Pre-pay OBC

[jc719]

Is it possible to pre-pay & buy On-board Credit and withdraw it in cash (USD) on board?  We have some private tours and the guides want to be paid in cash (either local or USD).  I'd prefer to do this rather than taking US currency to earn points on my credit card & I don't like carrying large amounts of cash.  I assume that a purchased OBC is refundable in the event I don't use it all up.  To withdraw it on-board, can I do this at Guest Services or do I need to use the casino?

[STREETKING]

I'm not sure about getting cash for obc but you could get casino credits that you could turn into cash.

[KreinKrunker]

4 hours ago, STREETKING said:

I'm not sure about getting cash for obc but you could get casino credits that you could turn into cash.

That's how we do it.

[caribill]

OBC cash withdrawal at Customer Service Desk? No.

 

OBC cash withdrawal at casino? Sort of. You can download money to a slot machine, play a little, and then cash out at the Casino cashier. There are limits to how much money you can do this with each day. Also, if they suspect you are only doing this to make the casino an ATM, they will stop letting you do this.

 

Alternatives:

a) Get travelers checks (not on a debit card) and cash them at the customer service desk.

b) Use the ATM machine on the ship but be aware that sometimes it may not be working and there is a service charge ($6?) in addition to any charge your bank may have.

[skynight]

You can't really use the casino as an ATM. You can play some in the casino where you may win or lose and then cash out. The casino cost could be more than just using the ATM, providing it's working.

Customer service does not act as a teller service. 

[STREETKING]

In the past I've pre-purchased casino credits which have been vouchers  in your cabin upon arrival, I then took them to the casino teller for cash. That's been several years ago maybe something has changed since the last time we cruised.

[jc719]

Here's an update with my experience on Diamond Princess...

 

I bought $1000 USD in OBC.  Went to the casino, linked my card and loaded $500 to the card.  Immediately cashed out $500.  No casino play.  A couple days later, loaded another $500 and immediately cashed out again.  A few days later, I tried to do it a 3rd time and the card had been disabled for loading cash from my on-board account.  I had the same cage cashier both times.  Had DW setup her card and download another $500 and immediately cash out.  No problem and I didn't try again as I had all the cash I needed.  So maybe I should have been more subtle.

 

I also noted that there was no need to preload OBC from home.  It would have worked the same, I think, just drawing down the on-board credit, still generating cash from a CC that pays more points for travel.