On board account

[Redhatchick57]

I was intending to use a Global Currency Card to pay our on board account.  This is technically a debit card and I see there have been lots of discussions about the "holds" placed on these types of card.  If we were to set up our on board account as cash and then use the debit card to pay the final account would it still be effected by "holds".  Also are you able to check your on board account throughout the cruise - the cruise line Celebrity just talks about obtaining a full print out at the end of the cruise.  

 

[John Bull]

You need to check with Celebrity whether that Global pre-paid currency card is acceptable.

 

Most pre-paid debit cards aren't acceptable because its not possible to put a "hold" on funds in them - money can only be debited. 

 

Because it's Visa, possibly they will accept it it to set up a cash account on--board, but then any money debited to the card & credited to your on-board account can't be returned to the card - you'd have to join the line at Guest Relations on the final day to get a refund of over-payment in cash. And that cash would be in ship's currency, probably USD - they'll offer to give you that refund in NZD if they carry them (they probably will if the itinerary includes NZ) but the exchange rate that they give will be truly awful. 

 

If it's possible to get a credit card, that's very definitely the way to go.

If you simply don't like credit cards or you don't trust yourselves, get a card just for this trip & then destroy it. If you pay it off in full by the due date it will cost you nothing. No set-up fee, no interest, no nothing except perhaps a foreign exchange fee.

If you go down that route, get a card that doesn't charge a forex fee - your countrymen can suggest which cards are free from forex fees.  The exchange rate given by credit card issuers (I don't know about pre-pay debit cards) is as good as you'll get - usually the wholesale rate or only slightly worse, waaaay better than you'll get from any bank or exchange bureau or ship. For that reason also use a no - forex - fee credit card for all purchases ashore at your ports of call.

 

Celebrity will offer to charge your on-board account in NZD "for your convenience". 

DECLINE that offer because of their poor exchange rates (its the same with other cruise lines too). Insist that your card is charged in ship's currency and allow the card issuer to convert at their significantly better exchange rate. 

 

JB 

Edited April 1, 2019 by John Bull

[Essiesmom]

I don't think you quite understand a 'cash' account.  You can't simply say you are going to settle at the end with cash.  You have to give a certain amount up front, and as you spend that, add more to it, so theoretically there would be nothing owed at the end.  EM

[spookwife]

 

if the card you want to use is a pre paid  card,  theres a 95+% chance you cannot use it at all.  Debit cards have holds put on them  daily to cover any on board spending, which can mean  the actual available funds in the account are tied up.. often for weeks AFTER the cruise is over.   which is why no one  recommends them at all.  

 

you can check your account  as often as you like.    either by going to Guest services and standing in line( can be tedious)  or if the ship has it set up.. via the TV in your cabin.  if you are in a suite, your Butler can obtain a hard copy  for you as well..

 

last time I sailed Celebrity, you had to put actual hard currency down up front for a 'cash' account.  every time your account  reaches a zero balance(* via on board spending or the daily service charges if you didn't  pre pay those) you will be called down to put more money on the account.  

 

what many people do is secure the account with a regular credit card then pay in cash at the end, or use their debit card as only that specific  amount of funds would  be tied up.   

[John Bull]

On 4/1/2019 at 4:33 PM, spookwife said:

 

if the card you want to use is a pre paid  card,  theres a 95+% chance you cannot use it at all on the ship  

 

Debit cards (linked to a bank account) have holds put on them  daily to cover any on board spending, which can mean  the actual available funds in the account are tied up.. often for weeks AFTER the cruise is over.   which is why no one  recommends them at all.  

 

you can check your account  as often as you like.    either by going to Guest services and standing in line( can be tedious)  or if the ship has it set up.. via the TV in your cabin.  if you are in a suite, your Butler can obtain a hard copy  for you as well..

 

last time I sailed Celebrity, you had to put actual hard currency down up front for a 'cash' account.  every time your account  reaches a zero balance(* via on board spending or the daily service charges if you didn't  pre pay those) you will be called down to put more money on the account.  

 

what many people do is secure the account with a regular credit card then pay in cash at the end, or use their debit card as only that specific  amount of funds would  be tied up.   

 

 

Apologies to spookwife, but I've taken the liberty of changing the first para of that post to differentiate between pre-pay debit cards and bank account-linked debit cards. 

 

You can use a pre-pay debit card for any purchases that don't require a hold.

Cruise lines require a hold (or cash up-front) for on-board accounts for the reason in my first post.

Likewise car rental agencies require a hold in case of damage, traffic fines, toll charges etc.

As do some hotels, to cover meals, drinks, etc charge to the room.

So those outlets won't accept most pre-pay debit cards

 

But for ATMs and for simple purchases from shops, restaurants, gas stations etc your Visa pre-pay debit card is equally as acceptable as a regular Visa debit or credit card. 

 

In these days of instant electronic transactions you'd think that the hold would be released at the end of the cruise when the card is debited with the actual charges incurred.

But spookwife is right, it takes anywhere between 3 or 4 days and a couple of weeks for the hold to be released, and in the meantime you've effectively paid twice.

Banks blame merchants for the delay and merchants blame banks, but this affects all holds - not just those involving cruise lines.

The result is that you can't access the held funds for a while, even though you've already settled the on-board account.

So if folk run a fairly low current account balance, by using their bank account debit card they risk being unable to get cash from an ATM and regular payments like rent or car repayments  being dishonoured.

So, as spookwife has said, using a debit card isn't recommended. 

 

BTW, the hold is much the same with credit cards.

The big difference is that most folks' bank balance is much lower than their credit card limit, so a hold is far more likely to affect their debit card. 

 

To emphasise - a hold doesn't mean money being debited and re-credited, the bank or card issuer merely agrees to reserve that money for the merchant. So it won't appear on bank or credit card statements and there'll be no interest or fees charged.

 

As with most of my posts - clear as mud 

 

JB 

Edited April 2, 2019 by John Bull

[SRF]

On 4/1/2019 at 9:09 AM, Essiesmom said:

I don't think you quite understand a 'cash' account.  You can't simply say you are going to settle at the end with cash.  You have to give a certain amount up front, and as you spend that, add more to it, so theoretically there would be nothing owed at the end.  EM

 

Not necessarily.

 

As I understand it, Royal Carib allows you to charge up to $500 on a cash account, without any funds pre-paid.  Once you hit $500, you need to pay some into the account to keep charging.

 

It is not like you can just run away from the bill at the end of the cruise.  I guess you could sneak off and not return at the last port, leaving your luggage.  😄

 

 

 

[cb at sea]

Instead of putting money on the CARD...just bring the cash for your "cash" account.  You can also have some money on the card, if you want to have that...but cash is king.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

Instead of putting money on the CARD...just bring the cash for your "cash" account.  You can also have some money on the card, if you want to have that...but cash is king.

 

If this is for the cruise on the OP's other posts, it's the Baltic with Celebrity.

Ship's currency will be US dollars.

So taking cash works for an American.

 

But the OP would have to exchange NZD for cash US dollars before the cruise and the exchange rates for cash aren't great. OP would also have to figure in advance how much cash to change into USD.

An even worse exchange rate, a massively worse rate, if the OP used NZD on the ship to pay their USD on-board account - and that's if Celebrity will even accept NZD. 

 

Cash ain''t king when different currencies are involved.

Best is a credit card, and best by far is a credit card that doesn't charge a foreign exchange fee.

 

JB