Princess cruise was no different. We had paid a bunch of bills before leaving and our checking account had about $200 in it. We used the Visa attached to our checking account for our shipboard account. I was getting my paycheck directly deposited on the day before disembarkation, so I wasn't concerned about cashing out our room. What I didn't realize (and I have to admit makes alot of sense) was that the purser's desk gets authorization for your room charges, etc. EACH NIGHT! Oops! In the case of our Visa, it held the funds in our checking account. My $200 wasn't going to cut it! We had excursions to pay for, etc. With my face red and my tail between my legs, I had to call my boss and ask him to advance my paycheck and then, to add insult to injury, asked him to deposit it into my bank account! Thank goodness he is a great boss and didn't mind, but it was a little embarrassing! But wait! It doesn't end there!

 

We went to check into the Princess Mt. McKinley Lodge for a one night stay we arranged ourselves (not through Princess) and we ran into a problem again! We had paid for the room in full before arriving. When we got there, we told them not to turn on our phone (assuming we wouldn't have to leave a deposit that way). They wanted to put a $200 hold on our Visa (which was there, but barely). I told her we didn't need to leave a credit card if we had paid in full already and didn't want the phone turned on (I used to work in a hotel and that was how Hilton did it!-I of course did not say this to the girl). She responded that they needed a $200 deposit in case we "put a hole in the wall." Can you believe that explanation? The manager came over and said the deposit was needed "in case we took the TV." Wow! I am sitting in Alaska, looking to steal a $200 TV (Which I plan on carrying back on the plane with me) and punch a hole in the wall...interesting...who do these people normally rent to anyway? I talked the manager into taking a $200 check, holding it, and returning it to me the next day. I insisted they seal it in an envelope before I left the counter to insure they didn't process it. A woman next to me at the counter ended up leaving without checking in because they insisted on taking a $300 deposit on her check card. She left before I came up with the check idea.

 

One more incident and then I will stop with my flow of information....We rented a car at Budget in the Anchorage airport before driving to Mt. McKinley (this is all at the END of our cruise). The counter person stated that because we were using a check card Visa, she was going to take an additional $100 on top of our rental amount. I asked her the reason for this and she stated that it was "in case we close out our checking account." I didn't think until later that I could close the account whether they took the extra $100 or not! If I was sure I could get a different rental, I would have gone elsewhere with my business. It is 9 days later, and I still have not seen my $100 refund in my checking account. I called three times over the last week and was told it had been processed. Yesterday, the girl admitted she didn't show it being processed (this only happened because I insisted she give me the authorization number of the credit) and processed it while I was on the phone. The previous two calls blamed my bank and said they were the slow ones.

 

I have learned that a regular credit card is the way to go when you travel. Then this all happens behind the scenes. I did not have a credit card to use on this trip, so my check card was it. It was nice not to come home to a bunch of credit card bills though!!

 

Just thought I would share...

Laura

[Happy ks]

I've known about this problem with check cards for a long time, they are not credit cards and should not be treated as such. I think it is important for others to read this to know what they may deal with while travelling. I agree, it is nice to come home and not expect a huge bill a month later. We take along old fashioned travellers checks. When we check into a hotel, rent a car, board a ship etc..., we use the credit card to establish our account. When it comes time to check out, return the car, we settle the account with the travellers checks. Sometimes we will just leave our cash in our savings account, use the credit card on the trip, then pay it off upon returning home.

 

I know this person was in Alaska, but if you are in a foreign country, you really need to carry some form of credit card. I'll repeat in a different way, you really need to have some sort of emergency funds while you are far from home. You may have a friendly face, but you are a total stranger to these people and they do not want to be ripped off.

[General Max]

I never had a check card and I never want one. I use a credit card as often as I can with the protection offered. Also we enjoy the airline miles accumulating. These were used for our round trip Alaska tickets.

 

General Max

[LARGIN]

this post has been discussed in depth on the "Princess Board":rolleyes: