Onboard Cash Accounts

[purpldoll6x]

Will be on LOS in about a month and I’m interested in  cash account so I don’t have to deal with credit card holds and any other inconvenience related to CC’s.  Is there a minimum dollar amount necessary to open one?  Can you use it down to a zero balance?  If you have a balance left at the end of the cruise, will they refund in cash?  Also, can you use money in the casino or just you room card?  TIA for any information, this will be my first RC cruise.

[matj2000]

Make life easier for everyone including yourself.

 

Use a Credit Card...........

[smplybcause]

You can use cash or your sea pass card in the casino. 

 

I always use a credit card, but I do know at some point of spending they'll shut off your card until you add more cash to your account. 

[Merion_Mom]

1 hour ago, purpldoll6x said:

Will be on LOS in about a month and I’m interested in  cash account so I don’t have to deal with credit card holds and any other inconvenience related to CC’s.  Is there a minimum dollar amount necessary to open one?  Can you use it down to a zero balance?  If you have a balance left at the end of the cruise, will they refund in cash?  Also, can you use money in the casino or just you room card?  TIA for any information, this will be my first RC cruise.

 

You do not actually have to put down ANY amount of cash.

 

If you charge a certain amount - depending on the length of your cruise - Guest Services will call you down to pay them.

[brillohead]

I have NEVER had to deal with holds or other inconveniences with using a credit card.  

I *have* seen big long slow lines of people on the last night of the cruise standing and waiting for their chance to pay off their account.  And then you can't charge anything else for the rest of the night, or you have to come back again and pay it off in the morning before you can disembark.  

If you really perceive it's going to be such an issue, estimate how much money you think you'll use, and pay that much in cash on your account on the first or second day of the cruise if you notice the line isn't bad at Guest Services, and *also* put a credit card down.  They'll use up your cash first (so there won't be any credit card holds that you seem so scared of) and then charge your card at the end for whatever extra charges you had.  If you have cash left over, they can credit it to your card on file -- no more waiting in line at Guest Services.

But personally, I don't like traveling with huge sums of cash (my credit cards are protected in the event of loss/theft) and I see no reason not to use a credit card.

The casino will GLADLY take your cash -- no problem there.

[ONECRUISER]

2 hours ago, brillohead said:

I have NEVER had to deal with holds or other inconveniences with using a credit card.  

I *have* seen big long slow lines of people on the last night of the cruise standing and waiting for their chance to pay off their account.  And then you can't charge anything else for the rest of the night, or you have to come back again and pay it off in the morning before you can disembark.  

If you really perceive it's going to be such an issue, estimate how much money you think you'll use, and pay that much in cash on your account on the first or second day of the cruise if you notice the line isn't bad at Guest Services, and *also* put a credit card down.  They'll use up your cash first (so there won't be any credit card holds that you seem so scared of) and then charge your card at the end for whatever extra charges you had.  If you have cash left over, they can credit it to your card on file -- no more waiting in line at Guest Services.

But personally, I don't like traveling with huge sums of cash (my credit cards are protected in the event of loss/theft) and I see no reason not to use a credit card.

The casino will GLADLY take your cash -- no problem there.

My experience also. Have watched my Credit Union acct's for 20+ yrs while on Cruises and only had a weird Hold was when using my Credit Unions Prepaid CC. They would Hold amount Charged, which was Tips added Daily TWICE. One of the Hold's would clear after 3rd Day and the extra Days(duplicate Holds) did not until few Days after Cruises. Did once get my Charges Declined on Cruise almost 30yrs ago. At time when we were in Caribbean my Royal onboard Charges were being placed out of Country so my Bank was declining them. 

[brillohead]

52 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

Did once get my Charges Declined on Cruise almost 30yrs ago. At time when we were in Caribbean my Royal onboard Charges were being placed out of Country so my Bank was declining them. 

 

I always let my credit card company know that I'm going out of the country to reduce the chance of that happening these days.

[shof515]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

 

I always let my credit card company know that I'm going out of the country to reduce the chance of that happening these days.

i find this harder to do these days. i remember back in the day they was a way to add my travel plans online by logging in my credit card account. Fast forward to now, they removed the way to add travel plans and updated their website saying you no longer need to contact about them about travel.  When i did contact them they told my card will work outside the country without any problems and notification of travel is no longer required

 

Yet when you do use the card outside the country the charges get declined and then you do have to find a way to contact them saying that yes you are outside the country and yes you approve that transaction. very annoying

[UKWLDCruise]

If you have a cash account with no money down they will let you run up a tab of up to $500 before they cut you off.  

[RKHOOKER]

Cash is king!  I’ve had bad experiences with RC applying pending charges to my credit/debit card on a daily basis only for them to charge me the full amount on the last morning of the cruise.  Hence, they (effectively) charged me twice & it took nearly a month to remove all the daily pending charges which in turn tied up my card for the rest of my holiday & was very inconvenient.   Get your cash out a an ATM in port & pay them to finalise your cash account. 

[ONECRUISER]

4 hours ago, brillohead said:

 

I always let my credit card company know that I'm going out of the country to reduce the chance of that happening these days.

True, was 1995 and do since then

[Ourusualbeach]

Every credit card company has its own policies on whether you need to notify them or not or whether they will decline your charges.  Mine used to but at least 5 and probably closer to 10 years ago they told me that notifying them is no longer required.  I've used my card in Caribbean ports and several countries in Europe several times on the same day and never had it declined.

 

As far as the cash accounts go,

 

Cruises 6 nights or less they allow you to charge up to $300 before requiring the balance to be paid down.

 

For cruises 7 nights or longer you are allowed to charge up to $500 before being asked to pay it down.

 

 

 

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, shof515 said:

i find this harder to do these days. i remember back in the day they was a way to add my travel plans online by logging in my credit card account. Fast forward to now, they removed the way to add travel plans and updated their website saying you no longer need to contact about them about travel.  When i did contact them they told my card will work outside the country without any problems and notification of travel is no longer required

 

Yet when you do use the card outside the country the charges get declined and then you do have to find a way to contact them saying that yes you are outside the country and yes you approve that transaction. very annoying

It depends on the bank / credit union.  Some of mine have a form online, some don't.  

[Norwich Cruiser]

With the variable exchange rate and charges we always open a cash account.

 

I normally visit guest services on day one and put a couple of hundred dollars down on our stateroom and finalise the account late on the late evening or early on debarkation morning.