Refunds and Rebooking Packages

[md80fan]

Here is a question more out of curiosity. When you buy something usually the credit card company gets a cut. So say Visa takes a small percentage of every transaction as their fee and how they make their money. So when we buy a beverage package some percentage say .5% or 1% of the price goes to Visa or Mastercard etc..... So I assume every time we buy a package, then refund it, and then buy it again at a lower price Royal Caribbean gets hit with these fees which I assume add up over time. Just curious why Royal does not do something like a deposit. Where you buy the drink package and then pay a deposit of say 100 dollars with the balance due 90 days before sailing. Then if we cancel and rebook it saves the hassles of having a credit posted to our credit card account and then a recharge for the lower price. Plus it would save Royal on paying all those credit card fees (not that I really care how much Royal pays in fees). There just has to be an easier way then the current way of looking for a lower price, cancel, then rebook it.  

[Clarea]

Maybe someone with banking experience can confirm if the merchant is charged fees by the credit card company in the case of refunds.

[Ken at the beach]

Retailers would love it if Visa was only charging them half or 1%.  

 

Retailers do not pay the fee fee on returns. 

Edited August 21, 2019 by Ourusualbeach

[Clarea]

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

Retailers would love it if Visa was only charging them half or 1%.  

 

Retailers do not pay the fee fee on returns. 

 

Even if the refund is a couple of years down the road?

[Merion_Mom]

If RC didn't want full payment at the time of booking, it wouldn't be set up like this.  It is.

[h20skibum]

It is probably a small percentage of people that cancel and rebook their purchases. 

[Dan83]

I think paying for everything far in advance is a big part of their strategy. They like to give you multiple opportunities to spend money. If you go “all out” and buy dining packages, drink packages, excursions in every port, maybe even some spa treatments a year in advance, then come vacation time you can get the feeling like you’re not spending much. But you have, and that was a year ago, so you think you can afford to splurge a little more now.  All those “deals” in the shop, duty free, hello casino! You get to splurge twice(or more). Once planning in advance, and again on vacation. As far as canceling cruise planner items, it costs them nothing to refund a purchase. But I think the trend may shift toward prices going up closer to sail date. Having buyers remorse on that cabana? But it’s gone up $400 since I booked, I better keep it since I got a bargain! Lol. 

[PMGS247]

Interesting question.  I'm guessing they just eat the cost and bank on the theory that they sell more by making it so easy an seamless for the customer to cover the marginal transaction expense they incur by doing so.  I'm also sure they're at the top of the available tiers for credit card processing costs given the volume they do.

 

Semi hi-jack, different question, but if I made a fresh topic I'd pretty  much use exactly this subject name 😂.....

 

If I bought multiple Cruise Planner items in one transaction and want to cancel just one item can I do that without impacting the other item I bought along with it?  It seems like a silly question and I'm 99% sure the answer is yes, of course, it won't impact it at all, it's 2019 the systems are smart enough to handle that, BUT it does involve the $18/day drink package, which I don't want to put even at the remaining 1% risk.  Not that it matters but I'm considering replacing the current internet package with the key package.  Internet package and $18/drinks were purchased in the same credit card transaction.

Edited August 21, 2019 by PMGS247

[LeeW]

3 hours ago, PMGS247 said:

 

Semi hi-jack, different question, but if I made a fresh topic I'd pretty  much use exactly this subject name 😂.....

 

If I bought multiple Cruise Planner items in one transaction and want to cancel just one item can I do that without impacting the other item I bought along with it?  It seems like a silly question and I'm 99% sure the answer is yes, of course, it won't impact it at all, it's 2019 the systems are smart enough to handle that, BUT it does involve the $18/day drink package, which I don't want to put even at the remaining 1% risk.  Not that it matters but I'm considering replacing the current internet package with the key package.  Internet package and $18/drinks were purchased in the same credit card transaction.

Yup.  If you look in your Order History each item listed there has Cancel and Modify links.  So you can cancel each item separately.  Now for excursions they ask if you want to cancel all parties or just one.  Just don't mess with the $18 package links! 

 

I NEVER buy more than one thing at a time (except the $18 drink packages for 2).  If you are making MyTime dining reservations you can't, but I do each excursion separately.  Pain to put in all the address info, but I don't really trust the Shopping Cart.  If your internet connection drops it can wind up in a weird state.

[katiel53]

I think that Royal Caribbean thinks of the refunds to lower prices as a part of doing business.  They have use of your money from when you book until you use the product.

 

If the price goes down, it's a gamble that the cruise line is willing to take as not everyone checks all the time to see if there is a price reduction and I'm sure there are many who pay the full price and never request a refund.

 

Even when a refund is given, it doesn't happen anywhere near as quickly as the charge does.  I realize some of the time is bank related, but if I order something, in a couple of seconds it's on my credit card.  If I cancel something, I don't believe the charge goes to my credit card company as quickly, but I could be wrong,

[Tree_skier]

6 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

Maybe someone with banking experience can confirm if the merchant is charged fees by the credit card company in the case of refunds.

 

The merchant is credited the fee when the item is returned

[fdthird]

Over thinking it imho. 

[SRF]

6 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

The merchant is credited the fee when the item is returned

 

This ^^^^^^

 

You charge $100.  Vendor gets $97.  You get a refund.  Vendor credits back $97 to charge card, you get $100.  Everyone is even.

Edited August 22, 2019 by SRF