Avoiding the 3% Casino Fee for the Hyper-frugal Cruiser (it takes work)

[ClarkBHM]

Alternatively, find a bank that not only doesn't charge an ATM transaction fee, but also reimburses the fee that the ATM itself charges. We use Charles Schwab bank for that. So, I can just walk up to any ATM worldwide, make a cash withdrawal from my checking account, and get 100% of what I withdraw with no fees whatsoever.

 

Very handy in Las Vegas when the ATMs in the casinos have a $13.99 surcharge...

[PTC DAWG]

CASH...and play the table games with a modicum of knowledge... it cuts the house edge way down.

[yankedog]

I have always done this. Take say $200 off the slot machine to play with and play a little and go to cashier to cash out. The $200 is charged to your sign and sail account and I have never been charged a fee. I do this on the ship a couple of times when I need cash for the Island. I didn’t think anything is wrong with that. With the ton of money people are using in the casino, they probably don’t worry about the small fish.

 

 

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[phoenix1181]

Why don't people just bring the cash they need with them instead of using the casino like a bank?

[Moby0215]

I have always done this. Take say $200 off the slot machine to play with and play a little and go to cashier to cash out. The $200 is charged to your sign and sail account and I have never been charged a fee. I do this on the ship a couple of times when I need cash for the Island. I didn’t think anything is wrong with that. With the ton of money people are using in the casino, they probably don’t worry about the small fish.

 

 

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Unless you have a certain tier status then there is absolutely a 3% fee for adding money from your onboard account on NCL.

 

 

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[pcakes122]

I have always done this. Take say $200 off the slot machine to play with and play a little and go to cashier to cash out. The $200 is charged to your sign and sail account and I have never been charged a fee. I do this on the ship a couple of times when I need cash for the Island. I didn’t think anything is wrong with that. With the ton of money people are using in the casino, they probably don’t worry about the small fish.

If you have done this on an NCL ship, you HAVE been charged a 3% fee - you just didn't notice it (the $6 would be a completely separate transaction.) Even if you are at a casino tier level (as I am) at which the 3% "convenience fee" is waived, it STILL appears on your account - however it is reimbursed the last night of the cruise.

 

Even for those who don't get the convenience fee waived, I still think 3% is far from "highway robbery." By taking cash from your account (and therefore your credit card on file), NCL is enabling you to avoid hefty credit card "cash advance" fees (usually way higher than 3%) because the transaction is included in your overall cruise charge - which will appear as a purchase and not a cash advance on your credit card statement.

[tallyho8]

Why don't people just bring the cash they need with them instead of using the casino like a bank?

 

Some people have more non-refundable onboard credit on their cruise than they will use and if they don't use it they lose it. This is a way to convert that OBC to cash without having to pay a 3% fee.

 

Norwegian gives you OBC for certain things and then charges you 3% of that to give it back to them in the casino. This is a real rip-off and I will use this system, not to save money, but to protest the way they give you something and then charge you when you take it.

[Bklynjo]

So what you are saying is that you put your room key in these machines to get tokens, and their is no 3% fee?

[adam_s_allen]

I never even knew you could cash those tokens in.

[phoenix1181]

Some people have more non-refundable onboard credit on their cruise than they will use and if they don't use it they lose it. This is a way to convert that OBC to cash without having to pay a 3% fee.

 

Norwegian gives you OBC for certain things and then charges you 3% of that to give it back to them in the casino. This is a real rip-off and I will use this system, not to save money, but to protest the way they give you something and then charge you when you take it.

 

In other words, this is to get around the rules established by the cruise line.

 

If people spent less time trying to get around the rules, we'd all be better off. Until someone figured out how to get extra points on their branded credit card, there was no fee to take cash in the casino.

Edited January 27, 2018 by phoenix1181
incomplete

[StolidCruiser]

In other words, this is to get around the rules established by the cruise line.

 

If people spent less time trying to get around the rules, we'd all be better off. Until someone figured out how to get extra points on their branded credit card, there was no fee to take cash in the casino.

 

... and now that this loophole been revealed, those who are excited by the trick should expect it to be gone soon.

[ray98]

... and now that this loophole been revealed, those who are excited by the trick should expect it to be gone soon.

 

 

Ehhhh....very few people will waste the time in $20 chunks saving a whopping $.60 each transaction.

[phoenix1181]

Ehhhh....very few people will waste the time in $20 chunks saving a whopping $.60 each transaction.

 

I'd like to agree with you but there are a lot of people here who seem willing to do just about anything to save a few cents.

[NCLfamily]

I'd like to agree with you but there are a lot of people here who seem willing to do just about anything to save a few cents.

 

 

 

Yeah, not the type of folk I’d like to have a beer with at the bar.

 

 

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[yankees111]

Wow your on vacation. Enjoy it instead of trying to save a few pennies lol. Life is too short!

 

 

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[phoenix1181]

Wow your on vacation. Enjoy it instead of trying to save a few pennies lol. Life is too short!

 

This!

[hawkeyetlse]

Norwegian gives you OBC for certain things and then charges you 3% of that to give it back to them in the casino. This is a real rip-off and I will use this system, not to save money, but to protest the way they give you something and then charge you when you take it.

The 3% is for all casino charges, whether you have OBC or not. I agree that this is a rip-off, but it's completely unrelated to the free money that NCL is giving you to spend on board. If you are lucky enough to have OBC from Norwegian, there are plenty of other places on the ship for you to spend 100% of it, with no extra charge.

[ClarkBHM]

Here's the deal. I have a credit card that gives me 2% back. If NCL doesn't charge anything, I can just go to the casino, withdraw $25,000 in cash on my credit card, walk off the ship, deposit it back into my checking account and pay the $25,000 credit card bill when it is due. I'd make $500 in the process. If you have a airline card, you could get 25,000 miles, etc.

 

Obviously, NCL isn't going to pay the credit card processing fee so that you can get free cash, miles, etc. So they have a 3% surcharge. Doesn't stop me from doing what I wanted, but I'm going to pay more than I would get for free.

 

There may be tiny loopholes around this, but their goal is to reduce or eliminate these types of transactions altogether.

[tallyho8]

In other words, this is to get around the rules established by the cruise line.

 

No, there is no rule preventing you from doing this. If there was, I would not do it as I am a person who obeys rules (most of the time).

[phoenix1181]

No, there is no rule preventing you from doing this. If there was, I would not do it as I am a person who obeys rules (most of the time).

 

Right! There is no rule.

 

That said, we all know the intent is for the OBC to be used to make purchases while on the cruise, not to find a way to turn it into cash and put it in your pocket to take home.

 

Some people choose to circumvent the intent. It's my opinion that doing that is wrong. You, and many others, obviously don't feel that way. It's time to agree to disagree............

[riddle]

A bit off topic, but I often take $100-200 at a time from the machine via my account. I do get the 3% waived due to my status. I do not, however, enjoy opening my bill on the last morning and finding out that I did these withdrawals way more often than I "remembered". Instead, if I win several hundred on a machine I immediately cash it out and take it to customer service to be added back onto my account. Gives me far less "sticker shock" on the final morning of the cruise.

[tallyho8]

Right! There is no rule.

 

That said, we all know the intent is for the OBC to be used to make purchases while on the cruise, not to find a way to turn it into cash and put it in your pocket to take home.

 

But if you want to play the slots in the casino with your OBC you must pay a 3% fee to do so and this is totally wrong. I'm sure the ship makes more money from you spending $50 in the casino than if you spend $50 on t-shirts.

[adam_s_allen]

But if you want to play the slots in the casino with your OBC you must pay a 3% fee to do so and this is totally wrong. I'm sure the ship makes more money from you spending $50 in the casino than if you spend $50 on t-shirts.

 

$50 in t-shirts probably only costs them a few bucks in cost. So probably close to the same

[BirdTravels]

Here's the deal. I have a credit card that gives me 2% back. If NCL doesn't charge anything, I can just go to the casino, withdraw $25,000 in cash on my credit card, walk off the ship, deposit it back into my checking account and pay the $25,000 credit card bill when it is due. I'd make $500 in the process. If you have a airline card, you could get 25,000 miles, etc..

 

as long as you declare the $25K when you go through customs (since it exceeds the $10K limit).

[ClarkBHM]

as long as you declare the $25K when you go through customs (since it exceeds the $10K limit).

Well, yes. You have to do that too. But that's secondary to my point.

 

NCL and other companies have to pay a credit card processing fee. If they don't charge you a surcharge, than that fee comes out of their own money. They don't mind paying it if you are buying goods and services as it's a cost of doing business. But they do mind paying the fee for you to get pure cash back. That's my point. That's why the rules exist. That's why they make it so difficult to avoid the 3% fee.