Does anyone know about HAL's $60/day/person credit card "hold"?

[cruz chic]

We were able to hear some of the conversation -- seems the Deluxe suite was a honeymoon gift from one of the parents.

 

But no one thought about them spending and the credit card holds.

 

So they maxed out quickly.

 

When we got to Cozumel they were the first ones off the ship -- we watched as they both hit the telephones and were calling home. Guess they needed one of the parents to help them out.

To me....that is even worse. They had family pay for their room....and still flat broke. Even in my early 20's I can't remember being in that situation. My parents didn't have 2 nickles to rub together when we were growing up and we had nothing. I've worked hard to get where I am and maybe that the difference. I know what it's like to have nothing....and I don't want to be in the position.

[CruiseMissives]

I just checked the HAL website and under Finance stuff they state that cruises up to 25 days are $60 per person per day and cruises 25 days and over are $30 per person. That doesn't seem quite as high a deposit. I'm glad debit cards are accepted as well.

[Cruisin'Lady]

The daily hold does not apply to children unless you have their rooms keys programmed so they can charge to your room account.

 

If you want your kid to be able to go in and out of the room by themselves (age 10 and up) then the $60 applies. They will not remove it or lower it. We tried. Also they are required to have the key card to get on and off the ship.....I am not sure about babies though.

[baggal]

The last time I made a hotel reservation, just last week, I was told over the phone that I would have a credit hold put on my AMEX for the time of my stay.

 

Not a problem for me because, I too, live within my means, and wouldn't "feel" the hold so to speak.

 

I actually think its a great idea. As a consumer, I don't want to end up subsidizing deadbeats by paying increased rates and fares, etc. when deadbeats can't pay their onboard charges.

[CroneWynd]

Well, on our recent HAL 30-Day Hawaii & French Polynesian Islands cruise, we received an "interim" statement 10 days into the cruise and then a "final" statement at the completion of our 30-Day cruise! What would be the reason(s) for the "interim" statement 10 days into the cruise?

I would guess that they were giving you the opportunity to settle up as you go along, change your method of payment, or even a chance to notice what your onboard spending habits were like.

 

Personally, I go to the purser's desk every other day for a printout, just to keep tabs on things. But, that's me. :D

[cruz chic]

I actually think its a great idea. As a consumer, I don't want to end up subsidizing deadbeats by paying increased rates and fares, etc. when deadbeats can't pay their onboard charges.

I agree....and as far as I know that is the reason the cruise lines do it. I have no problem with them doing this.

[Katie333]

This is a very interesting post. We have not yet cruised HAL but know that Princess, Carnival and RCI have all put holds on our credit cards.

 

We have one main card that we use when we use credit and that's not often. It's limit is not very high, and with the $60 pp/day it would eat a substantial amount of our available credit (for a 30 day cruise) so we'd have to bring our back up card which I don't even keep it my wallet. Hmm, not sure if that account is even still open. And I'd much rather use the main card to get my points. I'm not comfortable travelling with a lot of cash, rather keep that in the bank and pay off the bill once I'm home.

 

Guess I should see about getting a limit increase so we don't get caught unaware.

[shandryl]

The first $11.00 per day is to cover the hotel charge, which everyone pays. HAL arrives at that figure by taking an historic average of passengers' daily spending. They have no way of knowing in advance who will spend more or who will spend less so they arrive at an average amount. There is nothing shocking about good solid business practice. The hold protects the cruise line from being left high and dry (as it were:D) at the conclusion of the cruise by passengers who have no credit or, not enough credit, on their cards.

If one is going on an extended cruise then one should either raise the spending limit on their card, pay off the card to allow for the hold, or just not cruise. A cruise costs considerably more than just the price of the cruise itself----a fact that a lot of people just don't seem to take into account when doing the booking. I don't wish to sound harsh but that is just the way it is.

If I were a shareholder in a cruiseline I would be very wary about hanging onto my holdings if the line were to do away with this very sensible safeguard. The practice of placing a hold was in use before times got tough but it makes even more sense from a business point of view now.

 

Thats exacly right!! Very well said sapper1 :)

[shandryl]

I agree HalFans!

I wish we only spent $60 per person a day. But in reality the large majority of passengers actually spend a lot more than that. Need proof?

 

Go to the meeting places for shore excursions and see how many passengers are taking the ship excursions (a lot more than those of us who do it on their own). I would think the average HAL excursion cost more than $60 per person.

 

At dinner, see if you notice how many passengers order a bottle of wine with their meal. Go sit at a bar and get a feel of how many are enjoying a cocktail before/after dinner. How about the spa, casino, photo’s, duty free shop, espresso bar (that is my weakness…lol), the PG, etc.

 

But what is really shocking is sitting next to the purser’s desk the last night of the cruise. It always amazes me how many passengers are walking up to the desk with their final bill in their hands with the facial expression “there can’t be anyway I have spent this much money during this cruise”:eek: (lol).

 

Enjoy your cruise!

John

 

I have seen that line up too LMAO You are absolutely right! :D I find it entertaining.

[cruz chic]

I have seen that line up too LMAO You are absolutely right! :D I find it entertaining.

It's amazing how quickly it adds up. I generally get a copy of my account every 4-5 days and pay it off at that point. Nothing generally gets charged on my credit card. I budget a certain amount per day for my cruise in travelers cheques and I've never gone over that amount. It is more then the $60 hold per day.

[cruz chic]

I have seen that line up too LMAO You are absolutely right! :D I find it entertaining.

It's amazing how quickly it adds up. I generally get a copy of my account every 4-5 days and pay it off at that point. Nothing generally gets charged on my credit card. I budget a certain amount per day for my cruise in travelers cheques and I've never gone over that amount. It is more then the $60 hold per day.

[serendipity1499]

This is a very interesting post. We have not yet cruised HAL but know that Princess, Carnival and RCI have all put holds on our credit cards.

 

We have one main card that we use when we use credit and that's not often. It's limit is not very high, and with the $60 pp/day it would eat a substantial amount of our available credit (for a 30 day cruise) so we'd have to bring our back up card which I don't even keep it my wallet. Hmm, not sure if that account is even still open. And I'd much rather use the main card to get my points. I'm not comfortable travelling with a lot of cash, rather keep that in the bank and pay off the bill once I'm home.

 

Guess I should see about getting a limit increase so we don't get caught unaware.

 

Good News! On longer cruises HAL only puts a hold of $30.00 pp/day..

We just disembarked the Statendam after a 28 day cruise & the hold was still $30..00 pp/day..I believe the cut-off from $60 to $30 is for 25 days or more, but not sure..

Enjoy your cruise..

Betty

[BruceMuzz]

I recently booked a HAL cruise and was shocked to learn about a pre-authorized credit card hold of $60 per person for each day of your cruise. I'm going on a 33-day cruise...that's $1980...and that's just for myself. I'm travelling with 3 other family members so we're looking at almost $8000US...or about $10,000CDN! :eek: I was wondering if anyone knows or has heard about this. Is it a new policy? I haven't heard about it before. Also, I need to know if this is just a "hold" and won't be charged to the credit card. (I believe the fine print on the HAL documents claim that they won't charge the card until the end of the cruise, but I need to know for sure.) Because if this amount is charged on the credit card upon embarkation, we will still be on the ship when the statement arrives and won't be able to pay for it before the due date and the interest on that amount would be outrageous.

Anyhow, I've sailed several times with Princess, Carnival & NCL and have never come across this pre-authorization policy. Any answers, comments, and input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

ALL the major cruise lines have been doing EXACTLY the same thing for DECADES.

Princess and NCL hold the very same $60 per day.

Nearly every hotel on planet Earth does this as well - and has been for decades.

 

You may be surprised to learn that the average cruiser in North America charges just a bit more than $60 per day while on a cruise. That`s where the cruise lines got that number for the credit hold; they didn`t just pull it out of the air.

 

It`s a very good idea to pay closer attention to the details of your international travel. "Nobody told me" is not a vaild excuse, and can get you into trouble if you are not careful.

[sapper1]

Good News! On longer cruises HAL only puts a hold of $30.00 pp/day..

 

We just disembarked the Statendam after a 28 day cruise & the hold was still $30..00 pp/day..I believe the cut-off from $60 to $30 is for 25 days or more, but not sure..

 

Enjoy your cruise..

 

Betty

We had a hold of $60 per person per day for a 26 day cruise last August so maybe the cut-off is 27 days or they have changed their policy. That is interesting.

[sail7seas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooops

I recently booked a HAL cruise and was shocked to learn about a pre-authorized credit card hold of $60 per person for each day of your cruise. I'm going on a 33-day cruise...that's $1980...and that's just for myself. I'm travelling with 3 other family members so we're looking at almost $8000US...or about $10,000CDN! I was wondering if anyone knows or has heard about this. Is it a new policy? I haven't heard about it before. Also, I need to know if this is just a "hold" and won't be charged to the credit card. (I believe the fine print on the HAL documents claim that they won't charge the card until the end of the cruise, but I need to know for sure.) Because if this amount is charged on the credit card upon embarkation, we will still be on the ship when the statement arrives and won't be able to pay for it before the due date and the interest on that amount would be outrageous.

 

Anyhow, I've sailed several times with Princess, Carnival & NCL and have never come across this pre-authorization policy. Any answers, comments, and input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

If you are concerned about not being home to pay your bill, you can always pre-pay a bill before you receive it. Before you leave for your cruise, send a payment to your credit card company. Attach a note giving your name, address, account number and request they apply this prepayment to your account in advance.

 

HAL only charges the exact amount of money you actually spend. They place the hold of $60 per day but only the net amount shown on the itemized bill you receive will be charged on your credit card.

 

[serendipity1499]

We had a hold of $60 per person per day for a 26 day cruise last August so maybe the cut-off is 27 days or they have changed their policy. That is interesting.

 

Thanks for that info..Yes, it is interesting..

Heard about the reduction to $30 pp/day on Cruise Critic but did not realize it would apply to us..I was surprised when checking in on-line the HAL WEB site informed me that it would be $30.pp/day..It really would not have been a problem for us if it was $60.00

Cheers..:)Betty

[dag144]

Personally I never tell HAL how I am going to pay until I give check in person my credit card at embarkation for that very reason. I did call Princess earlier this year and was told by the customer service rep., after he did some checking that for a seven day cruise Princess would hold $200 pp.:)

[Boytjie]

Personally I never tell HAL how I am going to pay until I give check in person my credit card at embarkation for that very reason. I did call Princess earlier this year and was told by the customer service rep., after he did some checking that for a seven day cruise Princess would hold $200 pp.:)

 

The hold only starts when you board, not when you give them the credit card information.

[dhmom99]

I never knew they do that. But it is nice to know

[gregdude]

Every car rental company, hotel, and motel asks for your credit card when you check in. They run the card to place a hold on anticipated costs. When you check out or return the card they ask if you want charges placed on that card. They never re-scan your card, but simply process the actual cost. Everyone in the world uses the same process, including HAL.

[nho9504]

ALL the major cruise lines have been doing EXACTLY the same thing for DECADES.

Princess and NCL hold the very same $60 per day.

Nearly every hotel on planet Earth does this as well - and has been for decades.

 

Absolutely not the case with our Princess cruises. Our latest one was on Crown Princess 7 day Western Caribbeans Feb 6 to Feb 13 2010.

 

0 hold on our card at all.

 

When I do online check-in with our first-ever HAL sail, a 16 day Transatlantic on Eurodam, I am surprised by the $60 hold information hidden under the New Credit Card Policy that you have to click to see it.

 

The hold is $960 per person for our 16 days cruise.

 

We have several cards all have high credit lines, so the hold has no effect on us. But the $60 amount to me is too high. I can see they put the daily gratuity + 2 times more on that amount - but at $60? Do they expect the passengers to eat at specialty restaurant every night and get drunk every day?! Geez.

 

The hold is higher than the rental car companies hold and the rental car companies have cars at risk. What HAL has at risk? the daily gratuity at most because they can always SUSPEND the shipboard account so you cannot charge to buy stuff, drink, and eat in the specialty restaurants. That is what Princess does when they cannot get authorization while during the sailing, they call the passengers to purser desk to take care of it. Incidentally, Princess does a DAILY Hold each day after Midnight. I know exactly how much they put on hold - the cumulative debit balance in the shipboard account up to that day. We have FREE internet access onboard Princess ships because elite status, and I do check my card often. That is what I see and I confirm with the purser desk.

 

Princess NEVER puts a lumpsum hold on our CC when we check-in online, or when we board.

[Mary Ellen]

Absolutely not the case with our Princess cruises. Our latest one was on Crown Princess 7 day Western Caribbeans Feb 6 to Feb 13 2010.

 

0 hold on our card at all.

 

Princess NEVER puts a lumpsum hold on our CC when we check-in online, or when we board.

:confused: How do you know? I know that a hold is put on my cc whenever I buy gas, check-in to a hotel, or rent a car. I've NEVER known how much the hold has been. Why do think you KNOW Princess didn't put a hold on your card? :confused:

[silverado44]

I recently booked a HAL cruise and was shocked to learn about a pre-authorized credit card hold of $60 per person for each day of your cruise. I'm going on a 33-day cruise...that's $1980...and that's just for myself. I'm travelling with 3 other family members so we're looking at almost $8000US...or about $10,000CDN! :eek: I was wondering if anyone knows or has heard about this. Is it a new policy? I haven't heard about it before. Also, I need to know if this is just a "hold" and won't be charged to the credit card. (I believe the fine print on the HAL documents claim that they won't charge the card until the end of the cruise, but I need to know for sure.) Because if this amount is charged on the credit card upon embarkation, we will still be on the ship when the statement arrives and won't be able to pay for it before the due date and the interest on that amount would be outrageous.

 

Anyhow, I've sailed several times with Princess, Carnival & NCL and have never come across this pre-authorization policy. Any answers, comments, and input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

How can $8,000 US be equal to $10,000 CAD? With the recent exchange rate it would be about $8,200 CAD

[Mary Ellen]

How can $8,000 US be equal to $10,000 CAD? With the recent exchange rate it would be about $8,200 CAD

What you quoted is from a year ago. How could the OP have known what the "recent" (March 2010) rates would be? :confused:

[MikePowers]

At the end of the day the $60 daily hold by Holland America is no doubt an average spend for all clients on a ship. Some spend more, some spend less. Holland's $60 daily hold ensures they are covered for any losses.