Credit Card Holds

[sgmburt]

I just read about the "HOLD" the cruise line puts on your card and wanted to ask how they handle this if you do not use credit cards? I always use my Visa Check Card like a credit card but will they accept it? Sorry if this has been answered before but I am SO new to this forum. Thanks for any feedback...

[sail7seas]

I know they accept cash deposited with the front office. Some CC'ers have written in the past of prepaying money toward a shipboard account prior to going to the ship so they have a credit balance to begin with when they board.

 

I don't know what your Visa check card is. Sorry. That's not anything we use.

 

[sgmburt]

Basically it's a Debit card

[AtlantaCruiser72]

at the beginning of the cruise HAL wil place a "hold" on funds equal to $60pp/day. When using a check card this means your checking account will be debited by that amount. That amount will remaina "pending" transaction in your checking account until HAL settles the shipboard account at the end of the trip at whatever amount of actual spending you use - similar to going to a restaurant and paying w/ your check card - the "real" amount w/ tip added is processed a day or two after the actual visit. Expect that if you go over the hold amount that an additional sum equal to the overages will be authorised during the course of the cruise.

 

The only caveat is that some banks do not recognise different types of charges (holds, settlements) and so therefore it may temporarily debit you the hold amount AND the finalised amount when HAL goes to settle the bill - looking like you have been double charged. You will get the hold amount back, just takes about 3-5 additional days for the transaction to go away in such a case.

 

Hope this helps!

[tarps14]

Okay, I want to chime in here and say my bank never seems to actually put these holds on my checkcard. I am the type that feels the need to check my account online daily (it's a sickness, i know :rolleyes:) and when we have rented a car, checked into a hotel, even made airline reservations, we never seem to have that "hold" on the account. It's not until after whatever travel acct it may be has been closed out, is when the charge appears and it has always been the final bill, not a hold. This has been the case on the last three cruises we have been on, the last two cars we have rented and about half a dozen different hotels. There has never been a hold to show up. Most, if not all, of the cruiselines use these holds but I don't know why one has never shown up on our checkcard account. Weird. Every time I use the checkcard at a dept store, gas station or restuarant, the hold clearly shows on the acct. Not sure why mine would be different. It is a major US bank, not a credit union. Just can't for the life of me figure out why it works this way for us. Any ideas?