Currency conversion option

[united4ever]

Update on this. I get an email today from Princess apologising for their mistake and saying they will refund the difference by cheque in the next few days..........Result. But they shouldn't have done it in the first place.

[kobecat]

Update on this. I get an email today from Princess apologising for their mistake and saying they will refund the difference by cheque in the next few days..........Result. But they shouldn't have done it in the first place.

 

Great outcome. Well done on following it up. Sometimes it seems to be just too hard and we let things go.

 

You are right; it should never have happened but it is great that Princess has rectified the mistake.

 

Beryl

[Tikibird]

How quickly do the charges actually get posted? My Amex statement closes on the 4th of the month and my cruise docks on the 4th of May. If I settle the account in the morning of the 4th, it will still be around 10pm on the 4th in Australia. If the clock ticks over to midnight 5th May before Princess can process the charges it will bill in June and I get 55 interest free days to pay it off. I want to make sure the charges don't hit that card until the next statement.

[avcruz]

I just had a look at the boarding passes for our upcoming cruise, and on mine it does read "Passenger has declined participation in the Credit Card Currency Conversion Program". As I used my card for my husband too, his has no notation at all. I have always found our bank's rate much more favourable than that of Princess.

 

Like one of the previous posters, I've never had a problem with Princess charging me incorrectly, but there are 2 things I always do. First, I make sure the embarkation agent acknowledges my choice when I check in, and second I ask for a copy of my statement before the last day. Usually at the bottom of the page there is mice type dictating which way you'll be charged.

[united4ever]

How quickly do the charges actually get posted? My Amex statement closes on the 4th of the month and my cruise docks on the 4th of May. If I settle the account in the morning of the 4th, it will still be around 10pm on the 4th in Australia. If the clock ticks over to midnight 5th May before Princess can process the charges it will bill in June and I get 55 interest free days to pay it off. I want to make sure the charges don't hit that card until the next statement.

 

We left the ship on the 14th feb and the charges appeared on my credit card on that date cos this was our statement date so we got no interest free days

[Aussie Gal]

I have just gone into my Personalizer and when I get to putting in my credit card, there is no option for currency conversion. We are sailing in 5 weeks time so perhaps our Personalizer is the old style though on our documents there is also nowhere to put whether we want it or not. We always take the option of having Amex convert the money.

 

Jennie

[caribill]

I have just gone into my Personalizer and when I get to putting in my credit card, there is no option for currency conversion. We are sailing in 5 weeks time so perhaps our Personalizer is the old style though on our documents there is also nowhere to put whether we want it or not.

Jennie

 

It is not where you put in the credit card information.

 

It is at the end of the boarding pass for the passenger who "owns" the credit card. In many cases, the end of the boarding pass is on a second page.

[Aussie Gal]

I have just gone back into my DH's Personalizer and under Travel Summary, and down the bottom under Onboard Currency it says Folio will be charged in US dollars but nowhere on the Boarding Pass does it have anything about what choices we have regarding the credit card and currency conversion.

 

This is what is written:

 

I have provided by electronic signature authorization to Princess Cruises to charge all goods and/or services I receive to the credit card listed above. I also authorize those passengers in my cabin listed below, for which I am listed as the credit card owner, to charge shipboard purchases to my credit card.

 

Jennie

[hansi]

What would a typical credit card company conversion charge be as oppose to the Princess conversion charge? Don't they charge a very similiar surcharge?

 

No they don't. In the UK I have a card especially for overseas use which does not have any loading.i.e. the purchases are made in the local currency, in this case US $, and they make a straight conversion from $ to £ on my credit card statement. Princess would charge in $ and then convert to £ and charge me the 3% surcharge to do so.

[caribill]

I have just gone back into my DH's Personalizer and under Travel Summary, and down the bottom under Onboard Currency it says Folio will be charged in US dollars but nowhere on the Boarding Pass does it have anything about what choices we have regarding the credit card and currency conversion.

 

This is what is written:

 

I have provided by electronic signature authorization to Princess Cruises to charge all goods and/or services I receive to the credit card listed above. I also authorize those passengers in my cabin listed below, for which I am listed as the credit card owner, to charge shipboard purchases to my credit card.

 

 

My boarding pass says the same, but after the names of the passengers is the following:

 

***YOU MUST MAKE A SELECTION BELOW IF YOU ARE REGISTERING A NON-US DOLLAR MASTERCARD OR VISA CARD***

 

Important Currency Conversion Details – Your shipboard folio for onboard purchases is charged in US dollars. When your non-US dollar credit card is processed, the charges are converted by your credit card-issuing bank into your card's currency. This procedure is standard but practices vary regarding the selection of conversion rates and a fee may be charged by your card-issuing bank. Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. offers a conversion service through our conversion agent, Global Card Services, Inc. (“GCS”) using wholesale exchange rates collected from Bloomberg plus a 3 percent international currency conversion fee. The wholesale conversion rate will be a rate selected by GCS from the range of rates published by Bloomberg and may or may not reflect the actual rates made available to GCS by their bank for the applicable processing. Exchange rates change throughout the day and the rate used to convert your transaction may not be the rate published on Bloomberg at the time we submit your transaction to GCS. The cost may be more or less than the exchange rates and conversion fees charged by your credit card-issuing bank. You should check with your credit card-issuing bank to compare currency exchange rates and currency conversion fees. If you choose to use our currency conversion service, you will be able to see on your folio at the end of your cruise what your total charges are in your home currency. If you use a MasterCard or Visa Card which is billed in the following currencies: ARS, AUD, BRL, CAD, CHF, CLP, CNY, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, INR, JPY, KRW, MXP, NOK, NZD, PHP, RUB, SEK, TRY, TWD you may choose to sign up for this service.

Yes, I choose to take advantage of this service. By checking this box, I authorize Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. to have GCS convert my folio using the rate selected by GCS as described above plus a 3 percent international currency conversion fee. I accept that the exchange rate used will not be determined until disembarkation and without additional consultation with me. I understand that my decision is final.

OR

No, I choose not to take advantage of this service. By checking this box, I understand that my credit card-issuing bank will convert my USD folio and charge my card using their exchange rate plus their applicable fees, and that Princess has no control over these rates and fees. I understand that my decision is final.

[Aussie Gal]

Well, I can only say that mine does not have anything written below the name of the two passengers who will be using the credit card and then the very last line says:

 

Please present this Boarding Pass at Cruise Check in with your required Travel Documents.On both our boarding Passes there is nothing written like what you have printed on yours.

 

***YOU MUST MAKE A SELECTION BELOW IF YOU ARE REGISTERING A NON-US DOLLAR MASTERCARD OR VISA CARD***

 

Important Currency Conversion Details – Your shipboard folio for onboard purchases is charged in US dollars. When your non-US dollar credit card is processed, the charges are converted by your credit card-issuing bank into your card's currency. This procedure is standard but practices vary regarding the selection of conversion rates and a fee may be charged by your card-issuing bank. Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. offers a conversion service through our conversion agent, Global Card Services, Inc. (“GCS”) using wholesale exchange rates collected from Bloomberg plus a 3 percent international currency conversion fee. The wholesale conversion rate will be a rate selected by GCS from the range of rates published by Bloomberg and may or may not reflect the actual rates made available to GCS by their bank for the applicable processing. Exchange rates change throughout the day and the rate used to convert your transaction may not be the rate published on Bloomberg at the time we submit your transaction to GCS. The cost may be more or less than the exchange rates and conversion fees charged by your credit card-issuing bank. You should check with your credit card-issuing bank to compare currency exchange rates and currency conversion fees. If you choose to use our currency conversion service, you will be able to see on your folio at the end of your cruise what your total charges are in your home currency. If you use a MasterCard or Visa Card which is billed in the following currencies: ARS, AUD, BRL, CAD, CHF, CLP, CNY, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, INR, JPY, KRW, MXP, NOK, NZD, PHP, RUB, SEK, TRY, TWD you may choose to sign up for this service.

Yes, I choose to take advantage of this service. By checking this box, I authorize Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. to have GCS convert my folio using the rate selected by GCS as described above plus a 3 percent international currency conversion fee. I accept that the exchange rate used will not be determined until disembarkation and without additional consultation with me. I understand that my decision is final.

OR

No, I choose not to take advantage of this service. By checking this box, I understand that my credit card-issuing bank will convert my USD folio and charge my card using their exchange rate plus their applicable fees, and that Princess has no control over these rates and fees. I understand that my decision is final.

 

So how come your Boarding Pass is different to ours!

 

Jennie