travelling_txgal Posted January 17, 2018 #1 Share Posted January 17, 2018 I know that Carnival places a hold (similar to car rental companies) on your card once you check-in. Carnival says this amount is $100 for a 5 day cruise, however, first person online accounts have stated much more. Some have given a confusing explanation of the on-board hold. So how much should I expect to be placed on hold and what is the procedure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfuzzy Posted January 17, 2018 #2 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Do not use a debit card IF that's all you have, my suggestion would be to take cash and use that as a deposit on your account, this way your card is not held "hostage" by the holds authorized by the cruise line. Holds can take two or more weeks to clear depending on your bank....I wouldn't take the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted January 17, 2018 #3 Share Posted January 17, 2018 If you have any other option, please don't use a debit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purvis1231 Posted January 17, 2018 #4 Share Posted January 17, 2018 I have used a debt card without any problems but in general I use a credit card just in case something goes wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crzycick Posted January 17, 2018 #5 Share Posted January 17, 2018 We’re in the middle of building a house and closing should be soon after we return. We don’t want anything to mess with our bank account for the loan and we don’t do credit cards so we’ll be doing a cash deposit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riclop Posted January 17, 2018 #6 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Use credit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted January 17, 2018 #7 Share Posted January 17, 2018 It really just comes down to how much you spend. They increase the hold as you spend to make sure that there’s money in the account for them to get paid. If you don’t spend (say you have prepaid gratuities and pre-purchase cheers and excursions); the initial hold should be all there is. The problem is that they will increase the holds as you spend - so your bank will not allow you to access held money. Then they charge your card at the end; and the hold won’t necessarily be released right away. So could end up not having access to amount that’s twice your onboard spend. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelling_txgal Posted January 17, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) Sounds like a headache using my bank card so maybe I will go the cash deposit or credit card route. Thanks! Edited January 17, 2018 by travelling_txgal left out a word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy toes Posted January 17, 2018 #9 Share Posted January 17, 2018 A cash deposit is what a friend that has sailed with us before has done. She does not have anything except her debit card and that is because she has a direct deposit for that account. She does not own any Credit cards. So, every cruise since the mid 90's she has used a cash deposit. I just spoke with her and she said you can put as little as $25 /day and as much as you want at the upper end. She has always prepaid tips and bought excursions. If you owe tips you will need to pay a larger cash deposit as tips are paid prior to boarding. She suggests you visit guest services the last day of the cruise and clear up your account. You will get the refund amount then. If not you get a check left in your cabin sometime that night along with your final account statement. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfuzzy Posted January 17, 2018 #10 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Sounds like a headache using my bank card so maybe I will go the cash deposit or credit card route. Thanks! I will never use my debit card away from my home city. When I travel I have a credit card with a 200 limit, so if I do find a "reputable" merchandiser like in most port areas, If something happens to compromise the card, it's a small amount that could be attached. Then the company would have to deal with it. I don't use my debit card for any online transactions either. I have a budget, have the cash in my account, when I get home I just pay the bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad1972 Posted January 17, 2018 #11 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Get some free money and get the carnival gift cards from AARP or Allstate rewards. $500 carnival gift card for $450 is $50 free bucks. $100 cards for $90. Then add the gift cards to your S&S account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3yitsvictoria Posted January 17, 2018 #12 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Not trying to take over the post but does anyone know the hold with a credit card? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schoifmom Posted January 17, 2018 #13 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Not trying to take over the post but does anyone know the hold with a credit card? Sent from my iPhone using Forums I know that Carnival places a hold (similar to car rental companies) on your card once you check-in. Carnival says this amount is $100 for a 5 day cruise, however, first person online accounts have stated much more. Some have given a confusing explanation of the on-board hold. So how much should I expect to be placed on hold and what is the procedure? https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1138/~/sail-%26-sign-onboard-account The guest's credit card or debit card will be swiped at embarkation with an initial hold placed on file as a deposit; if the card is activated online, the initial hold will be placed on file on the day of embarkation:2 - 5 day cruise: $100 USD for each stateroom charged using the same credit card or debit card 6 days or longer: $200 USD for each stateroom charged using the same credit card or debit card [*]Throughout the cruise, additional holds will be obtained as needed when the Sail & Sign account exceeds the amount of deposit Carnival has on file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted January 17, 2018 #14 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Not trying to take over the post but does anyone know the hold with a credit card? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Whether you use debit or credit the hold process is the same. The difference is whether they hold money so you can’t use it from your checking account (which could cause bills to not be paid if you underestimate the holds) vs money from your credit limit (which you won’t notice unless you are close to your limit). Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessykaw Posted January 17, 2018 #15 Share Posted January 17, 2018 I didn’t know about the debit card holds until I got off my first cruise. They did the initial hold before boarding and then everyday they would do an additional hold. When I got off the ship and checked my bank account, I had about 6 different hold totaling around $700. Later that day, my actual sail & sign total was charged to my debit card...$900ish. I had to wait day-by-day for the holds to drop and release money back into my accounts to pay bills. Absolutely sucked. My next cruise, I opened my sail & sign with a gift card and added additional funds with cash as needed. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusin Hogs Posted January 17, 2018 #16 Share Posted January 17, 2018 We just take $500 cash , for onboard account , If you need more go to service desk and add ,If you don't spend it all you can get refund last night before you get off ship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre_220 Posted January 17, 2018 #17 Share Posted January 17, 2018 If you decide to use a cash account, you do not have to go to Customer Service every time you want to add cash. You can use the Sail & Sign Kiosk to add cash to your account. You can also use the kiosk to remove the money that you put on the account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootsiescurly Posted January 17, 2018 #18 Share Posted January 17, 2018 We set up a separate account with our bank for travel. We can manually transfer funds into it but no automatic transfers. We put the exact amount of money we plan on spending into this account. Thus it makes using a debit card feasible. Fortunately our bank does not charge service fees because unless we are traveling it only has about $10 in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abhech Posted January 18, 2018 #19 Share Posted January 18, 2018 What happens if you use a gift card, but don't spend the full amount? What happens to the remaining amount? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessykaw Posted January 18, 2018 #20 Share Posted January 18, 2018 What happens if you use a gift card, but don't spend the full amount? What happens to the remaining amount? Not sure. I just used gifts for the base of my sail & sign and then added to it. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafedumonde Posted January 18, 2018 #21 Share Posted January 18, 2018 We buy gift cards at kroger. If you don't use it all they can put it back on the giftcard/giftcards (make sure you save them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schoifmom Posted January 18, 2018 #22 Share Posted January 18, 2018 What happens if you use a gift card, but don't spend the full amount? What happens to the remaining amount? You have two options. #1, Carnival will mail you a new gift card with the leftover amount following your cruise. #2, you can use the casino trick to cash out the remainder. We buy gift cards at kroger. If you don't use it all they can put it back on the giftcard/giftcards (make sure you save them). Carnival gift cards are NOT reloadable. They DO NOT return anything to the existing cards. They issue a new card for all refunds, including the refund of remaining balances. Reload Information Q: What happens when the total card value is used? Should I throw the card away? A: Once you run out of funds on the Carnival gift card, you may not add additional funds. The card may then be discarded. Q: Can I add funds to my Carnival Gift Card online? A: You may not add funds to your Gift Card online as the gift card is not reloadable. Cash Back, Card Returns And Return of Merchandise Q: Can I receive a refund on any unused portion of the Carnival Gift Card amount that was applied towards my Sail and Sign account while onboard? A: Any unused portion or overage of the Gift Card that was applied toward your Sail and Sign account will be issued in the form of another Carnival Gift Card. https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2004/~/carnival-gift-cards---frequently-asked-questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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