Cash for tipping question

I've been on Royal and Carnival. Royal has the best service ever. Although there are times when you just want to tip extra, I have learned that they talk a good game to get those extras and try to make you feel bad. Don't fall for it if they don't go that extra mile it's on them. I do always tip my stateroom personnel extra but now I think I will do it before we cruise instead of after.

Canadian banks are now just starting to do away with the foreign-brand surcharge, but the machine level surcharges are still fair game.

 

Interesting your bank reimburses those...but how do you prove the fee to them?

I am a different poster, but our bank also reimburses ATM fees. I don't have to prove the fees to them - the know which fees are ATM fees and they issue the credit immediately after the ATM transaction.

I am a different poster, but our bank also reimburses ATM fees. I don't have to prove the fees to them - the know which fees are ATM fees and they issue the credit immediately after the ATM transaction.

Considering the fees on the ships for example sometimes exceed $10-$15 per transaction, are you saying that if you used one of those machines say, five times, during a cruise your bank would reimburse you that much money?

I find that hard to believe.

Considering the fees on the ships for example sometimes exceed $10-$15 per transaction, are you saying that if you used one of those machines say, five times, during a cruise your bank would reimburse you that much money?

 

I find that hard to believe.

My bank caps the reimbursement at $35/month, so I suppose it is possible to exceed the amount if you though I never have. I've also never been charged $10 on a cruise ship for using the ATM.

Considering the fees on the ships for example sometimes exceed $10-$15 per transaction, are you saying that if you used one of those machines say, five times, during a cruise your bank would reimburse you that much money?

 

 

 

I find that hard to believe.

Banks that refund ATM fees of other banks do have limits on reimbursement per month.

BTW: if you are traveling internationally, you really should have, at least, one credit card with the highest (not lowest) limit you can get. It will only take one emergency medical event in a foreign country where (even with insurance) you may (almost always) be required to pay upfront for service.

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I have the ability to get the credit limit raised on our cards if required, but I do not travel around the world with a card that has massive credit available only to have it stolen and by the time I might realize it, racked up with tens of thousands of dollars in charges.

Yes yes, I know credit card companies have "Fraud protection" against that. As someone who's been a victim of this before, trust me, it's far easier to just proactively avoid that whole situation than reactively have to try to fix it. It's not as easy as one might think.

I have the ability to get the credit limit raised on our cards if required, but I do not travel around the world with a card that has massive credit available only to have it stolen and by the time I might realize it, racked up with tens of thousands of dollars in charges.

 

Yes yes, I know credit card companies have "Fraud protection" against that. As someone who's been a victim of this before, trust me, it's far easier to just proactively avoid that whole situation than reactively have to try to fix it. It's not as easy as one might think.

One's upper credit limit is very easy to protect since, with any decent credit card, it is possible to set text/e-mail alerts and extra security requirements for international charging beyond a given dollar amount or at all.

What would be considerably more difficult would be to get immediate approval for a credit limit increase from some "low" amount to 50k + on a weekend while you're sitting in an ER.

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One's upper credit limit is very easy to protect since, with any decent credit card, it is possible to set text/e-mail alerts and extra security requirements for international charging beyond a given dollar amount or at all.

What would be considerably more difficult would be to get immediate approval for a credit limit increase from some "low" amount to 50k + on a weekend while you're sitting in an ER.

 

 

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I wonder how many travelers have the ability to have a $50k limit on a credit card? I'd be surprised if the percentage is above 20%.

I wonder how many travelers have the ability to have a $50k limit on a credit card? I'd be surprised if the percentage is above 20%.

You might be surprised. Actually, $50k is not that high (if you're a homeowner in a major metro coastal area with a paid mortgage, some regular credit payments and stellar credit history). Good salary history and/or "defined benefits" retirement pension also a plus. In any case, multiple cards with lower limits could also provide the necessary buffer.

What you do not want is to come up "empty" in a third world ER.

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You might be surprised. Actually, $50k is not that high (if you're a homeowner in a major metro coastal area with a paid mortgage, some regular credit payments and stellar credit history). Good salary history and/or "defined benefits" retirement pension also a plus. In any case, multiple cards with lower limits could also provide the necessary buffer.

What you do not want is to come up "empty" in a third world ER.

 

 

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A lot of "ifs" in your scenario and the biggest "if" of all- having an annual salary that would justify a bank extending that much credit. In your world that might not be an issue but for the rest of humanity it is.

I tip $1 per two drinks, $1 pp at dinner, and $5-20 per room to my steward at the end of the cruise depending on the level of service.

If the bartenders learn that you tip well, you will get extra good service. The other tips are more of a thank you, unless youre asking for the same restaurant servers every night or if you have assigned dining.

A lot of "ifs" in your scenario and the biggest "if" of all- having an annual salary that would justify a bank extending that much credit. In your world that might not be an issue but for the rest of humanity it is.

"Rest of humanity" is a bit of an exaggeration.

According to the American Bankers Association's Credit Market Monitor report at the end of 2016, the average credit line for a new card was $9,779 for someone with excellent credit.

So, approx $10k for a NEW card is the AVERAGE across an entire country for someone with excellent credit.

Here's an eye opener from a study done by Credit Karma Inc (in 2015):

15 US Cities With The Highest Average Credit Card Limits

1.Naperville, IL, $31,742.74

2.Frisco, TX, $30,932.98

3.Arlington, VA, $29,730.85

4.Irvine, CA, $29,516.58

5.Thousand Oaks, CA, $29,154.08

6.Carlsbad, CA, $29,046.40

7.San Francisco, CA, $28,956.44

8.Cary, NC, $28,799.16

9.Sunnyvale, CA, $28,058.10

10.Scottsdale, AZ, $27,992.40

11.Plano, TX, $27,734.63

12.Santa Clara, CA, $26,056.61

13.Overland Park, KS, $25,247.77

14.Stamford, CT, $24,845.45

15.Alexandria, VA, $24,838.27

And, for more recent data: The TransUnion Q1 2017 Industry Insight Report shows that the average total credit line for those with the highest credit scores, called super-prime consumers, was $33,371 in the first quarter of 2017.

Note that the above are all AVERAGES and they are not just major metro coastal areas.

Of course, not everyone is in this ball park. But, if you live and work smartly, $50K credit is realistic, particularly if each person in a double occupancy cruise ship cabin has some bank's "preferred" card.

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