Royal Caribbean onboard accounts…

[radiancecruiser]

I had a friend recently give me the advice to not give Royal Caribbean our credit card details, but rather, to pay our onboard accounts with cash. She didn't really say why.

Is there any basis for this advice?

Also, if I do decide to pay with cash, should I pay with US or Aussie dollars?

 

Thanks

 

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[numbersgirl]

I think the main reason is that they can put daily holds On your card which sometimes don't disappear from your account for a few weeks.

 

We paid In cash last time $US dollars.

 

We will do the same this time plus have a card that we can give them if needed when settling account

[tillydog]

My hubby and I pay our onboard accounts with cash. We have a visa debit card each which we could use but from what I gather, banks put some kind of hold or something in place (on visa debit and credit cards) so you're limited (do a search as this topic comes up all the time and I'm not good at explaining things) with the amount you can spend. Not sure if it's a daily hold or what tho.

Just seems easier all round for us to take US$$ with us and put some on to start off with and then top up as needed.

You can take AU$$ but it'll be converted to US$$ and on the ship it's not always the best conversion rate.

 

Hope this has helped a bit.

[The Fox]

I had a friend recently give me the advice to not give Royal Caribbean our credit card details, but rather, to pay our onboard accounts with cash. She didn't really say why.

Is there any basis for this advice?

Also, if I do decide to pay with cash, should I pay with US or Aussie dollars?

 

Thanks

 

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Hi,

when we sail on Royal Caribbean we take USD onboard as all purchases onboard are in USD and the the ships exchange rate can change daily.

with cash USD it doesnt matter what the daily exchange rate is...you have cash.We usually look up the balance of our onboard account on the TV in the cabin...then go to our in-cabin safe annd go the the pursers desks and pay it off .we give RCI our credit card details but the only amount debited to it is what we spend on the last night of the cruise....saves queueing up to pay cash before getting off the ship.Always "tick" that you want to use your banks exchange rate.RCI have their own exchange rate and its always considerablely lower than the international rate.

 

I dont know if you know that if you have set time dinning ..that is the same time every night at the same table with the same people you do not have to pay gratuities.if thats your case ...go to the pursers and have them removed.

 

Cheers

Col:)

[mr walker]

I dont know if you know that if you have set time dinning ..that is the same time every night at the same table with the same people you do not have to pay gratuities.if thats your case ...go to the pursers and have them removed.

 

I'm sure your stateroom attendant and wait staff appreciate that

[The Fox]

I'm sure your stateroom attendant and wait staff appreciate that

 

Hey I didn,t say I didnt i dont tip ..in fact i tip very well.I resent RCI telling people who choose anytime dinning that gratuities are compulsory but neglect to tell you they are not when you choose traditional dinning.

 

At 15.00 per day per person some cannot afford that amount.

 

just helping a fellow cruiser with a question.

 

Col :)

[radiancecruiser]

Thank you to everyone, it's all been great advice. I think I will prepay the tips as planned, but take US dollars to pay our accounts with cash.

 

Many thanks, any further advice would be fantastic!

 

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[radiancecruiser]

Question:

I looked at the australian post website and noticed you can buy US currency online.

How does this work? Do they send the money to you?

 

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[rkmw]

Question:

I looked at the australian post website and noticed you can buy US currency online.

How does this work? Do they send the money to you?

 

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you apply at the post office and its a min of $200 and there's no fees and you need 24 hours notice so for $200 AUD you will get $180 US

 

http://auspost.com.au/apps/currency-converter.html

[gaechann]

Thank you to everyone, it's all been great advice. I think I will prepay the tips as planned, but take US dollars to pay our accounts with cash.

 

Many thanks, any further advice would be fantastic!

 

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We pre-pay for most everything before boarding then use our on-board credit for specialty coffees and little gifts from the gift store.

 

The last night we check our account then pay the balance. I've used $AUD for this if it's just been a small balance, otherwise the last amount is debited to my credit card.

 

I usually change $AUD30-$AUD40 on board into $US5 & $US1 notes for room service tips.

 

This always works fine for us!

[Fletch1]

the exchange rate on board is very low....we were on Rhapsody last week and the exchange rate was .88 cents. We paid our on board account in US$ but I am presuming the exchange rate for your credit card would be low as well.

[Icerecon]

We have cruised three times with RCI and use VISA card for payment of our on-board expenses, we have the bank do the conversion and it costs about $20-$30. Depending on the amount spent.

 

I have read on these boards many times that RCI can put daily holds on to your card but I've never experienced it, and have never had any friends (about 20 cruisers who do the same) say it has happened to them.

 

To be honest I don't think that they would go through the expense of doing transactions from sea unless you where spending over $500 a day and they thought your were a bit dubious.:D

 

It saves mucking around with cash, estimating how much you are going to spend, getting it, then sticking to that limit (if you go over you have to use the card anyway). I like painless.:cool: Have a great easy cruise don't make it more complicated than it can be.

[keagle]

Question:

I looked at the australian post website and noticed you can buy US currency online.

How does this work? Do they send the money to you?

 

 

You put in an order and the go and pick it up from the designated post office of your choice.

 

Download the AP App and it will show you exactly how much it will cost, as well as being able to do the purchase. (Internet connection required.)

[mr walker]

We have cruised three times with RCI and use VISA card for payment of our on-board expenses, we have the bank do the conversion and it costs about $20-$30. Depending on the amount spent.

 

I have read on these boards many times that RCI can put daily holds on to your card but I've never experienced it, and have never had any friends (about 20 cruisers who do the same) say it has happened to them.

 

To be honest I don't think that they would go through the expense of doing transactions from sea unless you where spending over $500 a day and they thought your were a bit dubious.:D

 

It saves mucking around with cash, estimating how much you are going to spend, getting it, then sticking to that limit (if you go over you have to use the card anyway). I like painless.:cool: Have a great easy cruise don't make it more complicated than it can be.

 

Agree 100%.

Happy cruising.

[fishtaco]

Your Credit Card will be charged in USA Dollars and the exchange rate will be the official Visa/ Mastercard rate the day your account is submitted by RCI.

 

RCI cannot charge a different exchange rate on Credit cards because you are buying services/goods onboard in US Dollars and your "final bill from RCI is in US Dollars" so they cost what they cost in US Dollars no more no less. Then your credit card charges you the currency exchange rate not RCI.

 

You can opt for RCI to exchange for you before you get your final bill but you would have to be foolish to do this as RCI will convert your US Dollar account into AUS Dollars at "their" exchange rate which is abysmal and well below the official credit card exchange rate and your Credit Card is then charged in Australian Dollars not US Dollars.

 

When you print out your RCI Booklet there is a section for you to sign allowing RCI to convert your account "For Your Convenience" into Australian Dollars lol

Do not sign this or you will pay more than the Credit card will charge! Keep it in US Dollars and let the credit card exchange it.

 

They will put a hold on your credit card which is only a problem for those with small limit credit cards or those with Debit Cards who may not be able to access for up to 2 weeks after the cruise a debit card balance remainder if your onboard bill was lower than the hold amount RCI have put on it.

 

ie Debit card /credit card limit $1000, RCI card hold $1000, Final bill spend $600.So $400 balance remaining on the card may not be available to use until the hold is released which can take to 2 weeks but with me its never been more than 48 hours:)

 

Den

[Miamia65]

Fishtaco's advice is right .... if your friends used a credit card and they let Royal caribbean convert their onboard account from US to AUD then the exchange rate is in Royal Caribbean's favour. There are 3 options on your set sail pass paperwork....

 

1. let RCI convert your final account from US to AUD - very bad exchange rate

 

2. let RCI charge your credit card in USD - best exchange rate and usually equivalent to the going rate, not the published rate you see on TV but around 3% lower. The bank or credit card company then converts this at a better rate.

 

3. cash account ONLY and pay in cash, if you choose this option you can expend up to $350 before RCI puts a hold on your onboard account and you will then have to go and give them CASH or a credit card to continue charging back to your room via your seapass card (like you do in a hotel).

 

In terms of credit cards that have no transaction fees or currency conversion fees .... have a look at the 28 degrees master card ... just google search it. It has no annual fee as well and you can apply for it on line. It is also very good for online shopping outside of Australia. Because what also happens is your bank or credit card company will charge you a fee to convert the currency and sometimes an international transaction fee (amazing yes as the computer does this for them)... which could cost anywhere from an additional 3-6% depending on the card.

 

Lots of people don't do their research and end up with charges that they didn't expect and then blame the company who applied the charges ..... there is alway fine print in online shopping and travelling when using credit or even debit cards and cash passport/cash cards....

[goodycruising]

If you have cash you know exactly what you can spend, no nasty extra fees. We used a prepaid card last time that had different currency wallets. That means you load the money on and you can transfer to the currency you want before you go on the ship.

 

We were unable to use the prepaid card as our credit card that was on record with RCI for onboard spending as it was not in our name. Instead we used a credit card that got a daily hold on it for the amounts we spent, which were released about a week after. We used the onboard atm to get our US$ cash out, which cost $6, and paid the bill in full in cash on the last full day. Then if there was anything we wanted the last evening, the amount would be so small it didn't matter on the credit card.

 

What we liked was that on a 14 night cruise you really don't want to worry about the exchange rate dropping, and by using a prepaid card, we were not carrying a large amount of cash which is a concern. We had a small amount of US$ cash for tips and casino.

 

One of the previous posters is correct, you need to know the terms of your cards. We didn't on a previous trip. I had read the card terms, but didn't comprehend that by using our card to buy our cruise on RCI's .com.au website in AU$ that we would be charged a 2.3% single currency international fee on top of the payment, as RCI process the payments overseas. It is in small writing on their website that your financial institution may charge you some international fees.

 

So the lesson is, you can do a lot of research and save yourself fees, or you can presume common sense will prevail, and learn the lessons the expensive way like we have, and you realize there is no common sense when it comes to companies like banks trying to sting you for any stupid little loop hole in their terms and conditions.

Edited October 13, 2013 by kjsmith63

[fishtaco]

If you have cash you know exactly what you can spend, no nasty extra fees. We used a prepaid card last time that had different currency wallets. That means you load the money on and you can transfer to the currency you want before you go on the ship.

 

We were unable to use the prepaid card as our credit card that was on record with RCI for onboard spending as it was not in our name. Instead we used a credit card that got a daily hold on it for the amounts we spent, which were released about a week after. We used the onboard atm to get our US$ cash out, which cost $6, and paid the bill in full in cash on the last full day. Then if there was anything we wanted the last evening, the amount would be so small it didn't matter on the credit card.

 

What we liked was that on a 14 night cruise you really don't want to worry about the exchange rate dropping, and by using a prepaid card, we were not carrying a large amount of cash which is a concern. We had a small amount of US$ cash for tips and casino.

 

One of the previous posters is correct, you need to know the terms of your cards. We didn't on a previous trip. I had read the card terms, but didn't comprehend that by using our card to buy our cruise on RCI's .com.au website in AU$ that we would be charged a 2.3% single currency international fee on top of the payment, as RCI process the payments overseas. It is in small writing on their website that your financial institution may charge you some international fees.

 

So the lesson is, you can do a lot of research and save yourself fees, or you can presume common sense will prevail, and learn the lessons the expensive way like we have, and you realize there is no common sense when it comes to companies like banks trying to sting you for any stupid little loop hole in their terms and conditions.

 

What is totally wrong "In My Opinion" is RCI Australia advertises in Au Dollars but when you pay by credit card it is paid to RCI USA and converted back to American Dollars and you then have to pay exchange fees from AU to US Dollars:confused:

 

You cannot buy the cruise in US Dollars if you live in Australia but if the final payment is in US Dollars then there is no reason not to advertise in US Dollars or at least have the option of purchasing the cruise in US Dollars if you so choose. Well actually there is a reason! if you could purchase in US Dollars there would be no need for an Australian RCI and then we would all get exactly what the cruise costs, no more no less.

[keagle]

What is totally wrong "In My Opinion" is RCI Australia advertises in Au Dollars but when you pay by credit card it is paid to RCI USA and converted back to American Dollars and you then have to pay exchange fees from AU to US Dollars:confused:

 

You cannot buy the cruise in US Dollars if you live in Australia but if the final payment is in US Dollars then there is no reason not to advertise in US Dollars or at least have the option of purchasing the cruise in US Dollars if you so choose. Well actually there is a reason! if you could purchase in US Dollars there would be no need for an Australian RCI and then we would all get exactly what the cruise costs, no more no less.

 

The fee is not charged by RCI, but by the bank. 28 Degrees MasterCard does not charge this fee when you pay. It shows up as the amount you pay and nothing more.

 

I would hate to be having to look up the exchange rate each time I looked at a cruise if the pride was in US$.

[mr walker]

If you have cash you know exactly what you can spend, no nasty extra fees. We used a prepaid card last time that had different currency wallets. That means you load the money on and you can transfer to the currency you want before you go on the ship.

 

What were the costs in getting either US$ in cash or on the pre-paid card, as, unless you have an income stream in US$, that would come into your ciphering also.

[fishtaco]

The fee is not charged by RCI, but by the bank. 28 Degrees MasterCard does not charge this fee when you pay. It shows up as the amount you pay and nothing more.

 

I would hate to be having to look up the exchange rate each time I looked at a cruise if the pride was in US$.

 

You missed the whole point!

 

The cruise is paid for in USA Dollars by the purchaser regardless of which card they use or weather the card charges exchange fees or not but you cannot purchase the cruise in US Dollars only Au Dollars:confused:

 

You may think its a hassle converting currency but I dont!

 

Do you allow RCI to convert your onboard account into AU Dollars from US Dollars?

 

I would much prefer to purchase an RCI cruise in US Dollars but I am not allowed to by RCI.

 

The cruise costs what the cruise costs in US Dollars same as all RCI onboard accounts.

[goodycruising]

What is totally wrong "In My Opinion" is RCI Australia advertises in Au Dollars but when you pay by credit card it is paid to RCI USA and converted back to American Dollars and you then have to pay exchange fees from AU to US Dollars:confused:

 

Yep, you are spot on! I have heard this happen to others, but in my case RCI's aussie website took my payment in aussie dollars, no problem there, but my bank - NAB - decides that as the company is processing the payment overseas that they should have the pleasure of ripping into me for 2.3%.

 

RCI gets the aussie dollars and whether they then do any conversion, or if they use the aussie dollars to pay for aussie costs like food supplies, fuel, whatever that is their behind the scenes business. I know I have paid the conversion by the fact that if you use a work around on geoblocking and check out the USA site, you know the aussie website is putting the conversion costs into the rates. That is a whole different and very valid topic of why we are all feeling very cheesed off by the whole currency conversion and geo blocking setup.

 

And then the confusion for many new cruisers continues with the trip onboard where everything is in US$, and you pay the currency conversion on your credit card, or pay RCI to do the conversion, PLUS you still pay an overseas company processing fee to the bank - and there are several banks that have this fee, but not all of them, and that makes no sense to me. We had that experience too, the extra 2.3% on top of the US currency conversion when paying the onboard account.

 

Someone also mentioned 28 degrees card. Be careful, their conditions have changed recently too. Search these boards, I read something the other week about changed conditions. I can't remember what it was though. We have been happier using the Aus Post Loadngo travel prepaid Visa card.

 

I would not let the currency conversion issue and the stupid fees spoil the holiday, but I get a bit disappointed when I budget a certain amount for a holiday and don't see the value in these extra fees to me, except as a tax on my lack of knowledge. I just wanted a holiday, I didn't want to learn about the fine print of currency and international processing.

 

Once I have done the research and learnt more, then I do find it sad to see new travelers so confused and being told to read the conditions. Yep, trusting in common sense is not the way to go.

 

Cash is still the least confusing for onboard spending. The OP did get good advice there.

[goodycruising]

What were the costs in getting either US$ in cash or on the pre-paid card, as, unless you have an income stream in US$, that would come into your ciphering also.

 

Sorry, missed this earlier. For an Aussie going on an RCI ship, you have to pay them in US$ for onboard spending no matter what, so the currency conversion fee will be there for sure, as you say, unless you have a US$ income.

 

The costs were - US$ cash bought at Aus Post, about 3.5 cents (on average) difference to the rate we hear on the news each day. The commission is rolled into that, and there are no extra fees. We are in the NSW country region and have never had to wait more than 2 days for it to arrive. Sometimes it is there next day for us.

 

You can check online at Aus Post, or download the Aus Post android App and check also. The app on android gives you the rates that are current for Travellex, American Express and loadngo prepaid credit cards too. Many banks have currency conversion rates online too, if not all of them these days. Some of them do charge a fee on top as well.

 

The fees on the loadngo travel card. Minimum $100 initial load, no fee to open up the card and I load on aussie dollars. If I spend it as a credit card 9c per transaction, if I take money from an ATM, $2 per withdrawal. No monthly fees or commission fees. If I spend it in another currency then the Visa rate of the day applies if the card only has the money sitting in the aussie dollar "wallet".

 

I have the choice of setting up an online user name, and then I can move the currency to different "wallets" on the same card. It locks in the currency rate. There are several different currencies available. We also lock in NZ dollars if we are doing a NZ trip and we think the rate is good at the time. Online I can also check my balances for free. The card has a PIN which you get by texting them when you start up the card.

 

WE also once used a Travellex cash passport prepaid credit card. It is a bit different fee wise. You can load it immediately in the foreign currency at Aus Post (which is where we got it, it can be purchased elsewhere I presume). No fees for that and you get 2 cards, and the pins are with them immediately. No ATM withdrawal fees. If you choose to load aussie dollars you get charged 1.1% fee, and then when you spend in other currencies on the card it just does the conversion rate of the day. The only downfall we found on loading in say US$ was that if you don't spend it all, after 12 months you start getting charged fees for inactivity, and you need to pay the currency conversion back to Aussie dollars if you want to take your money back. The Travellex card has more different currency "wallets" on it, but that depends where you are going.

 

So the fees are, as with many things, dependent on how you plan to use them, and the quantity. If you get cash in US$ and don't spend it all, it can sit there until next holiday, or it can cost you fees to convert it back.

 

That is why we like the Aus Post Loadngo, we can use up the extra we have loaded to do purchases online or instore, and for 9c per transaction it is cheaper than some Bank debit cards, one of which we had been previously paying $4 per month for. It is also not linked in any way to your other bank accounts, unlike a Debit card from the Bank.

 

Hope that wasn't too long winded, but we have learnt so much from cruise critic boards, and I like to give information if I can on subjects I have experienced.

[keagle]

You missed the whole point!

 

The cruise is paid for in USA Dollars by the purchaser regardless of which card they use or weather the card charges exchange fees or not but you cannot purchase the cruise in US Dollars only Au Dollars:confused:

 

You may think its a hassle converting currency but I dont!

 

Do you allow RCI to convert your onboard account into AU Dollars from US Dollars?

 

I would much prefer to purchase an RCI cruise in US Dollars but I am not allowed to by RCI.

 

The cruise costs what the cruise costs in US Dollars same as all RCI onboard accounts.

 

I take US$ in cash with me and put that in to my sea pass card. I bought a heap when the AU$ was very high.

 

Even if the prices for people in Oz where in US$, and you paid US$ with a credit card, you will have currency conversion fees on your card unless you have a card from a US bank.

 

Try buying something from the US direct and use your Visa card, there will still be fees for it.

[radiancecruiser]

Thank you to everyone for your feedback, but to be honest, I'm really confused, and a bit scared. Starting to wonder if I should have just booked a cruise with P&O….

 

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