Credit card charge question

Hi,I have given Sun Princess our credit card details for our South Pacific cruise, Do they charge a percentage if they bill me from card ?

If so is it possible to pay in cash on last day if you are making no more purchases

Cheers

I don't know what princess charge, if anything, but you can always pay cash on the last day.

We have done this often on O/S cruises when we have been able to buy currency at a good price and avoid bank fees and cruise line conversions etc.

They don't charge a percentage but recently there has been a fee for credit card payments. It's best to settle the account in cash on the last night or give the details of an international debit card if you have one. The cash option always works out cheaper and you know immediately how much you're up for.

If you can estimate the amount you'll be spending onboard - shore ex, drinks, specialty dining, shopping - you can buy OBC in advance through the Princess Personaliser. This will make the final cash payment much smaller. The Princess exchange rate is generally good and once again, you know the final cost up front.

Princess do charge a percentage for using a credit card (same rate for all card types) for your on board account. Here is an extract from the FAQ page "At the end of your cruise, your onboard spend plus 1.5% service fee for credit cards and relevant foreign exchange expenses will be charged in one transaction, and the holds will then be released."

Is your South Pacific Cruise Brisbane to Brisbane or does it go to Hawaii or elsewhere? If you start and finish in Australia just settle with Aussie dollars the night before and register a debit card.

Princess do charge a percentage for using a credit card (same rate for all card types) for your on board account. Here is an extract from the FAQ page "At the end of your cruise, your onboard spend plus 1.5% service fee for credit cards and relevant foreign exchange expenses will be charged in one transaction, and the holds will then be released."

Agreed, it is 1.5%. I think it's just included in the total charged rather than explicitly broken out which is why some don't realise it's there.

Agreed, it is 1.5%. I think it's just included in the total charged rather than explicitly broken out which is why some don't realise it's there.

The credit card fee is listed a a line item on your account printout and is also listed when you check your account with the princess@sea on your phone/tablet. The princess@sea version is all screwed up and last cruise was showing it added multiple times so it would have been hard to miss, though it was only charged the once at the end.

It can be avoided by paying the account on the last day with cash or a debit card.

I found a printout from a previous cruise, unfortunately it was in credit so no surcharge but you can see that they have the statement about credit cards at the bottom of the page.

Scan_Doc0006.pdf

I was surprised to see a fee on the final statement after giving Princess my Debit card information. This was the first time in 15 cruises that the problem occurred. Statements are delivered around 5 am on disembarking day , which makes it a bit late to contest the fee.

Next cruise I'll make a point of telling the accounts dept that it's a debit card, not a credit card.

Just keep a check on that if you're using a debit card.

Thank you all for your responses,will pay in cash

Cheers

In the modern world it is difficult to dodge the ubiquitous credit card fee, but it should always be disclosed by the seller. Mostly it is the price to pay for the convenience or the ability to transact on-line. Actually I can't imagine now living without credit cards etc.

It is pretty standard in 'cruise world' for a 1.5% fee on the closing balance to be applied. The option is to pay-out the balance in cash late on the last night, but many others may elect to do the same, leading to lines & also once you have settled, you can't buy anything else, maybe one last drink :D

We sometimes will pay out the balance early on the last day of the cruise in cash ie not the departure day but the previous day, when it is not busy at GS & thus our final bill will be relatively small. If your final day spend is say even $100, then the 1.5% fee is worth it not to have to line up on the last night of my cruise - after all it's $1.50 ;)

<<<<<<We sometimes will pay out the balance early on the last day of the cruise in cash ie not the departure day but the previous day, when it is not busy at GS & thus our final bill will be relatively small. If your final day spend is say even $100, then the 1.5% fee is worth it not to have to line up on the last night of my cruise - after all it's $1.50 ;)>>>

Now that is a great idea Mr Walker,thank you,that is what we will do

Cheers

Hi,I have given Sun Princess our credit card details for our South Pacific cruise, Do they charge a percentage if they bill me from card ?

If so is it possible to pay in cash on last day if you are making no more purchases

Cheers

We were on Sun Princess last month. Registered our credit card, but like Mr Walker, paid using our EFTPOS card (no fee) the day before disembarking. Therefore only cocktails the last night on the c/c. All in Australian dollars through an Australian bank, so no overseas transaction fees.

Beware if registering a debit card. Ships can hold a very large sum of your money, but not return it until well after the cruise.

You can view your account on your tablet, and also print it out from the machine next to guest services at any time.

The amount they hold on your card is only the amount you spend via your shipboard account plus normally 100 or so dollars from what we have seen for the next days spend. If you make a large purchase it can be a large hold, we did a platinum studio sitting with the family one cruise which certainly put a dent in the credit card.

Just a suggestion - we have been doing this for many long years. We have a credit card used just for holidays - nothing else. The minimum card we could have at the time was $1,000.00. We top it up weekly with $20.00 minimum - obviously more when we're flush. When we find a cruise - more goes in, and that is the card that is used for onboard accounts, not the actual cruise payment - just onboard spends, that way no other card is "held" or anything like that - no need to stress. Never gone into the "$1,000.00" yet. Works for us.