Do you put your cruise on a credit card?

[HImom]

Yes, it sure is nice when we get checks from time to time for the money we charge on cruises and other things. We have never paid either a finance charge or late fee. We also have credit and debit cards with no foreign transaction fees and FREE extended warranty. Some of our cards also provide free travel cancellation protection!

 

Very happy to get nice free money from using our credit cards. Over the years, it has added up to a nice sum--5 figures!

[Gunner22aa]

Everything we buy, every bill we pay goes on the credit card. The bills are automatic. That being said I don't think the company cares for me much because other than the $99 fee I pay annually for the card they have never gotten a penny of interest from me in almost 20 years. My card allows a 28 day grace period from the time of a charge untill interest accrues. The bill is paid in full well before this monthly. I now have more bonus points to use for airfare and alike than I could spend with the days I have remaining

[Russ_MT]

Everything we buy, every bill we pay goes on the credit card. The bills are automatic. That being said I don't think the company cares for me much because other than the $99 fee I pay annually for the card they have never gotten a penny of interest from me in almost 20 years. My card allows a 28 day grace period from the time of a charge untill interest accrues. The bill is paid in full well before this monthly. I now have more bonus points to use for airfare and alike than I could spend with the days I have remaining

 

They still love you for using the card. Same for us. Never pay a single fee and pay it off every month. Get the rewards points.

The deal is, they get paid a percentage of what you spend. So the more you spend, the more thrilled they are with you. Interest money is a bonus for those who carry a balance.

 

We own a credit card processing company. Everyone who touches the transaction (including us) get a piece of the transaction. It first goes to our company, then to VISA, then to the bank. We typically charge 15 cents plus 2.5% for the transaction. The merchant pays these fees and they are all split among us, VISA/MC/Amex and the bank. The fee actually varies depending on what type of card it is. Rewards cards cost the merchant the most. Debit cards the least. We don't care what kind of card it is because we get a percentage of it.

[uniklady]

So much great information, thanks! I too pay off every month like clockwork but that is for my sake to save money from fees and interest. I get the benefit of buying from dozens if not hundreds of retailers at a discount through their partnerships with my card (Discover Card), places I already shop and now I can do it online, have it shipped to me for free and get an additional 5-20%+ (on holidays) discount just because I went through my credit card portal to the merchants web site. In addition, I pay no fee, ever to use this card. It does not collect any International transaction fees so I can use it freely overseas without worry about bills when I get home. I also get the benefits of knowing that my travel is insured so I never take out any insurance when I rent cars, a huge savings. (Please do read your own programs as they may be different.) I recently used $400.00 of my reward to pay toward a cash bill and sometimes I use the reward money to buy gift cards toward merchants where I can buy a gift card for $40.00 and get $60.00 worth of merchandise! It is an absolute win and in 10+ years of using them, I have never had a single issue. If any one is thinking of needing a new card, I would definitely consider them. They have all the cruise lines, all the travel companies and you get discounts for booking through them as well! Hope that helps someone. As for merchants charging back the fee that they pay for credit cards, yes, they do do that here in California as I have been asked to pay it on bills or pay cash at a lower rate. I usually choose cash in those instances as I am not going to pay more when I can pay less! Happy Sailing! This was my first official post!:):):):)

[Widebay]

Some 5 years ago, I started a "holiday account" in my local bank, and each fortnight, I deposit $700 into that account. Now by not withdrawing from the account, after 12 months you will have $18,200 for holidays. The money also attracts a reasonable interest rate, so that is deposited into the account.

 

My wife & I enjoy an occasional cruise somewhere, but we also like to fly to Singapore to see our son & his family(P.S some very interesting Princess cruises out of Singapore - visiting Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, etc)

 

We also did the same for our "Bill Account" - deposited a sizable amount to start the account, and again - each fortnight pay, I deposit $500 into this account. Hence, when a bill comes in, we go out & pay it straight away.