Credit card currency conversion

[Wordzz]

Hi all,

 

We are UK-based and sail in just over a month from Southampton :D I have done the online check-in and set up the credit card account. I've printed the Xpress pass, and am asked to indicate whether I want Celebrity to do the currency conversion from USD to GBP, or whether I want them to charge me in USD and let my CC provider do the currency conversion. Any UK cruisers have any experience of which is the better option?

 

Thanks in advance!

[dmk]

Hi all,

 

We are UK-based and sail in just over a month from Southampton :D I have done the online check-in and set up the credit card account. I've printed the Xpress pass, and am asked to indicate whether I want Celebrity to do the currency conversion from USD to GBP, or whether I want them to charge me in USD and let my CC provider do the currency conversion. Any UK cruisers have any experience of which is the better option?

 

Thanks in advance!

Being Canadian, we are faced with the same option. Based on past experience, it is better to have them charge in USD and have your CC providor do the currency conversion.

Celebrity has terrible conversion rates and you pay more.

[Sekhmet]

Definitely get charged in $ and have your CC provider do the conversion. As well as requesting this in advance on line, I would suggest you point this out to the staff as you check in onto the ship, and confirm it at the cashier's desk sometime during the cruise, as this request sometimes gets "forgotten".

[gosport11]

Celebrity will give you a lousy exchange rate,hilite and ask when you check in that you want to be charged in dollars,also dont forget to let your card co know that you will be using your card overseas :):)

[Wordzz]

Thanks, guys - that's exactly the information I wanted. Decision now made, job done!!

[LeftcoastBC]

Definitely get charged in $ and have your CC provider do the conversion. As well as requesting this in advance on line, I would suggest you point this out to the staff as youcheck in onto the ship, and confirm it at the cashier's desk sometime during the cruise, as this request sometimes gets "forgotten".

 

The highlighted action is the most important. Makes no difference what the checkin guy does in my experience. (quite a few) Do it the 2 nd day and maybe again later with a different staff member as you pass by and no one is in line at the desk. :)

 

& sometimes that doesn't work.

 

A print out of your Bill to date will tell you what is going to happen at the end of the cruise.

 

Should all this fail they will adjust it after the cruise following a few phone calls and emails of course and is a frickin' pain.. :confused:

[waggie]

I totally agree. I did all the right things except double check once onboard. I wish I had had this advice before we sailed!!

I have only discovered today that they decided to charge at their awful conversion rate, as I didn't look at the detail on my onboard account - just checked the figures, and am hoping to sort this when the office opens Monday.

Yet again CC posters have good advice. I will know for next time.

[Jo and Rob]

Definitely leave your CC company to do the conversion!

[sandancer]

I also did all the right things, registered the credit card online saying we wanted to be charged in US. Pointed it out to the check in agent who took the card details. Went to guest relations twice during the cruise and they still converted the charges to sterling. You really need to be on top of this especially if you have a card which does not carry any charges for international use, as we do. Fortunately we had paid a large chunk of the charges in cash and the balance was very low. That of course, is not the point and you should not have to chase around, from previous posts here on CC I suspect waggie will not have an easy time getting this sorted.

[dmk]

I totally agree. I did all the right things except double check once onboard. I wish I had had this advice before we sailed!!

I have only discovered today that they decided to charge at their awful conversion rate, as I didn't look at the detail on my onboard account - just checked the figures, and am hoping to sort this when the office opens Monday.

Yet again CC posters have good advice. I will know for next time.

 

This has happened to me eventhough I've done all the right things. It's very annoying:mad:

But if you call Celebrity after your cruise, they will do all the adjustments and send you the difference.

It really shouldn't happen this way but it does. I have often wondered if they are trying to make money off their non US clients. It does add up.

[waggie]

One phone call to Customer Relations and my account will be credited!

Thank you again for your advice.;)

[Bouff]

We've sailed with Celebrity 3 times. The first two times there was no problem and we were charged in $ and got a good rate with our Post Office Credit Card. On the third time, despite checking while on board Celebrity used their conversion rate. As soon as I spotted this I telephoned customer services in the UK and without any arguing they agreed the difference and arranged for a cheque to be sent out. It took a short while but I couldn't complain about the service provided. It pays to keep checking as others have said.