Credit Card Hold or Cash?

[SRF]

You would only notice it if you carry a balance close to your limits.

 

Or, like happened to me recently, someone does a bunch of pre-authroizations, that should not have been done.

 

I checked in, and they did a pre-auth for the cost of the stay, plus a couple of hundred extra. No problem.

 

About 5 - 6 days later, was online in my credit card account and saw I had $75 available credit, it should have been $4-5 THOUSAND.

 

It turns out that the hotel book keeping canceled the pre-auth mistakenly, and then starting trying to redo it, but the original one was still in place at the credit card company.

 

But again, credit card pre-auths disappear as soon as that merchant actually charges you. Even if what they charge is less than the pre-auth.

 

If they do not charge you at all, and cancel the pre-auth, it can take a week or so to come off your account.

 

But if the pre-auth uses up all your available credit, then you did not have enough to pay for the charges.

 

Debit cards are DIFFERENT. There a hold is placed, and even when charged, that hold may persist for a while. They are no handled like a pre-auth.

[steveru621]

If you look at your card account online during the cruise you will see the pending charges. RCI sends the amount you spent that day.

 

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[steveru621]

Debit card holds are no different. Credit or debit card it's up to the bank on how long they persist on your account. Credit or debit card banks are supposed to do a match hold on a charge. If it's the same merchant snd within 20% or so the hold will be replaced. The reason RCI daily holds don't fall off is because the amounts don't match at the end. The holds are controlled by YOUR BANK. I says that again when you fill out your set sail pass.

 

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[loving2cruise]

You can opt for a cash account up front. Then, on the last night of the cruise you can pay off the account with a credit or debit card. This way there are no holds put on the card.

 

Great Idea Bob!! :D Thank You!

[Clarea]

Great Idea Bob!! :D Thank You!

You're welcome.

[mediaase]

On my last cruise on Allure I had a credit card on file and had false charges that I had to fight because they automatically charged me. So this time I’m doing cash so I can “verify” the charges before they take my money.

[tim716]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but now I have the same problem and an even brighter idea. I have a “credit” card with an $100 credit limit and the exact amount  (my own funds) I’m gonna spend on the cruise. I won’t need the card for anything else. I’m gonna link it to the onboard account and let them hold there as they please. Then, at the end of the cruise, if they can convert those holds into charges - fine, everyone’s happy. But if the change get declined and they ask me to pay in cash or with another card, i’ll say: “Ok guys, what you made those holds for? To guarantee that I pay my expenses? Great! You have the guarantee for the full amount due. Now USE this guarantee and take the held money, since I don’t have any other money to pay besides the one you made the hold of. (Show my empty pockets). You can’t? Then why did you make those holds in the first place? Anyway, these are your technical problems, not mine. Goodbye gentlemen and have a nice day.”

And what will they do? Call the police? I’ll just show the police those holds on my electronic statement. It’s not like I don’t want to pay my debt, I just don’t want to make their problem my problem.

What do you think about it?

 

[Clarea]

3 minutes ago, tim716 said:

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but now I have the same problem and an even brighter idea. I have a “credit” card with an $100 credit limit and the exact amount  (my own funds) I’m gonna spend on the cruise. I won’t need the card for anything else. I’m gonna link it to the onboard account and let them hold there as they please. Then, at the end of the cruise, if they can convert those holds into charges - fine, everyone’s happy. But if the change get declined and they ask me to pay in cash or with another card, i’ll say: “Ok guys, what you made those holds for? To guarantee that I pay my expenses? Great! You have the guarantee for the full amount due. Now USE this guarantee and take the held money, since I don’t have any other money to pay besides the one you made the hold of. (Show my empty pockets). You can’t? Then why did you make those holds in the first place? Anyway, these are your technical problems, not mine. Goodbye gentlemen and have a nice day.”

And what will they do? Call the police? I’ll just show the police those holds on my electronic statement. It’s not like I don’t want to pay my debt, I just don’t want to make their problem my problem.

What do you think about it?

 

 

Too much hassle and complexity  I'd just have a cash account and pay it off with your credit/debit card on the last day.