Has Anyone Else Had This Happen to their Credit Card?

[smeyer418]

Pick Pockets are a problem also where ever you go. If you lose cash say sayonnora. Personally I am ahead on both credit cards and ATM's. ---a typewriter- a trip to Russia and $100.00 on an ATM. Also the exchange rate on credit cards is better than anywhere else-I am not sure that with the 3% charge that you are still not ahead but its close to what most companies charge to exchange money- you really didn't think they were doing it for free did you?

 

Yes you have to check to make sure that you aren't charged wrongfully and there is a fair amount of fraud out there. But lets remember you are paying for the convenience. Anyone remember what it was like before credit cards? Not me it was before my time. But getting money overseas required something like a letter of credit from your bank to another bank. I wonder how many travelers chaeques were never cashed or reported as missing.

Oh yes you technically in the US have only 60 days from the date you recieve your bill to report a false billing so check your bill and keep your receipts. Don't throw them away and get the carbon paper(if it still exists) and burn them.

[cruisinfanatic]

 

I don't have credit cards as there are way too many ways of someone else can use them without your knowledge or permission. I would never leave a credit card in a safe aboard ship or in a hotel, I would never leave discarded receipts that had not been torn up in a way that they cannot be put back together again in a bin in your hotelroom or ship cabin.

 

If you have credit cards keep them on you at all times, preferably inside a money belt under your clothing - especially when abroad.

 

I don't know how you pay for anything without some kind of credit card. There really is no liability on your part if the card was ever stolen. Most times the credit card company will contact you about a fraudulent transaction before you know it.

You say you wouldn't leave a card in a safe? Really! What is the safe for then. It's quite rare that you hear of someone saying that their safe was broken into and something stolen. Even if your card is stolen, it's not really a big deal. Just inconvenient. As far as carrying it on you at all times? Thats rediculous. Join the modern era!

[Goldryder]

I don't know how you pay for anything without some kind of credit card. There really is no liability on your part if the card was ever stolen. Most times the credit card company will contact you about a fraudulent transaction before you know it.

You say you wouldn't leave a card in a safe? Really! What is the safe for then. It's quite rare that you hear of someone saying that their safe was broken into and something stolen. Even if your card is stolen, it's not really a big deal. Just inconvenient. As far as carrying it on you at all times? Thats rediculous. Join the modern era!

 

I only use cash and travellers cheques when on holidays...including cruises. Always have done and always will do. I used to run a company which dealt with passengers using cards and the times they had their cards morphed or stolen while away was insane.

 

Its not old fashioned to use cash and travellers cheques, there are many who through lack of means who are not able to get a card and have to use cash. To say that losing a card is no big deal is really not true at all, it causes much distress and unpleasantness for that person, they have to sort out getting it blocked, contacting the authorities and so forth. It might be just a piece of plastic but some feel violated just as if they had lost everything. The times I have dealt with people, especially the elderly, who have been devastated by their card being stolen...it most certainly is a big deal to them.

[smeyer418]

I only use cash and travellers cheques when on holidays...including cruises. Always have done and always will do. I used to run a company which dealt with passengers using cards and the times they had their cards morphed or stolen while away was insane.

 

Its not old fashioned to use cash and travellers cheques, there are many who through lack of means who are not able to get a card and have to use cash. To say that losing a card is no big deal is really not true at all, it causes much distress and unpleasantness for that person, they have to sort out getting it blocked, contacting the authorities and so forth. It might be just a piece of plastic but some feel violated just as if they had lost everything. The times I have dealt with people, especially the elderly, who have been devastated by their card being stolen...it most certainly is a big deal to them.

 

 

Sorry but whether its old fashion or not is an opinion. IMO it is not only old fashioned but obsolete. Do you use an ATM card(not a credit card not a debit card)? I have stopped buying travelers cheques as they are harder to cash as they once were and an ATM is much easier. I also carry an American Express card not to use it but in an emergency I can cash a regular check at an American Express office. I can easily get cash from any cash machine in the world. No cost of exchange and its in the local currency. That being said no one is trying to convince you to travel any other way. Enjoy it but also IMO there is a simpler less expensive way than you use. I don't tie up my money in travelers cheques. I don't pay credit card interest charges-I just pay my bill every month. I always though the stupidest thing that people did was to keep the travelers cheques to next time if they didn't use them.

[skiiergirl]

Tink...pretty interesting. We always leave our cards in the safe and have never had a problem (from the ship). I have had fraud charges though but it was either through an online order or from restaurants in New Orleans. Never did figure out who did it. It is nice that we are not responsible for the charges but yes, it is a hassle to notify everyone that you have given it to for direct bill, etc. I am surprised though that they wouldn't tell you what hotel (or at least what city) the reservations were for.

 

Sorry this happened to you. Hope it all works out ok.

[Goldryder]

Sorry but whether its old fashion or not is an opinion. IMO it is not only old fashioned but obsolete. Do you use an ATM card(not a credit card not a debit card)? I have stopped buying travelers cheques as they are harder to cash as they once were and an ATM is much easier. I also carry an American Express card not to use it but in an emergency I can cash a regular check at an American Express office. I can easily get cash from any cash machine in the world. No cost of exchange and its in the local currency. That being said no one is trying to convince you to travel any other way. Enjoy it but also IMO there is a simpler less expensive way than you use. I don't tie up my money in travelers cheques. I don't pay credit card interest charges-I just pay my bill every month. I always though the stupidest thing that people did was to keep the travelers cheques to next time if they didn't use them.

 

In answer to your question, no I cannot get a card - not that I would want one anyway and never have done. I do not have any form of card, I use cash transaction only. I know from friends that a piece of plastic, however well meaning the reason to have it, is too much hassle and can be a temptation if spending for the sake of it. By using cash at all times I feel I am disciplined in my spending and it suits my way of life. I am in my 40's and quite happy using cash. If plastic suits you, fine, but I prefer dealing with hard cash every time.

[glgolfer]

Before any of our trips, we call the credit card companies of the cards we will be taking and tell them when we are leaving, where we are going and when we are returning. We also have passwords on all of our cards.

[smeyer418]

In answer to your question, no I cannot get a card - not that I would want one anyway and never have done. I do not have any form of card, I use cash transaction only. I know from friends that a piece of plastic, however well meaning the reason to have it, is too much hassle and can be a temptation if spending for the sake of it. By using cash at all times I feel I am disciplined in my spending and it suits my way of life. I am in my 40's and quite happy using cash. If plastic suits you, fine, but I prefer dealing with hard cash every time.

Thanks for your response. I find it interesting in a number of ways. I have a few years on you - not that many more. I remember when the only place to get cash on the weekends was at the local supermarket who would cash your check for you. I also remember running to the bank to cash a check before they closed and the kind of long lines that they had. Now I can get cash anytime I want. I also bank on line but that is another story for another thread.

I also note that your first cruise was 40 years ago. Cruising has surely changed in that period of time. How did so many people pay for their ship board accounts back then? Maybe its one of the reason that only the wealthy traveled as much back then.

 

I only use a cc as a convenience paying it full every month. I consider a credit card cash --not an installment loan. I assume in your business you took loans out at sometime but I guess I shouldn't assume anything.

 

This is not an attempt to disagree with you(its not a flame) I just have a different way of looking at it than you do. Personally I find cc and ATM's much easier than standing in line at a bank.Maybe its not as much as a problem where you live but I assure you if you lived here you would see what I mean. I would be happy to see where you live :)

[babs275]

Just an FYI - CSA Insurance now has a couple of policies that cover for identity theft for 6 months following a trip.

[Goldryder]

Thanks for your response. I find it interesting in a number of ways. I have a few years on you - not that many more. I remember when the only place to get cash on the weekends was at the local supermarket who would cash your check for you. I also remember running to the bank to cash a check before they closed and the kind of long lines that they had. Now I can get cash anytime I want. I also bank on line but that is another story for another thread.

I also note that your first cruise was 40 years ago. Cruising has surely changed in that period of time. How did so many people pay for their ship board accounts back then? Maybe its one of the reason that only the wealthy traveled as much back then.

 

I only use a cc as a convenience paying it full every month. I consider a credit card cash --not an installment loan. I assume in your business you took loans out at sometime but I guess I shouldn't assume anythin

 

This is not an attempt to disagree with you(its not a flame) I just have a different way of looking at it than you do. Personally I find cc and ATM's much easier than standing in line at a bank.Maybe its not as much as a problem where you live but I assure you if you lived here you would see what I mean. I would be happy to see where you live :)

 

 

Actually I too live in a city..York, England...the older version some say of New York.

 

I have a bank passbook, I get to the bank as it opens and I do what needs to be done in around 5 minutes. I just prefer dealing with people and cash...not machines. My cruises are paid by bank draft, my costs on board are paid in travellers cheques...its suits me and the cruiseline to do so.

 

I hate dealing with machines and automated call centers, give me a fellow human being to deal with anytime, much easier and in alot of ways less likely to make a mistake as you are there watching them to make sure no mistakes are made, and if by chance one is made it can be sorted immediately without fuss or delay. As far as I am concerned cash is far better than a piece of falible plastic. But if a card is what you desire then so be it, its not a modern thing as they have been around for donkeys years but I still deal in cash and nothing will ever stop me from enjoying myself using cash, just as no-one apart from identity thieves etc can stop you enjoying yourself with a card.

[tinkerme1]

Tink...pretty interesting. We always leave our cards in the safe and have never had a problem (from the ship). I have had fraud charges though but it was either through an online order or from restaurants in New Orleans. Never did figure out who did it. It is nice that we are not responsible for the charges but yes, it is a hassle to notify everyone that you have given it to for direct bill, etc. I am surprised though that they wouldn't tell you what hotel (or at least what city) the reservations were for.

 

Sorry this happened to you. Hope it all works out ok.

 

Of course, this is just a big inconvenience. However, when you realize that a person's full name, from the ship, was used to book the hotel rooms, with an online agency that "allows" third party names, it starts to get a little weird! My CC company will get back to me with all the info, however, I was the one who called cheaptickets and asked them "who" made the purchase. Supposedly, they were not allowed to give me the hotel/location. Go figure... I'll wait to see what my CC company finds out. My bottomline concern is that this charge has come from someone lifting our info from either the Purser's Desk or our safe.

 

What is interesting, the two charges made for two hotel rooms are the only "fraud charges" to our card for a total of two months. This is because they don't physically have the card. Of course, we now have new cards and the old account has been closed.

[bunting]

I presume the card that took the hit was the card that you used for your Supercharge account settlement and that the family had more than one credit card onboard in the safe but only that one card took a hit? (Pardon my curiosity but trying to narrow down the place of compromise)

 

For safes with key pad - I have a small laminated telephone key pad diagram that I use to pick a code. I had it with me everywhere and would think of a word that I would easily remember but avoiding my family's names and then using the word pick out a code. Hope that makes sense? If I did not remember to pack my card I used the key pad on the cabin telephone....I know this sounds a little over the top but I was always aware that birth dates etc, anniversary dates etc while easy to remember for a pass code might be known to people (I have seen so many anniversaries and birthdays celebrated on ships)

 

For electronic key card safes - I would suggest you use a card from a video rental agency etc.....something of low value and would not hurt if you lost it around the ship or on shore...avoid Store debit cards....I would not use a room key since if you lose your key you will have a little problem getting into the safe but not impossile.....if you are lucky the Video rental agency might be able to make you and your companions cards with the same electronic bar code and then you can all get in with individual cards and not tied to just one card....but guard those cards well........

 

I am surprised that one poster mentions that the cabin attendant's card opened the electronic key card safe.....this of course would depend on the company, the safe and the security organisation that they had in place. Perhaps, a company would set up the system of their safes so that an attendant would be able to open it to prepare for set up of the cabin but not to over-ride a guest's code....seems strange unless they had an audit trail in the safe but then the cabin attendant lending the key to the helper is not good security either. I would presume this company was not RCCL as their electronic key card reading safes are not normally coded that way....

[holein1]

Before any of our trips, we call the credit card companies of the cards we will be taking and tell them when we are leaving, where we are going and when we are returning. We also have passwords on all of our cards.

 

We always do this though I'm not sure it helps if someone uses the card number in one of the places we visit.

 

Tink , so sorry to hear of the inconvenience you haver had. We would all be interested in RCI's eventual response.

[tinkerme1]

Unfortunately, this was on an RCCL ship, the Radiance OTS. As far as the safe goes, we had to input a code which is a code my husband and I use which has no significance whatsoever to anyone and one that would never be part of our "personal information". Yes, the CC that was compromised was also the same card used for our SeaPass card account.

 

A friend has been helpful in giving me some RCCL help, and it was mentioned to me that the personnel on the ship (at least the cabin attendants, but could encompass more personnel) are hired by a third party and do not work directly for RCCL. That was very interesting. I had heard that before but didn't know if it were true or not.

 

George, thank you for your concern.

[seetosea]

While onboard the Infinity in December, I somehow managed to bungle the code and our safe would no longer open. The only way to get it open was to have the HEAD of security come to our room. He had to verify that we were who we said we were. And then, only in front of witnesses, could he open the safe at which time we could reset it. You can imagine that I was much more careful after that.

[papermandiddy]

Tink sorry to hear about this. just got done reading this and CC Fraud department called. A cc Tammy never uses became a little to active. turns out she never got the card back from the store today. Hope all works out for you. The TERM from the Nov. 5th Freedom sailing

[Susie51]

Would using a grocery store card work for the safe?

[bubbie617]

Goldryder:

 

Please allow me to apologize for those on this thread who think you are strange for not using credit cards. Good for you!! It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Continue to do what works for you. If they want to use credit cards, they are free to do so. You are also free to do what pleases you.

 

As a matter of fact, I use credit cards all the time. I personally like the convenience. If cash and travelers checks are your thing, more power to you.

[tinkerme1]

The safes on "this particular cruise ship" required you to input a code on a keypad. No swiping any card. If you do get a safe anywhere, where you can use a magnetic card, I always use my players card from the casino! No money there! :D

[kenandlaura06]

A friend has been helpful in giving me some RCCL help, and it was mentioned to me that the personnel on the ship (at least the cabin attendants, but could encompass more personnel) are hired by a third party and do not work directly for RCCL. That was very interesting. I had heard that before but didn't know if it were true or not.

 

 

Very interesting.

[g0gert]

Boy was I shocked when I heard of your delimma. Since I was 2 cabins down from you & we shared the same cabin steward I immediately checked my CC.

Everything is OkeeDokey.

I am perplexed though because the girl we had was just sooo great & wonderful and was one of the best we've ever had. She gave us 110% plus. And did we work her for the Canal party!! I really find it hard to believe she is capable of this. Also, why would one steal a cc and then give their real name for the purchase? Did she want to get caught? I think it more likely that it probably goes back to when we first hand over our cc prior to boarding (and of course it could be anyone who has access to computer records with this info.)

Hope you're able to sort this mess out.

Gert

[tinkerme1]

This particular charge is for two hotel rooms, for one day, made for a third party (the perpetrator) using our credit card number. What is interesting, is that our Cabin Attendant's name was used, but of course that doesn't mean that she actually did the charges. It could be anyone, including someone at the Purser's Desk who just used her name since it was linked to our cabin.

 

The more and more I get into the informational part of figuring this out, the less help I get, since all the information is protected by our "security act" including the "information that was provided during the act of committing fraud)"! I've really given up, since I'm not responsible for the charges and it was just a "one time thing". My credit card company is wonderful and knows that we are good customers. No problem there. It is just a pain in the rear end to reassign all of the monthly constant charges to another card.

 

What I am really concerned about, is if this is something that is being done regularly, I wanted to alert folks to watch their CC statements very closely. Of course, you should do this anyway, but especially while cruising. Funny thing about all this, John comes into me the day before he leaves for Scotland, and says, "Honey, looks like you've booked some fun stuff!" "Where are we going?" You should have seen the look on my face when I said, "We're going somewhere?" Of course we're going on the Monarch but that is already paid for in full. At that point, he went and got the CC bill and showed it to me. Moral of the story, don't ever try to hide charges from spouse...... LOL!

 

Glad to hear that your Bermuda cruise was grand, although the car-painting is absolutely ridiculous. Folks from the Voyager are now complaining. Very sad indeed because the cost is so high to resolve the problem.

[Iamthesea]

Moral of the story, don't ever try to hide charges from spouse...... LOL!

I can't hide anything! DH looks at all our accounts everyday. The positive thing is that he sees the charges while at work and by the time he gets home, he has cooled down. :D

 

We use our home security code with our safe and also put all receipts in the safe.

 

A friend has been helpful in giving me some RCCL help, and it was mentioned to me that the personnel on the ship (at least the cabin attendants, but could encompass more personnel) are hired by a third party and do not work directly for RCCL. That was very interesting. I had heard that before but didn't know if it were true or not.

 

Who do these personnel work for then? I have always heard that the porters do not work for the cruiseline, but I have a hard time believing that the staff do not work for RCCL.

[bunting]

Re the hiring with RCCL Cabin Attendants...very few are hired direct as CA and normally begin their career as a cleaner (a lot of them help the CA to gain experience and to earn some more money).....their company, RCCL, uses hiring agents to find personnel in all countries but once hired these people, including cabin attendants, are RCCL employees and do not work for any other company...as far as I know the non in-house personnel are the Photographers, the Spa, Art Auctioneer, Guest Entertainers

[jimbulger]

I've read several threads on this board about credit card fraud during cruising. Most of them, however, seemed to be from trips to shore.

 

I made sure my husband knew to make most of his shore purchases with cash or low-limit credit cards and only use his higher-limit cards or check card if necessary. My Visa check card was taken out of the mail once and, while I wasn't responsible for the charges, it was a mess to clean up. There were bounced checks and all kinds of overdraft charges that the bank had to reverse and write letters for.

 

Identity theft is a very serious problem these days and we are all paying for it with higher fees and interest. One would think this would be easier to control.

 

Barb

 

 

how true...you always get the money back but never the hours or days of you life required to fix it