Post cruise CRISIS. Help or Advice please

[Clarea]

I don't know if it makes any difference but we use a credit union and have never had a problem using our debit card to open and settle our onboard account. :confused:

There have been people in the financial business who have posted about this situation in the past. What I've taken from their explanations is that it's a combination of how Royal creates the holds and how the debit card holder's particular financial institution handles those holds.

[bouhunter]

I don't know if it makes any difference but we use a credit union and have never had a problem using our debit card to open and settle our onboard account. :confused:

 

Whether it's a credit union or bank makes no difference specifically.....:rolleyes:

[RDC1]

The problem you are running into is not abnormal. It is a function on how credit cards and debit cards work. Whenever you buy something where the final amount charged cannot be determined when the credit card is run a pending transaction is placed. A pending transaction reduces your chargeable amount on a credit card, and prevents that amount of money from being used in a debit account. Based upon certain criteria the hold is released when it is matched with the final charge amount or when sufficient time passes that it expires. The problem with a cruise is that often when the final transaction is received it does not meet the criteria to match the hold transaction. As such you have both hitting your account until the hold transaction expires. The criteria and the time to expiration is a function of the bank/processing company, not the cruise line. Not much you can do except waiting for the hold to expire. You can ask specific questions about the transaction, telling them both of the relevant transactions (the hold and the actual charge) and ask them when the hold will expire and why did their system not recognize the final charge as being related to the hold.

[tlatrice]

Hope the OP gets it worked out soon.

 

I agree, for US customers, there is NO good reason to use a debit card for practically anything:rolleyes: Not only do credit cards give a benefit (points, miles etc), but they are more secure for the user.

 

 

Unless, of course, they can't get a credit card.

[peteukmcr]

Lighten up. There is nothing wrong with sharing our own observations. Yes, it's too late for this instance with the OP (although I also think her categorization of this as a "crisis" is a bit absurd), but others reading this might gain some insight. Say what you want about there being no "perfect" method. Regardless, I feel very strongly that debit cards a BAD NEWS. As such, I won't hesitate to use every opportunity to warn people about the numerous pitfalls associated with them. Unfortunately, most people have been shown to be quite oblivious to these problems.

Not in Europe, as described below using 'chip & pin' makes the use of Debit & Credit cards far safer than you imply. If the institutions in the US don't want to protect their customers from fraud that's pretty poor IMHO.

 

The fraud problems with debit cards are pretty much confined to the US. We use our Visa for our onboard account but most Canadians and Europeans use their debit card for everything. The "Chip & Pin" technology is very secure and we are confident using both our Visa and Debit card while traveling. Except in the US when I get the willies every time I have to swipe my card lol

Totally agree.

[leisuretraveler223]

Even if better security measures (i.e. chip & pin) are used, it still doesn't mean that debit cards aren't a bad business move. It's not just about fraud, it's also about relying on someone else's competence. I have a wrongful charge on my credit card and I call the issuer and contest it. I have a wrongful charge on a debit card and the MONEY IS GONE. My only recourse is getting it back from the merchant.

[zeridan]

Is the OP from Canada/Europe? I'm not sure what relevance all this flaptrap about how great CAN/EU debit cards are has, get off your high horse please.

 

In the US, debit cards are garbage. On account of having cash funds held for long periods of time (like the OP), and after having my bank accounts drained on several occasions, I will never use one again.

 

It is what it is. Regulating stuff like that in the US is a lot more complicated than in CAN and the EU, it is a matter of population. California = Canada's population alone. Totally different creatures.

 

Best of luck OP. I would really get on your bank to see if they can clear it up, they are just as responsible as RCI's method of holding the funds, the difference is RCI can't do anything for you at this point, your bank might be able to.

[cruisinfanatic]

LOL, a check?? Is this 1980?

I just have to roll my eyes every time someone in front of me writes a check

[grand isle joe]

Better yet, use cash! Seriously though, ANYTHING is better than a debit card.

 

Agree 100%.....Some gas stations do take the same action on payment when using a debit card. With a credit card at least you have recourse if something "funny" happens.

[Ladysilver]

I just have to roll my eyes every time someone in front of me writes a check

 

Well, I'm glad my landlord dosen't roll her eyes every month when I write a check for her. :rolleyes:

[mollyeilis]

Is the OP from Canada/Europe? I'm not sure what relevance all this flaptrap about how great CAN/EU debit cards are has, get off your high horse please.

 

In the US, debit cards are garbage.

 

OK but that's why people outside of the US are posting about their debit cards. Their debit cards *aren't* actually garbage. So if someone is from out of the US, they don't have to panic about what we are posting about our own debit cards. It's relevant; maybe not to the poster, but threads are never about just one person. They can also be useful for other people reading.

 

 

I have been on to my bank several times, they cant do anything until the company putting the reserve on my money releases it. Basically the balls in RCI's court

 

Sort of. Sort of not. RCI has to make SURE they have done what they need to do. Once they have done it, then it's passed along to the bank/cc and then they do their part. I've read that sometimes companies don't actually do what they are supposed to do, and that's what needs to be looked at. IF they have done it.

 

The combo of both sides is why companies will say to expect refunds in 1-2 card statements; they have their job and then are at the mercy of the bank/cc doing their job.

 

Working at and shopping with amazon, I would see it all the time. Some customers with some banks/cc companies would take ages to receive their refunds. The few times I had a refund coming, it took no time at all. My bank was different than theirs; everything there was automated in terms of how the refund was processed, so it was all on the bank after the Refund button was clicked on.

[peteukmcr]

Is the OP from Canada/Europe? I'm not sure what relevance all this flaptrap about how great CAN/EU debit cards are has, get off your high horse please.

 

In the US, debit cards are garbage. On account of having cash funds held for long periods of time (like the OP), and after having my bank accounts drained on several occasions, I will never use one again.

 

It is what it is. Regulating stuff like that in the US is a lot more complicated than in CAN and the EU, it is a matter of population. California = Canada's population alone. Totally different creatures.

 

Best of luck OP. I would really get on your bank to see if they can clear it up, they are just as responsible as RCI's method of holding the funds, the difference is RCI can't do anything for you at this point, your bank might be able to.

Not on a 'high horse' just presenting facts that debit cards are safer to use in Europe so don't tar all financial institutions with the same brush just because in the US, in your words debit cards are 'garbage'. I have an opinion and that is European financial institutions are more concerned with security than those are in the US. Just because you don't like it that things are better in some areas in Europe and Canada than in the US, don't take a side swipe at us. Rude.

[peteukmcr]

OK but that's why people outside of the US are posting about their debit cards. Their debit cards *aren't* actually garbage. So if someone is from out of the US, they don't have to panic about what we are posting about our own debit cards. It's relevant; maybe not to the poster, but threads are never about just one person. They can also be useful for other people reading.

Thank you for your support in our defence. Very refreshing.

[Christine Frances]

Is the OP from Canada/Europe? I'm not sure what relevance all this flaptrap about how great CAN/EU debit cards are has, get off your high horse please.

 

In the US, debit cards are garbage. On account of having cash funds held for long periods of time (like the OP), and after having my bank accounts drained on several occasions, I will never use one again.

 

It is what it is. Regulating stuff like that in the US is a lot more complicated than in CAN and the EU, it is a matter of population. California = Canada's population alone. Totally different creatures.

 

Best of luck OP. I would really get on your bank to see if they can clear it up, they are just as responsible as RCI's method of holding the funds, the difference is RCI can't do anything for you at this point, your bank might be able to.

 

Absolutely nothing to do with population.

[cruisinfanatic]

Well, I'm glad my landlord dosen't roll her eyes every month when I write a check for her. :rolleyes:

totally different