Credit card questions

[vegancruiser!]

Hi guys,

First time cruiser here :-)

I have registered my credit card for my husband and mines sea pass.

We have bought drink packages, prepaid gratuities and booked and paid for our excursions so there's not a lot left to pay for.

I have heard reports of 'hold charges' on the credit card and wondered if this is something Celebrity do?

Should I have a certain amount free on my card?

 

Sorry for all the questions and thanks!

Gem

[CaroleSS]

Welcome to CruisersAnonymous!

 

We have never had a problem with holds. They charge our card on a daily basis if we don't have pre-paid gratuities, but otherwise I don't see much of a reason for you to have any holds applied.

[Kamloops50]

Hi guys,

First time cruiser here :-)

I have registered my credit card for my husband and mines sea pass.

We have bought drink packages, prepaid gratuities and booked and paid for our excursions so there's not a lot left to pay for.

I have heard reports of 'hold charges' on the credit card and wondered if this is something Celebrity do?

Should I have a certain amount free on my card?

 

Sorry for all the questions and thanks!

Gem

 

Most cruise line and hotels put holds on credit cards when you check in.

The cruise line will usually put a $200 dollar hold on your CC . If you go over they will put a hold based on your spending up to that point. They usually release the hold on the night before disembarkation.

[vegancruiser!]

Welcome to CruisersAnonymous!

 

We have never had a problem with holds. They charge our card on a daily basis if we don't have pre-paid gratuities, but otherwise I don't see much of a reason for you to have any holds applied.

 

Phew! Thank you :)

[vegancruiser!]

Most cruise line and hotels put holds on credit cards when you check in.

The cruise line will usually put a $200 dollar hold on your CC . If you go over they will put a hold based on your spending up to that point. They usually release the hold on the night before disembarkation.

 

OK cool thanks, I will ask at check in I think and see what the verdict is...

[neverbeenhere]

Your question about a certain amount available on you card. Yes, you gunna spend some serious cash-o-la on your first cruise. Please pack light.

[vegancruiser!]

Your question about a certain amount available on you card. Yes, you gunna spend some serious cash-o-la on your first cruise. Please pack light.

 

Haha ;)

But is that a 'Celebrity rule' or just a suggestion based on all the clothes I'm going to buy, lol

[Lois R]

Most cruise line and hotels put holds on credit cards when you check in.

The cruise line will usually put a $200 dollar hold on your CC . If you go over they will put a hold based on your spending up to that point. They usually release the hold on the night before disembarkation.

 

They do? In 10 years of cruising I have never been told they

put a hold on anything.

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

Debit cards will have holds. I have never had any cruise line put a hold on a credit card.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[vegancruiser!]

Greetings

 

Debit cards will have holds. I have never had any cruise line put a hold on a credit card.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

 

Nice one, thanks Tom.

I will soon find out!

[neverbeenhere]

Clothing purchases maybe. Junk purchases yes.

[vegancruiser!]

Clothing purchases maybe. Junk purchases yes.

 

Ah, I've never been one for 'junk' purchases.

Tbh I don't even really like clothes shopping.

Just a sun bed, a cocktail and a book and I'm happy ;-)

I'll take some dollars for tips and a few euros for souvenirs,

I may indulge in the spa or salon...

[GreatLakes]

Greetings

 

Debit cards will have holds. I have never had any cruise line put a hold on a credit card.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

 

 

I'm not aware of any holds being placed on our credit cards. Whenever we travel out of the country, we notify our credit card companies so they are aware that charges will be made outside of our normal spending habits.

[neverbeenhere]

Yet you haven't been manipulated by the port professional and were not talking about Jamaica's port professionals

[neverbeenhere]

Remember: cruises should be fun.

[Kate45]

We had a hold put on our card on a Princess cruise to Hawaii a few years ago. Didn't know this until we were tendered ashore and tried to make a purchase and our card was denied. After a call to Visa from a pay phone on shore, we were told the cruise line had a put a hold on our card (even though we had paid it off to date the day before) and it wouldn't be lifted for 48 hours. Boy, were we p*****! Learned a valuable lesson that day - do like you are doing and prepay as much as possible and make sure we take cash ashore for our purchases. Also, check with the cruiseline about holds 'cause they are all different.

[CaroleLee]

Hi guys,

First time cruiser here :-)

I have registered my credit card for my husband and mines sea pass.

We have bought drink packages, prepaid gratuities and booked and paid for our excursions so there's not a lot left to pay for.

I have heard reports of 'hold charges' on the credit card and wondered if this is something Celebrity do?

Should I have a certain amount free on my card?

 

Sorry for all the questions and thanks!

Gem

 

Just remember to notify your credit card company that you will be traveling. That way the company won't "freeze" your account due to strange charges (ie everything in GBP now Euros, Kroner etc)

Have a great cruise

Carole

[Vineyardfan]

Hi guys,

First time cruiser here :-)

I have registered my credit card for my husband and mines sea pass.

We have bought drink packages, prepaid gratuities and booked and paid for our excursions so there's not a lot left to pay for.

I have heard reports of 'hold charges' on the credit card and wondered if this is something Celebrity do?

Should I have a certain amount free on my card?

 

Sorry for all the questions and thanks!

Gem

 

On our Med cruise on the Equinox in May Celebrity put a hold charge on my credit card about halfway through the cruise for the amount I had spent so far. This hold was released towards the end of the cruise and the final amount was charged upon closing the account.

 

I would guess the reason for this is that they want to make sure the charges won't be denied. The only reason I noticed is that I logged on to my credit card company's web site during the final half of the cruise.

[Lsimon]

Any time you present a credit card to secure a future payment there will almost always be an "authorization" put through by the party you are presenting it to in order for them to make sure the card is valid and has open credit. This is true for cruises, hotel stays, car rentals and even a gas station if you present the card at the counter before you pump and it isn't for a specific amount. There are probably lots of other situations where this occurs as well.

 

When the authorization is obtained is is always for a specific amount although the amount can vary substantially. It can be as low as a dollar and as high as the company taking your card thinks you might possibly spend with them. Most hotels preauthorize for the entire cost of your stay PLUS $50 to a few hundred dollars a day for possible incidentals depending on the type of hotel and location. A rental car company will preauthorize for the entire rental fee plus an additional amount to cover contingent charges for damages or gasoline. The authorization is good for a certain amount of time but I don't know how long this is or if it varies. I've heard of periods as short as a couple days and as long as a couple weeks. When the credit card company approves the authorization it "reserves" a portion of your line of credit to cover the amount authorized for as long as the authorization is good for.

 

If a cruise line, car rental company, hotel, etc. tells you that they want to run your card into their system but that they are not going to put a hold or authorization on your line of credit then the person telling you this doesn't understand what their own system does. This would not surprise me as the clerk entering your info into their computer might not have a clue how it fits into the big picture or what happens when they do it. So don't believe them because more they will more than likely run an authorization even if they say they will not - otherwise why bother to get your card in advance?

 

So I would make an assumption that if you give them your card in advance of them processing the final charge that they will make an authorization and reduce your line of credit. I would also presume that no one can tell you the exact amount and that it could be for a higher amount than makes sense.

 

Most people have a line of credit large enough that they never are bothered by this and are probably never even aware that it happens. But not everyone has a large line of credit.

 

If your line of credit is small enough that this could cause you problems then you probably need to get around this somehow. One possibility is to establish a "cash account" and just use cash. Or if you must use your card then use it against a ""cash account" to make a payment in a specific amount either as a deposit or to pay off the balance at the end. But do not let them run your card to guarantee your account or to put your number into their system in advance.

 

This is another reason why debit cards, and prepaid cards, are a terrible idea for these types of merchants. When an authorization on these type of cards is run it actually takes the money out of your account and it sometimes takes longer to get it back than it does for a regular credit authorization to expire.

[vegancruiser!]

Thank you for the detailed reply, really appreciate that.

I will have about £800 of available credit and I doubt we will want to spend more than £100 of that, mainly on getting my nails done and maybe a blow dry or hair up appointment.

Bringing some cash with me and pre paying a lot.

We shall see what will happen!

How do I get a cash account before getting to Southampton? Can I do it on my,online check in?

Thanks!

[miched]

Things about the credit card that you should do

 

We have a limit put on our card so if anything over $200 is charged we get a Email notice. Protects against fraudulent charges.

 

Some cards charge extra fees when using in a foreign port. Some don't and some give the correct exchange rates, others don't and then tack another fee on.

 

Call the CC company before you leave and let them know that you will be traveling so they don't lock out your account because of suspicious activity.

 

Don't rely on just having your CC. Carry some extra cash with a few small bills and a few travelers checks. There have been a few times when we traveled that there were power outages and cash was king. Luckily we had some.

 

Other times CC weren't accepted and we didn't have enough cash, they wouldn't take personal checks but we had the travelers checks.

 

CYA

 

.:D

.

[vegancruiser!]

Things about the credit card that you should do

 

We have a limit put on our card so if anything over $200 is charged we get a Email notice. Protects against fraudulent charges.

 

Some cards charge extra fees when using in a foreign port. Some don't and some give the correct exchange rates, others don't and then tack another fee on.

 

Call the CC company before you leave and let them know that you will be traveling so they don't lock out your account because of suspicious activity.

 

Don't rely on just having your CC. Carry some extra cash with a few small bills and a few travelers checks. There have been a few times when we traveled that there were power outages and cash was king. Luckily we had some.

 

Other times CC weren't accepted and we didn't have enough cash, they wouldn't take personal checks but we had the travelers checks.

 

CYA

 

.:D

.

 

Thank you :) I am taking some small dollar bills for tips and some euros for spending in port.

The only thing my credit card is for is for my sea pass as they require you to link a card with it.

I may use it for onboard hair appointments and such.

I will definitely tell my CC company before we travel :D

Thanks again!

[Chicago Boy]

Hi guys,

First time cruiser here :-)

I have registered my credit card for my husband and mines sea pass.

We have bought drink packages, prepaid gratuities and booked and paid for our excursions so there's not a lot left to pay for.

I have heard reports of 'hold charges' on the credit card and wondered if this is something Celebrity do?

Should I have a certain amount free on my card?

 

Sorry for all the questions and thanks!

Gem

 

 

We have just registered with Celebrity for our Trans Atlantic in November and have our X passes. We have never had a hold put on our credit card.

[Chicago Boy]

Any time you present a credit card to secure a future payment there will almost always be an "authorization" put through by the party you are presenting it to in order for them to make sure the card is valid and has open credit. This is true for cruises, hotel stays, car rentals and even a gas station if you present the card at the counter before you pump and it isn't for a specific amount. There are probably lots of other situations where this occurs as well.

 

When the authorization is obtained is is always for a specific amount although the amount can vary substantially. It can be as low as a dollar and as high as the company taking your card thinks you might possibly spend with them. Most hotels preauthorize for the entire cost of your stay PLUS $50 to a few hundred dollars a day for possible incidentals depending on the type of hotel and location. A rental car company will preauthorize for the entire rental fee plus an additional amount to cover contingent charges for damages or gasoline. The authorization is good for a certain amount of time but I don't know how long this is or if it varies. I've heard of periods as short as a couple days and as long as a couple weeks. When the credit card company approves the authorization it "reserves" a portion of your line of credit to cover the amount authorized for as long as the authorization is good for.

 

If a cruise line, car rental company, hotel, etc. tells you that they want to run your card into their system but that they are not going to put a hold or authorization on your line of credit then the person telling you this doesn't understand what their own system does. This would not surprise me as the clerk entering your info into their computer might not have a clue how it fits into the big picture or what happens when they do it. So don't believe them because more they will more than likely run an authorization even if they say they will not - otherwise why bother to get your card in advance?

 

So I would make an assumption that if you give them your card in advance of them processing the final charge that they will make an authorization and reduce your line of credit. I would also presume that no one can tell you the exact amount and that it could be for a higher amount than makes sense.

 

Most people have a line of credit large enough that they never are bothered by this and are probably never even aware that it happens. But not everyone has a large line of credit.

 

If your line of credit is small enough that this could cause you problems then you probably need to get around this somehow. One possibility is to establish a "cash account" and just use cash. Or if you must use your card then use it against a ""cash account" to make a payment in a specific amount either as a deposit or to pay off the balance at the end. But do not let them run your card to guarantee your account or to put your number into their system in advance.

 

This is another reason why debit cards, and prepaid cards, are a terrible idea for these types of merchants. When an authorization on these type of cards is run it actually takes the money out of your account and it sometimes takes longer to get it back than it does for a regular credit authorization to expire.

 

 

We sail on Celebrity a couple of times a year and have never had a problem using our credit card so if an authorization is placed against it we are unaware of it. We do everything through Celebrity so all of our expenses are paid up front with the exception of what we charge on board the ship. You make an excellent point. I suppose we could call our credit card company and see if there is an authorization against our line of credit.

[DebbieMacG]

We sail on Celebrity a couple of times a year and have never had a problem using our credit card so if an authorization is placed against it we are unaware of it. We do everything through Celebrity so all of our expenses are paid up front with the exception of what we charge on board the ship. You make an excellent point. I suppose we could call our credit card company and see if there is an authorization against our line of credit.

 

There won't be any hold put on your card until you board the ship. (Check in at the port) I've never had a hold put on any card, (prior to spending) credit or debit but some people say they have so it is wise to be aware that when you board there may be a $200 hold.

 

Obviously when you spend money there will be a hold/s on your card as people have explained. :)