How Often Do You Pay Off Your On Board Account on a World Cruise?

[Smokeyham]

Hello,

 

I assume that you link your on board cruise card to a credit card on a world cruise, in the same way that you would for a shorter cruise.?  Given that, I am curious how often people decide to pay off the existing balance, or is this something that the cruise line does on their own schedule, i.e. once a month or something similar?

 

I am thinking that it would be quite a hit to wait till the end of the world cruise to charge the on board amount to a card.

 

 

 

 

[Heidi13]

With Princess in 2015, our account was settled at the end of each segment.

 

With Viking in 2020 we never had an outstanding balance at any time, as almost everything was included and we had significant OBC.

[DianeLeslie]

2 hours ago, Smokeyham said:

Hello,

 

I assume that you link your on board cruise card to a credit card on a world cruise, in the same way that you would for a shorter cruise.?  Given that, I am curious how often people decide to pay off the existing balance, or is this something that the cruise line does on their own schedule, i.e. once a month or something similar?

 

I am thinking that it would be quite a hit to wait till the end of the world cruise to charge the on board amount to a card.

 

 

 

 

HAL posted it at the end and for us it was a LARGE chunk.  They did give you a preliminary statement at the end of each segment so it wasn’t a huge surprise.  I found out that they have a large amt preapproved when you board.  It was even more than we spent. However, we had purchased several things before we came on board so they were already paid for. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by DianeLeslie
Clarity

[rkacruiser]

17 hours ago, DianeLeslie said:

HAL posted it at the end and for us it was a LARGE chunk.  They did give you a preliminary statement at the end of each segment so it wasn’t a huge surprise.  I found out that they have a large amt preapproved when you board.  It was even more than we spent. However, we had purchased several things before we came on board so they were already paid for. 

 

This was my experience with HAL as well.  I also never reached the pre-approved amount.

It is very important, in my opinion, to have a credit card with a significant line of credit.  Maybe even having two such cards, "just in case".  And, it is quite beneficial (at least it was for me) to have the card linked to a Rewards Program that offers benefits that one actually will find useful.  My card was a Marriott Rewards card and I "earned" many "free" nights at Marriott affiliated hotels in the next year or so.  

[DianeLeslie]

12 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

This was my experience with HAL as well.  I also never reached the pre-approved amount.

It is very important, in my opinion, to have a credit card with a significant line of credit.  Maybe even having two such cards, "just in case".  And, it is quite beneficial (at least it was for me) to have the card linked to a Rewards Program that offers benefits that one actually will find useful.  My card was a Marriott Rewards card and I "earned" many "free" nights at Marriott affiliated hotels in the next year or so.  

We use the Marriott also for the free stays and it has a large limit. We also take more than one card in case something happens. Like on the WC we were in the Caymans and someone was using the card in Georgia.  HAL helped us with the mess and the card company sent us a new card in Sydney.  However it still caused lots of confusion and we needed the second credit card to use until we got the replacement. 

[Smokeyham]

Good points to have a card with a high credit limit and also to have a second (or more than 2) card as backup.  Also, good point to choose which card you are going to use so you get the maximum points from what might be a considerable charge to the card.   

 

Do you think that they would be willing to charge the card for the existing balance of your on board account on a more frequent basis (say monthly) if you did not want to have a large charge made to the credit card at the end of the trip (or even end of segment)?

 

[rkacruiser]

15 minutes ago, Smokeyham said:

Do you think that they would be willing to charge the card for the existing balance of your on board account on a more frequent basis (say monthly) if you did not want to have a large charge made to the credit card at the end of the trip (or even end of segment)?

 

They might.  I vaguely recall hearing that some on my world cruise did that on a segment basis.  Speaking with Ship Services prior to your cruise ought to provide clarity as to whether that could be arranged and how it could be arranged.  Don't wait until you embark the ship.

[wishIweretravelling]

Also make sure that the credit card(s) you carry with you do not have international transaction charges. Exchanging currency for each country you visit can get tiresome and expensive in terms of fees, commissions, and sometimes lousy exchange rates, so using credit cards where you can is helpful, and those international transaction fees can really add up. 

[Smokeyham]

1 hour ago, wishIweretravelling said:

Also make sure that the credit card(s) you carry with you do not have international transaction charges. Exchanging currency for each country you visit can get tiresome and expensive in terms of fees, commissions, and sometimes lousy exchange rates, so using credit cards where you can is helpful, and those international transaction fees can really add up. 

Excellent point!  I use CapitalOne, but I have a friend who has really investigated all of the different benefits programs and will ask her.   

[rkacruiser]

7 hours ago, wishIweretravelling said:

Also make sure that the credit card(s) you carry with you do not have international transaction charges. 

 

Absolutely correct!

 

Maybe not true everywhere, but in certain countries, it was beneficial to purchase an item in USD and not in their local currency.  Using a credit card made such a transaction simple.  

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

At the very end ....

[PORT ROYAL]

On 8/31/2020 at 1:14 AM, Smokeyham said:

Hello,

 

I assume that you link your on board cruise card to a credit card on a world cruise, in the same way that you would for a shorter cruise.?  Given that, I am curious how often people decide to pay off the existing balance, or is this something that the cruise line does on their own schedule, i.e. once a month or something similar?

 

I am thinking that it would be quite a hit to wait till the end of the world cruise to charge the on board amount to a card.

 

 

 

 

 

We link Credit Card at Checkin, then at the end of the cruise switch to pay the statement in cash on the final evening.

 

 

[The Other Tom]

On 8/30/2020 at 9:41 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

With Viking in 2020 we never had an outstanding balance at any time, as almost everything was included and we had significant OBC.

How did you get significant OBC?  Travel agent?

[Heidi13]

22 hours ago, The Other Tom said:

How did you get significant OBC?  Travel agent?

 

Negative, as Viking limit the OBC your TA can provide based on the length of the cruise. The max we could get from the TA was CAN $500 pp.

 

Most of the OBC was provided by Viking at time of booking.

[The Other Tom]

48 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Negative, as Viking limit the OBC your TA can provide based on the length of the cruise. The max we could get from the TA was CAN $500 pp.

 

Most of the OBC was provided by Viking at time of booking.

Thanks

[BarbaraM]

After reading advice on this board a few years ago, I took out a second ATM card , not linked to my bank account , only used on my foreign travels. My choice was Capital One— No foreign transaction fees, and I could add funds online whenever needed.  
 

for the OBC question— we received statements after every segment— and, as we also had a sizable OBC— we never needed to consider payments, and struggled to spend the non refundable credit by the end of the cruise.  I believe it’s personal choice— but in our cruises, the final bill is settled at the end of the world cruise.

[Smokeyham]

6 hours ago, BarbaraM said:

After reading advice on this board a few years ago, I took out a second ATM card , not linked to my bank account , only used on my foreign travels. My choice was Capital One— No foreign transaction fees, and I could add funds online whenever needed.  

Thanks for the suggestion.  I like the idea of having a debit card that is separate from my main checking account.   I googled and came up with the CapitalOne 360 account, which offers no-fee international transactions.  Is that the one you are referring to?   I also like that they offer the contactless card.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

On 9/30/2020 at 11:38 AM, The Other Tom said:

How did you get significant OBC?  Travel agent?

Travel Agent 

[The Other Tom]

On 10/1/2020 at 2:34 PM, BarbaraM said:

After reading advice on this board a few years ago, I took out a second ATM card , not linked to my bank account , only used on my foreign travels. My choice was Capital One— No foreign transaction fees, and I could add funds online whenever needed.  

If you're adding funds online, I assume it's through your bank account.  So, theoretically, your second ATM would then be linked to your primary bank account.  At least a cleaver thief could see where your deposits come from.....

[BarbaraM]

On 10/1/2020 at 8:32 PM, Smokeyham said:

Thanks for the suggestion.  I like the idea of having a debit card that is separate from my main checking account.   I googled and came up with the CapitalOne 360 account, which offers no-fee international transactions.  Is that the one you are referring to?   I also like that they offer the contactless card.

That's the one -- 

 

Edited October 18, 2020 by BarbaraM

[Smokeyham]

On 10/1/2020 at 11:34 AM, BarbaraM said:

After reading advice on this board a few years ago, I took out a second ATM card , not linked to my bank account , only used on my foreign travels. My choice was Capital One— No foreign transaction fees, and I could add funds online whenever needed.  
 

for the OBC question— we received statements after every segment— and, as we also had a sizable OBC— we never needed to consider payments, and struggled to spend the non refundable credit by the end of the cruise.  I believe it’s personal choice— but in our cruises, the final bill is settled at the end of the world cruise.

 

 

On 10/1/2020 at 6:32 PM, Smokeyham said:

Thanks for the suggestion.  I like the idea of having a debit card that is separate from my main checking account.   I googled and came up with the CapitalOne 360 account, which offers no-fee international transactions.  Is that the one you are referring to?   I also like that they offer the contactless card.

 

Thanks for the response!  🙂

 

43 minutes ago, BarbaraM said:

That's the one --