Double billing you card

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

I have just finished reading some reviews about how Carnival and other cruise lines are double billing there charge cards. Look like they have not read Carnivals information about billing your card. They will get a pre authorized amount on your card, usually the second day of your cruise.  If you go and look at your account at your bank it will look like a double billing it is NOT. It is only pre authorization. A few days after your cruise. That will be removed from you account and only the total you received when leaving will be charged. Needless to say. There can be a glitch and you will need to take care of it. I have never had any cruise line over bill us. 80+ cruises. Keeping my fingers crossed.🤞

[slavigne5577]

We have had this type of situation when our bank changed ownership. Charges were pending and were charged for about a week. That means for a week we were charged twice. So no access to those funds that are still pending. We now just use a credit card and pay it off before the interest hits.

[mz-s]

Apparently these reviewers just got their first credit card before their cruise? This is normal behavior for any kind of pre-authorization - especially travel. Hotels, even gas pumps, will authorize the card and then charge the card at the end of the transaction.

[Elaine5715]

37 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

I have just finished reading some reviews about how Carnival and other cruise lines are double billing there charge cards. Look like they have not read Carnivals information about billing your card. They will get a pre authorized amount on your card, usually the second day of your cruise.  If you go and look at your account at your bank it will look like a double billing it is NOT. It is only pre authorization. A few days after your cruise. That will be removed from you account and only the total you received when leaving will be charged. Needless to say. There can be a glitch and you will need to take care of it. I have never had any cruise line over bill us. 80+ cruises. Keeping my fingers crossed.🤞

People have those credit card apps and don't read the fine print.  My apps beeps from a charge and is silent for holds. Carnival doesn't release holds, the card issuer does.

[SRQbeachgirl]

This has always been the case on our credit and debit cards whether we were on cruises, at hotels, or getting rental cars, even way back when we first got married in the 80's. 

[lions1995]

The pre-authorizations (which all showed up as pending) took over a week to clear on my card. The odd thing is that overall charge was one line and the pre-authrizaed where individuals lines. And I swear they appeared after we got off the cruise. Not a big deal, it was not showing up as part of my balance, but I did want to make sure they went away. 

[sanmarcosman]

This is nothing new, many card issuers do this and have for many years. 

[sparks1093]

While it is nothing new it is good to bring it up from time to time for new cruisers. We had several holds placed through the week and the final charge didn't actually hit the card until about 3 days after the cruise.

 

For debit card users this can be critical because holds will actually take money off your account balance until it is released. The last time we used a debit card (and it was the very last time because of this) the cruise line put a hold on our card for what was on our account the night before the cruise. They then put through the final charges the next morning. When we stopped to get gas shortly after leaving port my debit card was rejected and when I checked my account it was overdrawn because both the hold and the charge reduced my account balance below zero. So there I was in Miami and had to drive the family to Vermont on a shoe string since the money I had anticipated to use was no longer available. Fortunately I had a credit card with a small limit to cover gas and we were staying the first night at a friend's house. And also fortunately by the time we stopped again for gas the hold had been removed and we had money again. So, as I said, it can be dicey when using a debit card and I no longer use it for paying cruise expenses.

[Purvis1231]

On 6/5/2022 at 11:20 AM, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

I have just finished reading some reviews about how Carnival and other cruise lines are double billing there charge cards. Look like they have not read Carnivals information about billing your card. They will get a pre authorized amount on your card, usually the second day of your cruise.  If you go and look at your account at your bank it will look like a double billing it is NOT. It is only pre authorization. A few days after your cruise. That will be removed from you account and only the total you received when leaving will be charged. Needless to say. There can be a glitch and you will need to take care of it. I have never had any cruise line over bill us. 80+ cruises. Keeping my fingers crossed.🤞

Thanks for the information, I have never ben double billed by Carnival but I have at other times, thankfully, my credit card company is on the lookout for this and lets me know and removes the charges. 

[Purvis1231]

51 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

While it is nothing new it is good to bring it up from time to time for new cruisers. We had several holds placed through the week and the final charge didn't actually hit the card until about 3 days after the cruise.

 

For debit card users this can be critical because holds will actually take money off your account balance until it is released. The last time we used a debit card (and it was the very last time because of this) the cruise line put a hold on our card for what was on our account the night before the cruise. They then put through the final charges the next morning. When we stopped to get gas shortly after leaving port my debit card was rejected and when I checked my account it was overdrawn because both the hold and the charge reduced my account balance below zero. So there I was in Miami and had to drive the family to Vermont on a shoe string since the money I had anticipated to use was no longer available. Fortunately I had a credit card with a small limit to cover gas and we were staying the first night at a friend's house. And also fortunately by the time we stopped again for gas the hold had been removed and we had money again. So, as I said, it can be dicey when using a debit card and I no longer use it for paying cruise expenses.

I have never had a problem with a debt card but it is always important to know what is in your account and to have ample fund available plus an emergency fund before someone cruise. 

 

[sparks1093]

51 minutes ago, Purvis1231 said:

I have never had a problem with a debt card but it is always important to know what is in your account and to have ample fund available plus an emergency fund before someone cruise. 

 

Yep, and there in lies the rub. I had enough for what our anticipated expenses were (plus extra). I didn't have enough that a hold and the charge could be absorbed. So, let's say we had $2500 in our account and the cruise line put on a hold for $1600 and then the final charge for $1600. That would leave our account $700 overdrawn. As mentioned when the hold gets released is up to the bank, and if my bank had held the hold for a week we would have been in dire straits indeed. So if one is going to use a debit card my recommendation is to have at least double what the anticipated charges are to avoid issues.

[Brkintx]

I have to admit... I don't understand the use of the debit card as the S&S account mechanism. I get that some people don't have a CC, but if you don't - why not just set up cash account?  What benefit does using a debit card provide (that offset's the risk of an authorization issue)?

[Guest BasicSailor]

I'm a cash and go kind of guy, so no problems on the Homefront.

[sparks1093]

20 minutes ago, Brkintx said:

I have to admit... I don't understand the use of the debit card as the S&S account mechanism. I get that some people don't have a CC, but if you don't - why not just set up cash account?  What benefit does using a debit card provide (that offset's the risk of an authorization issue)?

Some people don't know (I didn't). That's one of the reasons that these discussions are helpful.

[Guest BasicSailor]

Just now, sparks1093 said:

Some people don't know (I didn't). That's one of the reasons that these discussions are helpful.

Agree, and some just want to avoid carrying that much cash. understandable.

[Purvis1231]

2 hours ago, Brkintx said:

I have to admit... I don't understand the use of the debit card as the S&S account mechanism. I get that some people don't have a CC, but if you don't - why not just set up cash account?  What benefit does using a debit card provide (that offset's the risk of an authorization issue)?

Right, I did use a debt card by mistake. I bought some items for the cruise with a debt card and somehow that was linked to my onboard account.  Thankfully, it did not cause a problem and my account was square the day the cruise ended.  In general, I would use a credit card since it is better to travel on somebody else money and then settle up later.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Purvis1231
typo

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

I use my Bank of America card that pays very well. It also has great travel insurance. So I pay for the cruise and anything else I want with the card. Then pay it off at the end of the month.

[supaflyrobby]

I am glad I read this as I just got off a princess cruise and was taken aback at seeing a massive charge on my credit card I could not explain. It is now gone, but I assume it is about what rental car companies do when you rent a car. They hit you for a massive amount as a sort of security deposit, and it is later reduced to the actual amount of the rental. 

[Guest BasicSailor]

36 minutes ago, supaflyrobby said:

I am glad I read this as I just got off a princess cruise and was taken aback at seeing a massive charge on my credit card I could not explain. It is now gone, but I assume it is about what rental car companies do when you rent a car. They hit you for a massive amount as a sort of security deposit, and it is later reduced to the actual amount of the rental. 

Welcome to Cruise Critic, SupaFly 🙂

[supaflyrobby]

40 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic, SupaFly 🙂

Why thank you kind Sir! I wish I would have discovered this forum prior to my first cruise as opposed to now after its conclusion. However, I got back from Seattle from my Princess Cruise on Sunday and I have already booked my next one on for 6 days in 2023 on Carnival Paradise out to Tampa to the Western Caribbean. So yeah, I would say I have now officially caught the bug.