HAL Seattle/Alaska - Using Credit Card On Board: Foreign Transaction Fees?

[CoCoCoops]

For a Seattle-Alaska trip, HAL tells me "all on board credit card purchases are in US dollars."

 

Did you take a Seattle-Alaska cruise on HAL using a Credit Card that DOES NOT waive foreign transaction fees? If so, did you see Foreign Transaction Fees on your Credit Card for on board purchases even though purchases are in US dollars?

 

I've hears of situations on other cruises that despite being told the on board purchases are in US dollars, those charges can often include the code "IE" on the bill, which signals to the CC company "International Exchange" which is then subject to Foreign Transaction Fee per CC agreement.

 

Sure, I can use a Foreign Transaction-free CC, but my other card with FT has a better cash-back program so would like to know if I'd be hit with FTF's. If odds are good I'll be hit, I'll use FTF-free CC if I have to.

[3rdGenCunarder]

HAL is based in the US and the charge on your card will be in USD from a US company. It won't be a foreign transaction.

[ChinaShrek]

HAL is based in the US and the charge on your card will be in USD from a US company. It won't be a foreign transaction.

 

Unless the OP's credit card was issued in a foreign country.

[ksmaxey]

Even cruises in Europe have had on ship spending been billed in US dollars and with no foreign transaction fees

[RMLincoln]

I'm missing something.... what possible non-US$ charges could be incurred onboard? m--

[USN59-79]

I'm missing something.... what possible non-US$ charges could be incurred onboard? m--

I wonder if the OP thinks that Alaska is a foreign country?

[VMax1700]

I wonder if the OP thinks that Alaska is a foreign country?

 

Well, it is foreign to me! ;)

 

only US dollars are charged to the on board account, even when in Europe.

[catl331]

I wonder if the OP thinks that Alaska is a foreign country?

Or maybe that HAL HQ is in the Netherlands.

 

This question reminds me of the time in St Thomas when I overheard a woman asking her DH "What kind of money do they use here?"

[Modern_Viking]

This is a perfectly reasonable question.

 

I have been on several HAL cruises, with the most recent ending in January 2017. On all of the trips, regardless of embarkation and disembarkation port, my on-board charges have shown up on my credit card bill as being made in Seattle, WA. That is the location of the HAL corporate offices. The listed merchant name is the ship name, however. So, after a cruise on the Rotterdam, I had a charge from the merchant named "Rotterdam" located in "Seattle, WA." A bit confusing at first, but no foreign transaction fee. And I like getting cash back for purchases, too!

 

So, someone using a USA based credit card will not have to pay a foreign transaction fee.

 

While I have not sailed on Oceania Cruises, I have read that (at least in the past) they used a bank outside the USA. Thus, US passengers, sailing round-trip from US ports, using a US credit card, paying a bill in "US dollars" have been charged foreign transaction fees because the charge was processed outside the USA. It sounds like you are trying to avoid such a situation, which sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

[NMLady]

This is a perfectly reasonable question. ...

While I have not sailed on Oceania Cruises, I have read that (at least in the past) they used a bank outside the USA. Thus, US passengers, sailing round-trip from US ports, using a US credit card, paying a bill in "US dollars" have been charged foreign transaction fees because the charge was processed outside the USA. It sounds like you are trying to avoid such a situation, which sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

 

We have cruised twice on Oceania, once was from FL to Marseille France and once was from Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro. Neither time was our US based credit card shown as being processed outside the US. That was in 2005 and in 2007. So they certainly did not do it in the far past.